CHUM and Bell ownership
In April 2004, CHUM Limited announced it would purchase Craig Media for CAD$265 million; Craig's 80.1% interest in TV Land was included in the sale, primarily to gain control of its A-Channel television stations in western Canada (which joined its Citytv brand).[4] The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved on November 19, 2004.[5] The transaction was completed on December 1, 2004.[6]
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM, including TV Land Canada, for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion.[7] The sale was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007,[8] with the transaction completed on June 22.
On June 21, 2010, it was announced that TV Land would be rebranded as Comedy Gold, becoming an offshoot of The Comedy Network, effective August 2, 2010. The rebranded channel shifted focus to classic U.S. sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murphy Brown, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.[9] Viacom sold its stake in the channel back to CTV after the rebrand took place.[10]
The channel's ownership changed hands once again when on September 10, 2010, BCE Inc. (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of CAD$3.2 billion.[11] The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 7, 2011,[12] and was finalized on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.[13] In June 2012, Comedy Gold unveiled a new on-air look consisting of a new logo and new on-air presentation, aligning with the relaunched Comedy Network, which itself had unveiled a new on-air rebrand in November 2011.[14]
