This channel was originally launched on August 31, as MuchMusic , under the ownership of CHUM Limited , the owner of Citytv Toronto , though "Much" has been the branding most commonly seen on-air since Much was acquired yet again by Bell Media in This channel originally focused on music programming, including blocks of music videos and original series focusing on Canadian musicians.
Due to shrinking interest in music television because of the growth of online platforms, MuchMusic had increasingly focused on non-music programming targeting a young adult audience, such as comedy, films, and reality shows, and the network has cancelled the majority of its music programming due to budget and staffing cuts.
This channel was officially renamed "Much" in in reflection of its decreasing reliance on music-related programming. From onward, the "MuchMusic" branding has been used exclusively for its digital media network, which operates in parallel with the linear "Much" TV channel. Since its launch, MuchMusic had expanded internationally such as the United States in now known as Fuse , Europe and beyond.
This channel began to launch multiple spinoffs throughout its existence under the Much brand such as MuchMoreMusic in targeting older adult demographic and a suite of channels ranging from hip hop , rock , retro and request call-in channels throughout the s. In addition, MuchMusic also had a good relations with U. MTV would return to Canada in although it was licensed as a talk channel and since CTV acquired Much in , Much and MTV became sister channels despite the decreasing of music programming within the s decade.
As a former Category A service , Much was required to be carried on the basic service of all digital cable providers across Canada. The channel was, and still is, typically offered optionally at the discretion of providers. It had faced competition from two other proposed services. The third applicant was Rogers Radio Broadcasting. The CRTC believed that the Canadian market could only support one music video service and CHUM's proposal was chosen because of various commitments it had made and the company's expertise in music programming.
