Treehouse TV#Treehouse (program block)

{{Infobox television channel

| name = Treehouse TV

| logo = Treehouse TV logo.svg

| logo_size =

| logo_caption = Logo used since 2013

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1997|11|1}}

| picture_format = 1080i HDTV
{{small|(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)}}

| owner = Corus Entertainment

| parent = YTV Canada, Inc.

| country = Canada

| language = English
Audio described

| area = Nationwide

| headquarters = Toronto, Ontario

| sister_channels = YTV
Nickelodeon

| website = {{URL|treehousetv.com}}
{{URL|fr.teletoon.com}}

}}

Treehouse TV (commonly known as Treehouse) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel that was launched in 1997.[http://kidscreen.com/1999/07/01/25989-19990701/ Canadian 'prodcos' tot TV talent perks up kids market] Retrieved on March 29, 2018 Its name comes from sister network YTV's former programming block, "The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment.{{cite web|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ownership/eng/cht032b.pdf |title=Ownership Chart 32b |access-date=March 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006001743/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ownership/eng/cht032b.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |url-status=live }} Having launched on November 1, 1997, it is the first full-day preschool-oriented TV channel in Canada. Development of a separate channel started when YTV aired preschool shows as part of its weekday morning line-up. This block of shows was given the name "The Treehouse" in 1994. On November 1, 1997, Treehouse TV launched as its own channel, airing from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.{{cite web | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/07/01/25989-19990701/ | title=Canadian prodcos' tot TV talent perks up kids market }} The channel, as of 2003, is currently a 24-hour broadcaster. Like the block it was spun off from, commercials weren't broadcast when the Treehouse channel first launched. Instead, shorts hosted by humans and puppets were broadcast.{{cite web | url=https://kidscreen.com/1998/03/01/21187-19980301/ | title=Special Report: Canada's YTV turns 10: Treehouse TV is focus for international growth }} As of 2011, Treehouse TV had been available to over 7.5 million homes across Canada.{{cite web|url=https://kidscreen.com/content/pdf/51491.pdf#page=124|title=Treehouse: Canada's top kids net stays the course|work=Kidscreen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015161848/https://kidscreen.com/content/pdf/51491.pdf|archive-date=October 15, 2011|url-status=dead}}

History

=The Treehouse block (YTV)=

File:The Treehouse block logo.png

The Treehouse brand began as a daily programming block for children on YTV. The block was given the name "The Treehouse" in 1994.{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/legacy/324494512 | title=Nanaimo Daily News from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on August 5, 1994 · 35 }} Commercials for the block weren't shown. Instead, the block was hosted by three program jockeys (or "PJs"){{cite web | url=https://torontoist.com/2015/12/the-oral-history-of-1990s-ytv/ | title=The Oral History of 1990s YTV | date=December 22, 2015 }} named PJ Katie, PJ Krista, and PJ Todd. In between shows, the PJs made crafts, played games, and held contests.{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/legacy/503172975/ | title=The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on October 2, 1995 · 47 }} As the block's name suggests, these segments were set in a tree house.

The PJs' co-hosts were a group of stuffed animal puppets called the Fuzzpaws. On Fridays, PJ Katie would act out stories with clay animals. These segments were eventually spun off into the series PJ Katie's Farm.{{cite web | url=https://www.blogto.com/city/2014/09/that_time_when_90s_kids_were_hooked_on_treehouse/ | title=That time when '90s kids were hooked on Treehouse }}

=Treehouse channel=

File:Treehousetv.svg

In early 1996, it was announced that YTV was looking to "break part of [its] audience off with a separate network aimed at viewers under the age of 6."{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/464968736/ | title=The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on February 10, 1996 · 116 | date=February 10, 1996 }} The network's president, Patricia Macdonald, said she had "done a lot of research that led us to the conclusion that the kids market is underserved."{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/503264269/ | title=The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on April 7, 1996 · 70 | date=April 7, 1996 }} On September 4, 1996, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved YTV's request to launch a new channel called Treehouse TV.{{cite web | url=https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1996/db96-603.htm | title=ARCHIVED - Decision CRTC 96-603 | year=1996 }}

The new channel eventually debuted on Saturday, November 1, 1997, at 8:00 a.m. EST. For a few months, The Treehouse block on YTV continued to air alongside the channel. In 1998, the Treehouse block was replaced by YTV Jr., an unhosted block.

Like the Treehouse block, the Treehouse channel was non-commercial, opting instead to show interstitial shorts in between shows. These shorts featured a new set of characters who lived in Treetown. Despite the PJs (program jockeys) from the original Treehouse block not returning for the Treehouse channel, PJ Katie's Farm reran on Treehouse throughout 1999.{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/485959665/ | title=Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada on August 13, 1999 · 139 | date=August 13, 1999 }}

In March 2005, Corus Entertainment began offering a video on demand service called Treehouse On Demand to cable providers such as Rogers Cable and Cogeco, delivering content from Treehouse TV.{{cite press release|url=https://www.corusent.com/news/treehouse-gives-canadian-kids-programming-power/|title=Treehouse Gives Canadian Kids Programming Power|location=Toronto|work=Corus Entertainment|date=March 4, 2005|access-date=January 13, 2020}} It is offered as a free service to customers who subscribe to each providers digital cable service. Some providers such as SaskTel offer it as a standalone premium subscription service. Between June 2015 and May 2019, Corus operated TreehouseGO, a TV Everywhere service available on iOS and Android devices.{{cite web|url=https://playbackonline.ca/2015/06/29/corus-launches-treehousego/|title=Corus launches TreehouseGO|first=Katie|last=Bailey|date=June 29, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2020|work=Playback|publisher=Brunico Communications}}{{cite web|url=https://support.shaw.ca/t5/service-updates-outages/may-1-corus-apps-decommission/ta-p/6111|title=Service Update: May 1 - Corus Apps Decommission|access-date=January 13, 2020|work=Shaw Communications}}

In 2011, Corus launched a standalone subscription video on demand service for iOS.{{cite web|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/right-click/treehouse-video-app-10-bucks-month-too-much-132234889.html|title=Treehouse video app: Is 10 bucks a month too much?|author=Amber MacArthur|author-link=Amber MacArthur|work=Right Click|publisher=Yahoo! News|date=August 15, 2011|access-date=January 13, 2020}} It was later rebranded to Treehouse Classic before a 2016 revamp dropped the "Classic" branding.{{cite web|url=http://kidscreen.com/2016/09/08/corus-launches-refreshed-treehouse-app/|title=Corus debuts refreshed Treehouse App|first=Wendy|last=Getzler|date=September 8, 2016|access-date=January 13, 2020|work=Kidscreen|publisher=Brunico Communications}}

On February 5, 2013, Nelvana, Corus Entertainment's animation division, launched the Treehouse Direct channel on YouTube.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/c/TreehouseDirect/about|title = Treehouse Direct - YouTube|website = YouTube}} On March 2, 2015, Treehouse TV launched its own YouTube channel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/c/treehousetv/about|title = TreehouseTV - YouTube|website = YouTube}}

On July 19, 2019, Corus Entertainment filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against an Oklahoma-based medical marijuana dispensary chain, known as "Treehouse Dispensary", alleging the chain "wilfully copied and is using a confusing similar imitation" of the Treehouse TV logo. An attorney for the dispensary contested the claims and said that the business "categorically denies that its logo infringes on any existing trademarks in the United States."{{cite news|title=Canadian animation studio Nelvana sues Oklahoma dispensary over logo|url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/canadian-animation-studio-nelvana-sues-oklahoma-dispensary-over-logo-1.1292615|agency=Associated Press|website=BNN Bloomberg|publisher=Bell Media|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}}{{cite news|title=Child entertainment firm sues Oklahoma marijuana dispensary, alleges trademark infringement|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/marijuana/child-entertainment-firm-sues-oklahoma-dispensary-known-for-cheap-marijuana/article_809255a5-abc5-58bd-aa76-6241fc7074e9.html|author=Samantha Vicent|newspaper=Tulsa World|publisher=BH Media|date=July 23, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}} Corus won the lawsuit through a default judgment the following December.{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6353443/treehouse-logo-dispensary-nelvana-ruling/|title=Canadian studio wins 'Treehouse' logo copyright dispute against Oklahoma cannabis dispensary|first=David|last=Lao|work=Global News|publisher=Corus Entertainment|date=December 31, 2019|access-date=January 13, 2020}}

On July 4, 2022, the CRTC announced plans to renew the license of Treehouse TV, along with those of Boomerang, Adult Swim, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Télétoon, YTV, Disney Channel, La Chaîne Disney, Disney Junior, and Disney XD, for another two years (licenses not valid as of August 31, 2024).{{Cite web|url=https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2022/2022-180.htm|title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-180|date=July 4, 2022|website=CRTC|language=en-CA}}