Family Channel, Family Jr., WildBrainTV and Télémagino will soon disappear from Canadian airwaves after their owner, WildBrain Ltd., announced the stations will shut down.
The company said this week that it was unable to reach a new carriage agreement with Rogers, which plans to drop the four children’s channels “in the coming months.” Bell has also confirmed it will stop carrying the networks, leaving them commercially unviable.
WildBrain said it intends to cease broadcasting once the channels are removed and will surrender their licences to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). A previously announced deal to sell a majority stake in the channels to IoM Media Ventures has also been cancelled.
Josh Scherba, WildBrain’s president and CEO, called the shutdown “unfortunate,” but said the company will refocus on its globally recognized brands, including Peanuts, Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies. The company plans to expand those franchises through streaming platforms, YouTube, consumer products and live fan experiences.
No firm date has been set for when the channels will go off the air, but their closure marks the end of an era for Canadian children’s television, once dominated by Family Channel and its sister networks.