CTV Drama Channel
CTV Drama Channel (formerly known as Bravo) is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Bell Media.
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CHUM Limited (1995–2007) CTVglobemedia (CTV Limited) (2007–2011) Bell Media (2011–present) (Branding licensed from Comcast, and NBCUniversal as Bravo!, and Bravo from 1995 to 2019) |
| Sister channels | CTV CTV Comedy Channel CTV Sci-Fi Channel CTV Life Channel CTV News Channel CTV 2 |
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 1995 |
| Former names | Bravo! (1995–2012) Bravo (2012–2019) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
The channel was founded as the Canadian version of the U.S. channel Bravo (which is now owned by NBCUniversal) on January 1, 1995 by Moses Znaimer and its owner CHUM Limited, and originally focused on performing arts, drama, and independent film. As with its U.S. counterpart, the channel has dropped its arts programming but unlike its U.S. counterpart, which shifted to female-targeting reality and lifestyle-oriented series, the Canadian channel adopted a general entertainment format with a focus on drama.
In 2007, Bravo was among the channels acquired by CTVglobemedia after buying the assets of CHUM Limited. The channel was relaunched in 2012 under a new logo and separate branding from its former U.S. counterpart. Seven years later, the channel would rebrand again under its current name on September 12, 2019.