CTV Nature Channel
CTV Nature Channel is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture between Bell Media and ESPN Inc. via license CTV Nature Canada Company. It broadcasts factual and reality-style series related to science, nature, and history.
The network was originally launched on August 15, 2001 as Discovery Civilization Channel, a digital cable spin-off from Discovery Channel based on the U.S. network of the same name, focusing on programming related to history and international culture. On September 27, 2010, the channel relaunched as Discovery Science, becoming a Canadian version of Science Channel.
On January 1, 2025, the channel relaunched as CTV Nature Channel, due to Bell losing the rights to Warner Bros. Discovery factual and lifestyle brands to Rogers Sports & Media.
History
CTV Nature Channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on December 14, 2000 as Discovery Civilization Channel Canada. The application was granted to CTV Inc., and was later transferred to its subsidiary, CTV Specialty Television Inc., in which ESPN owns a 20% interest. The channel was originally described in regulatory documents as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service dedicated to bringing the diverse people and cultures of the world to Canadian viewers. The service will be dedicated to exploring and understanding the roots of human development and learning from other cultures and traditions."The channel was launched on August 15, 2001 as Discovery Civilization Channel, with programming devoted to human civilization and history. The channel was intended to be a Canadian version of a U.S. channel of the same name, which was later reformatted and renamed as Discovery Times, and later became Investigation Discovery.
On June 4, 2010 CTVglobemedia announced that Discovery Civilization Channel would be rebranded as Discovery Science on September 27, 2010, serving as a Canadian version of the U.S. network Science Channel.
On June 10, 2024, Rogers Sports & Media announced it had reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery for Canadian rights to its lifestyle brands beginning in January 2025, which were subsequently confirmed to include Discovery Science. This led to a lawsuit by Bell, which claimed the move would violate previous non-compete clauses with WBD; the matter was settled out of court in October. Rogers announced that Science Channel content would move to its on-demand and streaming platforms including Citytv+, rather than a new linear channel.
On October 17, 2024, Bell Media announced the channel would rebrand as CTV Nature Channel on January 1, 2025. CTV Nature will take over much of Discovery's previous mandate within the Bell Media portfolio as it transitions to a general entertainment format under the USA Network brand, repurposing certain Canadian factual series previously commissioned by Bell, as well as other content related to science, nature, and history from third-party distributors.
At some point after the rebranding, WBD divested its stakes in the channel, making a sole owner.