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Media Ownership

Media Ownership in Canada: a timeline

Last Updated Sept. 19, 2006

2007

June:

The CRTC approves CTVglobemedia's acquisition of CHUM, but orders the media entity to sell all five of the Citytv stations it purchased in the $1.7 billion deal. The regulator said allowing CTV to hold onto the stations -- in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg -- would violate the "common ownership" policy, which prevents a broadcaster from operating more than one commercial TV station in one language in a given market.

April:

Astral Media Inc. strikes a $1.08 billion deal to buy privately held Standard Radio Inc., a merger that would create the largest radio broadcaster in Canada.

January:

CanWest Global Communications Corp. teams up with private equity firm Goldman Sachs Capital Partners to buy Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., one of Canada's largest entertainment companies. The $2.3 billion deal is awaiting CRTC approval.

2006

Bell Globemedia makes a bid for CHUM. The company says that if the deal is approved, CHUM's A-Channel and Access Alberta stations will be sold off.

2005

Bell Canada Enterprises announces a deal to sell part of Bell Globemedia to Torstar (which owns the Toronto Star) and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. The deal, which is still awaiting CRTC approval, would see BCE, Torstar and the pension plan each own 20 per cent of Bell Globemedia while Woodbridge Co., a holding company controlled by the Thomson family, own 40 per cent.

2004

CHUM buys Craig Media, acquiring A-Channel stations in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg, a station in Brandon, Man., and some digital special channels. It sells its stake in newly launched Toronto1 to Quebecor, which rebrands it Sun TV.

2001

Rogers Communications buys Sportsnet and 15 Ontario radio stations.

2000

BCE Inc. buys the CTV television network and, six months later, the Globe and Mail newspaper. A new company, Bell Globemedia, is formed.

CanWest buys Hollinger's 13 daily newspapers, 126 community papers, 50 per cent of the National Post and canada.com. The company would later acquire the remaining 50 per cent of the National Post from Hollinger.

Quebecor buys Quebec cable company Vidéotron, beating a bid by Rogers Communications.

1999

CTV Inc. buys NetStar Communications, owner of the Discovery Channel, sports channel TSN and its French equivalent RDS.

Quebecor buys Sun Media and sells four of its local papers to Torstar.

1998

Southam acquires the Financial Post in exchange for four local papers. It would later fold the newspaper into the National Post, using the name for its business section.

1996

Rogers sells Sun Media to a group of employees.

1994

Rogers Communications acquires Maclean-Hunter and its Maclean's magazine, Sun Media properties, 21 radio stations, two TV stations and minority stake in CTV.

1992

Conrad Black's Hollinger buys a 23 per cent interest in the Southam chain from Torstar Corp., becoming the single largest shareholder of Canada's largest newspaper chain.

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