BookTelevision was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media.
The channel was originally established in 2001 by Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Ltd., then partially owned by CHUM Limited, airing programming relating to books, literature, and various media.
Following its acquisition by Bell, the network later shifted primarily to airing Bell Media library programming with little relevance to its original format. Amid declining investments in the channel, BookTelevision was shut down on February 21, 2021.
History
In November 2000, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta, a company majority owned by CHUM Limited (60%), was awarded a category 1 television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) called BookTelevision - The Channel, described as "a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service that will feature magazines and talk shows, dramas and documentaries that are exclusively based upon printed and published works, and offered with additional programming that provides an educational context and promotes reading."[1]