Stingray Hits!
{{update|reason=The channel has been rebranded as Stingray Pop, but can't find any related news or press release about the channel rebranding|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Stingray Hits!
| logo = Stingray Hits.png
| logo_caption = Stingray Hits! logo
| logo_size = 175px
| launch_date = February 22, 2018 (Belgium)
June 6, 2018 (Canada)
| owner = Stingray Group
| sister_channels = PalmarèsADISQ par Stingray
Stingray Lite TV
| country = Canada
| area = National
| headquarters = Montreal, Quebec
| website = {{URL|https://hits.stingray.com/en|Stingray Hits!}}
}}
Stingray Hits is a Canadian French language music television channel owned by Stingray Group. The channel broadcasts music videos from pop, pop-rock, and dance hits primarily from current day's artists, along with past artists. The channel broadcasts in multiple languages depending on the country of operation, currently in French and Dutch.
History
On February 21, 2018, Proximus announced that it had reached an agreement with Stingray Digital to launch Stingray Hits on Proximus' television service in Belgium with two channels, one in French and one in Dutch.[https://www.proximus.com/en/news/20180221prstingray Proximus TV launches Stingray Hits, a brand new music video channel combining local and international artists], Proximus press release, 02-21-18 Several months later, the channel launched in Canada in French on the Vidéotron service. Initially launched in high definition, the channel launched a standard definition feed later when it launched on Bell Fibe TV in August 2018.[https://www.stingray.com/about-us/press-room/news-and-press-releases/eight-new-stingray-tv-channels-available-bell Eight New Stingray TV Channels Available to Bell Subscribers], Stingray.com, 08-28-18 The launch of Stingray Hits! in Canada comes three years after the closure of bpm:tv, another channel dedicated to dance music, by its former owner Stornoway Communications.[http://www.facebook.com/Cogeco/posts/1094246680591660 Cogeco announces bpm:tv's shutdown]
In March 2020, after initially operating as an exempted service in Canada, the CRTC approved a formal discretionary service license for Stingray Hits. Although submitted by Stingray as being a French-language service, the CRTC classified the channel as an English-language service due to a determination that only 40% of the channel's content (including music videos and spoken word content) was actually in French,{{Cite web|title=Stingray Hits - Licensing of a discretionary service|url=https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2020/2020-90.htm|last=Government of Canada|first=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)|date=2020-03-10|website=crtc.gc.ca|access-date=2020-05-11}} however, the channel's on-air imaging and programming is still nominally presented in French.[https://tp-e7cfb85643-prod-frt-shared-provision-drupal-website-3685e.s3.amazonaws.com/hits/s3fs-public/docs/Template_Hits_Programmation_EN_v2_0.pdf Stingray Hits! Programming Grid], Retrieved 05-13-20[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V46eVId0jvs Stingray Hits content disclaimer], Retrieved 05-13-20[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnm6HklvT6U Stingray Hits! bumper], Retrieved 05-13-250 On June 2, 2021, the CRTC approved an application classifying the Canadian channel as a French language service, mandating at least 50% of the music videos broadcast on the channel be French.[https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2021/2021-190.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2021-190], CRTC, 06-02-2021
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://hits.stingray.com/en Official site]
{{Stingray Group}}
{{Music television channels in Canada}}
Category:Commercial-free television networks
Category:Music video networks in Canada
Category:Television channels and stations established in 2018
Category:Specialty television channels in Canada
Category:French-language television networks in Canada
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