What CTV Specialty Television does

CTV Specialty Television is a Canadian media company that operates the Citytv+ streaming platform (citytvplus.ca), a direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service aggregating content from 19 specialty television brands including Citytv, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, FX, Discovery, ID, CityNews 24/7, Magnolia Network, Turbo, SCI, Animal Planet, OWN, Cooking Channel, and OMNI. The Citytv brand was co-founded by Moses Znaimer in 1972, and the company today functions as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rogers Media, itself part of publicly-traded Rogers Communications Inc. Headquartered in Scarborough, Canada, with a workforce of 101–250 employees, the company serves general Canadian consumers seeking live and on-demand specialty television content across entertainment, lifestyle, news, and documentary genres.

The underlying technology is a streaming video delivery platform paired with an API-driven content management system, featuring a Dynamic Image Resizing API that handles image asset generation and metadata for the catalog across the 19 brand properties. The platform is hosted on Rogers' content infrastructure (production.static-d3-rogent.com) and is accessed via a "Sign In or Subscribe" authentication model, indicating both authenticated free/premium content tiers and a paid subscription tier.

The business model is direct-to-consumer subscription streaming, complemented by Rogers Media's traditional cable distribution and bundled offerings across the Rogers wireless and cable footprint in Canada. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held within Rogers Communications and does not disclose standalone revenue, headcount growth, or subscriber metrics in the available data.

Name

CTV Specialty Television

Legal name

CTV Specialty Television

Website

https://citytv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CTV Specialty Television operates Citytv+, a Canadian direct-to-consumer streaming platform owned by Rogers Media that aggregates content from 19 specialty television brands including Citytv, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, and Discovery, serving Canadian consumers across entertainment, lifestyle, news, and documentary genres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Streaming Services

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional/Sub-National Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Connected TV (CTV) & OTT Performance Advertising (BPAFACAG), Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets) (MPABACAI)

Keywords

• Video streaming services
• Specialty television channels
• Live TV streaming
• On-demand video content
• Subscription streaming platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Subscription Streaming Service: CTV Specialty Television operates a subscription-based streaming platform offering access to live TV channels and on-demand content from multiple specialty television brands. The service follows a freemium-signup model with 'Sign In or Subscribe' prompts on content items.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

CTV Specialty Television operates Citytv+, a Canadian subscription-based streaming platform that provides live TV and on-demand video content from 19 specialty television brands including Citytv, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, FX, Discovery, ID, CityNews 24/7, Magnolia Network, Animal Planet, OWN, Cooking Channel, SCI, Turbo, and OMNI. The platform offers curated content collections, a My List watchlist feature, and operates under a 'Sign In or Subscribe' freemium entry model.

Product overview

Citytv+ is a Canadian streaming platform operated by Rogers Media that provides both live TV streaming and on-demand content access. The service aggregates programming from multiple television networks and brands including Citytv, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, FX, Discovery, Investigation Discovery (ID), CityNews 24/7, Magnolia Network, Turbo, Science Channel (SCI), Animal Planet, OWN, Cooking Channel, and OMNI. The platform offers a unified viewing experience with features such as Live TV streaming, personalized content recommendations through curated lists, and a My List watchlist functionality. Users can access the service through subscription and stream content on various devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Citytv: Canadian television network
• Bravo
• Food Network
• HGTV
• FX
• Discovery
• ID (Investigation Discovery)
• CityNews 24/7
• Magnolia Network
• Turbo
• SCI
• Animal Planet
• OWN
• Cooking Channel
• OMNI

Products and services

• Citytv+ A Canadian direct-to-consumer streaming platform offering live TV channels and on-demand video content from 19 specialty television brands including Citytv, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, FX, Discovery, ID, CityNews 24/7, Magnolia Network, Animal Planet, OWN, Cooking Channel, SCI, Turbo, and OMNI. Targeted at individual Canadian viewers seeking consolidated access to specialty TV content under a subscription model.
• Citytv (broadcast channel) Canadian broadcast television network featuring local news, entertainment, and drama programming; distributed through the Citytv+ streaming platform and available to Canadian viewers.
• Bravo (cable channel) Cable entertainment channel featuring reality television, late-night talk shows (e.g., 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen'), and lifestyle programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Food Network (cable channel) Cable channel focused on culinary programming, cooking shows, and food-related content; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• HGTV (cable channel) Cable channel specializing in home and renovation programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• FX (cable channel) General entertainment cable channel featuring dramas, comedies, and original series; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Discovery (cable channel) Cable channel featuring documentary and reality programming on various topics (e.g., 'Deadliest Catch'); available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• ID / Investigation Discovery (cable channel) Cable channel focused on crime, investigation, and mystery programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• CityNews 24/7 (news channel) 24-hour news channel providing continuous news coverage; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Magnolia Network (cable channel) Cable network featuring home and lifestyle programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Animal Planet (cable channel) Cable channel focused on animal and wildlife programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• OWN / Oprah Winfrey Network (cable channel) Cable network featuring programming related to self-improvement, relationships, and entertainment; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Cooking Channel (cable channel) Cable channel dedicated to culinary and cooking programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• SCI / Science Channel (cable channel) Cable channel featuring science-related documentaries and programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• Turbo (cable channel) Cable channel focused on automotive and motorsports programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.
• OMNI (multicultural television channel) Canadian multicultural television network providing multilingual programming; available through Citytv+ for Canadian viewers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Sportsnet (Rogers Media): Rogers Media's sports broadcasting property and sister brand under the same parent. Comparable as a Canadian-licensed specialty network offering live streaming, with potential for cross-promotion or content bundling with Citytv+.

Broad incumbents

• Netflix: Global streaming incumbent that dominates the Canadian subscription video market. Represents the primary competitive threat and pricing benchmark that Citytv+ must position against with its curated Canadian and specialty TV offering.
• Disney+: Major global streaming service with strong brand portfolio (Disney, Marvel, Star, National Geographic). Competes for Canadian family and entertainment viewers with deep content investment capacity that vastly exceeds Citytv+.
• Paramount+: Global streaming service from Paramount Global offering movies, originals, and live sports. Relevant as a competitor carrying some of the same US studio content (CBS, Showtime, MTV) that Citytv+ licenses for its platform.
• Amazon Prime Video: Amazon's global streaming service bundled with Prime membership. Competes for Canadian subscribers with deep content library and bundling advantages that Citytv+ would need Rogers cross-promotion to match.
• Peacock: NBCUniversal's streaming service offering NBC content, Bravo originals, and Universal films. Directly relevant as the originator of several flagship shows (Bravo's 'What Happens Live') that Citytv+ licenses and re-distributes to Canadian audiences.

Direct peers

• Bell Media (Crave): Bell Media's Crave is the leading Canadian subscription streaming service offering premium TV and movie content. Directly competes with Citytv+ for Canadian streaming subscribers, offering similar hybrid live TV + on-demand functionality backed by Bell Canada's telecom bundles.
• Corus Entertainment (StackTV): Corus Entertainment operates specialty TV brands (Global, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada) and the StackTV streaming service. Directly comparable as another Canadian broadcaster-aggregator competing for the same specialty TV streaming market.
• CBC Gem: CBC's free ad-supported streaming platform offering Canadian content including news, originals, and library programming. Competes with Citytv+ for Canadian viewer attention, with the advantage of public broadcasting funding and free access.

Emerging players

• Stingray Group: Canadian-based music and media company operating streaming audio and digital signage services. Comparable as a Canadian specialty media company with B2B and B2C streaming offerings, though focused on music rather than TV content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/city_tv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citytv-toronto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CTV Specialty Television