What CTV Ltd does

CTV Ltd is a Canadian media company that operates Crave, a direct-to-consumer streaming platform serving Canadian viewers with on-demand access to premium Hollywood content (HBO and STARZ) alongside CTV's own broadcast library, including CTV Shows, CTV Movies, and CTV Throwback classic programming. The platform is accessible via web, iOS and Android mobile apps, PlayStation (PS4/PS5) gaming consoles, and native applications on LG webOS, Samsung Tizen, and Hisense smart TVs, with bilingual English/French language support and a redesigned interface featuring personalized content recommendations. CTV Ltd is owned by Bell Media Inc., itself a subsidiary of BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE), and the service is authenticated through a unified Bell Media account system at bellmedia.ca.

The business operates a freemium subscription model: users can create a free Bell Media account to access a limited content catalog (including CTV Movies and CTV Throwback), while a premium monthly subscription unlocks the full HBO and STARZ libraries. The primary customer segment is individual Canadian consumers, with no enterprise or B2B channel disclosed. Customer acquisition is driven by a direct website funnel (crave.ca) and organic social presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, supplemented by email newsletter marketing. Gift card and promotional code redemption are supported as additional acquisition and retention mechanisms.

The platform's value proposition centers on consolidating Canadian broadcast content and premium U.S. premium cable content into a single bilingual streaming service, addressing the fragmentation of the Canadian streaming landscape. Core strategic content relationships are with HBO and STARZ (content licensing) and CTV/Bell Media (internal content supply and authentication infrastructure). No revenue, subscriber, or headcount figures are disclosed in the source material, and there is no indication of AI/ML capabilities beyond surface-level personalization. Operating geography is exclusively Canada, with no evidence of international expansion plans.

Name

CTV Ltd

Legal name

CTV Ltd

Website

https://ctv.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CTV Ltd operates Crave, a direct-to-consumer streaming platform serving Canadian consumers with on-demand access to HBO, STARZ, and CTV broadcast content via subscription tiers across web, mobile, gaming consoles, and smart TVs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subscription Video on Demand

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise/Creator Video Hosting & OTT SaaS Platforms (MPACAAAL)

Keywords

• Video streaming service
• Subscription streaming
• On-demand entertainment
• Premium content delivery
• Bilingual media streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Content or Licensing, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Streaming Subscription Revenue: Subscription-based streaming service offering access to CTV content, HBO, and STARZ movies and TV shows. Users can create free Bell Media accounts with limited access, while premium tiers provide full content library access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Crave is a Canadian subscription video-on-demand streaming platform that aggregates HBO and STARZ premium movies and TV shows alongside free CTV Movies and CTV Throwback libraries. Users create a free Bell Media account for limited access, with a paid premium subscription unlocking the full HBO and STARZ content catalog. The service is delivered across web, mobile apps, gaming consoles, and smart TVs with bilingual English/French support.

Product overview

CTV Ltd operates Crave as its primary streaming product, a unified platform that aggregates premium HBO and STARZ content alongside free CTV Movies and CTV Throwback libraries. The service is accessible across web browsers, mobile devices (Apple, Android), gaming consoles (PlayStation), and smart TVs (LG, Samsung, Hisense). Crave functions as a single integrated product rather than a modular platform, with the three content brands (Crave, CTV Movies, CTV Throwback) representing tiered access within the same service rather than separate products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CTV Movies: Film content from the CTV network
• CTV Throwback
• CTV News
• CTV Morning Show

Products and services

• Crave Direct-to-consumer Canadian streaming platform that aggregates HBO and STARZ premium movies and TV shows alongside CTV's content library. Accessible via web, mobile apps (Apple, Android), PlayStation, and smart TVs (LG, Samsung, Hisense). Users sign in with a Bell Media account for free limited access or pay a premium subscription for the full HBO and STARZ catalog.
• CTV Movies
• CTV Throwback

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HBO (Home Box Office, Inc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationHBO content (movies and TV shows) is available on the Crave platform under licensing agreement. Crave markets itself as a destination for HBO content in Canada, with 'Watch HBO and STARZ Movies and TV Shows Online' as a primary brand message. HBO Content and Home Box Office, Inc. is credited with copyright under license.
• STARZcoreTechnology or IntegrationSTARZ premium content is available on the Crave platform. The service prominently features STARZ in its branding ('Watch HBO and STARZ Movies and TV Shows Online') and marketing materials as a core content offering.
• CTV (Canadian Television Television)coreTechnology or IntegrationCrave is the primary streaming home for CTV content including CTV Shows, CTV Movies, and CTV Throwback library. CTV is owned by parent company Bell Media, making this an internal content relationship within the Bell Media corporate family.
• Bell MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBell Media is the parent company of CTV and Crave. Bell Media accounts serve as the authentication system for Crave access. The platform is integrated with bellmedia.ca for account management, login, and single sign-on services.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Netflix: Global SVOD leader and the dominant subscription streaming service in Canada. Directly competes with Crave for Canadian household entertainment spend and ARPU, with a materially larger content library and originals pipeline.
• Disney+: Major global SVOD operating in Canada with Disney, Marvel, Star, and National Geographic content. Competes directly with Crave for premium Canadian subscribers and offers comparable bundled premium positioning.
• Paramount+: Global SVOD that owns the STARZ brand — meaning it is both a competitor to Crave in Canada and a counterparty in Crave's most critical licensing relationship. Represents both a direct substitute and a structural risk to Crave's content value.
• Amazon Prime Video: Subscription video service bundled with Amazon Prime in Canada. Directly competes with Crave for household entertainment subscriptions and benefits from Amazon's bundling and scale advantages.
• Apple TV+: Premium SVOD with growing originals slate (including MLS, Severance, Ted Lasso), distributed in Canada via Apple devices. Competes with Crave at the premium subscription tier and benefits from Apple's hardware ecosystem integration.
• Max (HBO/Max): Warner Bros. Discovery's global HBO-branded SVOD. Operates in Canada and competes for premium subscribers; given Crave's exclusive Canadian HBO license, Max's presence represents both direct competition and a major renewal risk on Crave's core content agreement.

Regional players

• StackTV: Canadian subscription streaming bundle operated by Corus Entertainment, offering Global TV, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, and other Corus-owned channels. A domestic regional competitor offering broadcast-network streaming content.
• CBC Gem: Canadian public broadcaster's free and premium streaming service. Competes for Canadian viewership with homegrown content and bilingual EN/FR support similar to Crave, though funded by public broadcasting rather than subscriptions.
• BritBox: Subscription streaming service specializing in British content, with significant Canadian market presence. Competes with Crave for specialty/niche streaming subscriptions among Canadian viewers.

Broad incumbents

• YouTube: Broad incumbent video platform with YouTube Premium subscription offering in Canada. While not a premium scripted-content competitor, it competes for Canadian household entertainment time and ad-supported video spend at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ctv_television
• YouTubeyoutube.com/CraveCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/ctv
• Instagraminstagram.com/cravecanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ctv-television-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CTV Ltd