For two decades, SCN has delivered a variety of television programs, much of them educational and many of them produced in the province. (CBC)

An Ontario company has won the bidding for the Saskatchewan government's television network, the province announced Monday.

The government, which announced in the spring budget it was winding down the Saskatchewan Communications Network, says Bluepoint Investment Corporation was the successful bidder.

Bluepoint will pay the Saskatchewan government $350,000 for SCN's physical assets as well as its film and video properties. It has also agreed to pay for operations at SCN while it applies to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to transfer the broadcast licence.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SCN, said the company also plans to invest nearly $2 million in Saskatchewan productions each year.

"They will be looking, though, to the CRTC to amend the licence to allow for some commercial advertising, so [there will be] some revenue generation for them," Duncan said. "But in many ways … I think people will see a very similar channel to what they've seen in the past."

Duncan said there's nothing preventing Bluepoint from taking the assets and leaving Saskatchewan. However, if the company did that, it would lose its designation as Saskatchewan's educational channel, and its desirable "must carry" status with cable companies, he said.

Four companies had been on the government's short list to buy the SCN assets.

Bluepoint spokesman Bruce Claassen said in April that his company hoped to take over SCN and operate it "under the context of the original vision of what the station was."

SCN, which was created two decades ago by former premier Grant Devine's Progressive Conservative government, broadcasts a variety of educational and entertainment programs, many that have been produced within the province.

Arts groups were furious with the government for making the budget cut on SCN and have held a series of rallies since the spring, trying to highlight the importance of the station to Saskatchewan. The province says it will save about $5 million a year.