BNN Bloomberg
| File:BNN Bloomberg logo.svg Logo used since 2018 rebranding | |
| Company type | Specialty channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting, business news |
| Predecessor | Report on Business Television (RoBTV) |
| Founded | September 1, 1999 in Toronto, Canada |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
Area served | Canada |
| Owner | Bell Media |
| Parent | Bell Media |
| Website | www |
BNN Bloomberg is a Canadian English-language specialty channel focused on business and financial news, owned by Bell Media and operating under a branding license from Bloomberg L.P.. Its headquarters are located at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto.
The channel began broadcasting on September 1, 1999, originally named Report on Business Television (RoBTV). It was created as a joint venture involving Thomson Corporation, the publisher of The Globe and Mail, alongside Western International Communications and Shaw Broadcast Services (Cancom). After Canwest acquired WIC in 2000, Thomson transferred its ownership stake to Bell Globemedia (now Bell Media), which has maintained full ownership since 2001. In 2007, the channel rebranded as Business News Network, enabling The Globe and Mail to keep exclusive rights to the Report on Business brand. Following Bell Canada's reacquisition of CTVglobemedia in 2011, the network relaunched on April 30, 2018, as BNN Bloomberg through a collaboration with Bloomberg Television from the United States.
BNN produces much of its programming during business hours internally and has also aired simulcast segments on radio under the BNN Bloomberg Radio banner, previously broadcast via stations such as CKOC in Hamilton and CFTE in Vancouver.
Formerly classified as a Category A service, BNN Bloomberg was once mandated to be included in basic digital cable packages throughout Canada but is now generally offered at providers’ discretion.
Report on Business Television (RoBTV)
The channel received its license from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1996, issued to a partnership comprising Thomson Corporation (50%), Western International Communications (25%), and Shaw Broadcast Services (25%). It launched on September 1, 1999, co-branded with Report on Business, the business section of Thomson’s The Globe and Mail.
In 2000, following Canwest’s acquisition of WIC and Cancom shares, it gained ownership interest in RoBTV. That same year, conflicts emerged when Canwest acquired the competing National Post, prompting Thomson to transfer its shares in both the channel and The Globe and Mail to Bell Globemedia, which included CTV.
After legal challenges, Canwest divested its 50% stake to Bell Globemedia in 2001 in return for distribution rights to a proposed Financial Post-aligned channel on Bell Expressvu.
Bell Globemedia assumed full ownership later that year and rebranded the channel as Report on Business Television, discontinuing use of the "ROBTv" abbreviation.
Business News Network (BNN)
On March 12, 2007, the network adopted the name Business News Network to allow The Globe and Mail exclusive use of the "Report on Business" trademark and to establish a unique brand identity. This rebranding also addressed confusion surrounding the ROBTv acronym, which was frequently mispronounced as "Rob TV."
BNN relocated its studios from 720 King Street West to 299 Queen Street West on December 6, 2010, cohabiting with CITY-TV’s CityNews, Much, and CP24—previously part of CHUM Limited’s assets.
In late 2010, control of The Globe and Mail (and Report on Business) returned to the Thomson family, while CTVglobemedia’s broadcasting properties were sold to Bell Canada. This resulted in separate ownership between the newspaper and the channel; however, Bell retained a 15% interest in the paper. After Bell’s acquisition, CTVglobemedia was renamed Bell Media effective April 1, 2011.
Transition to BNN Bloomberg
On January 9, 2018, Bell Media revealed a licensing and content partnership with Bloomberg L.P., resulting in the rebranding of BNN to BNN Bloomberg, effective April 30, 2018. This collaboration capitalizes on Bloomberg’s extensive network of news bureaus, which includes five Canadian offices staffed by more than 25 journalists. Additionally, Bell Media Radio acquired Canadian distribution rights for Bloomberg Radio programming.
Before this arrangement, Bloomberg had collaborated with Channel Zero on Bloomberg TV Canada—a U.S. feed augmented with Canadian business news segments—which discontinued operations in October 2017. The rebranding preserved the majority of BNN’s domestic shows while incorporating Bloomberg’s Asia and Europe business day content during hours outside North America’s market times. A notable change included the 1:00 p.m. ET segment of Bloomberg Markets: Americas becoming a joint production with BNN, featuring Amanda Lang as co-host from Toronto. Consequently, U.S.-based Bloomberg Television was removed from Canadian cable providers but continues to be accessible online for BNN subscribers via participating TV Everywhere services.
On June 20, 2024, Bell Media announced that both BNN Bloomberg and its sister channel CP24 would move to Bell Media’s 9 Channel Nine Court facility in Scarborough during the third quarter of 2025.
To commemorate its 25th anniversary on September 3, 2024, BNN Bloomberg presented a compilation of significant moments from its history. Former hosts including Frances Horodelski, Marty Cej, Kim Parlee, Bruce Sellery, Pat Kiernan, and Ali Velshi joined the celebration.
Programming
The bulk of BNN’s content is produced internally. Historically, it served as the Canadian broadcast partner for the American business channel CNNfn until that network ceased operations in December 2004. BNN features a televised stock ticker displaying real-time data from the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and other global financial markets. Besides its headquarters in Toronto, BNN maintains news bureaus at the NASDAQ Market Site in Times Square, New York City, and in Calgary.
BNN draws approximately 5,000 regular daily viewers and benefits from substantial out-of-home audiences in venues like gyms, restaurants, and workplaces—viewership not fully reflected in official ratings. According to Numeris data from March 2016, BNN had an average weekly reach surpassing one million viewers since December 2015.
Special programming
Annually, BNN provides special broadcasts such as tax season and Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) specials. In autumn 2006, Report on Business Television hosted its inaugural "Live On Location" event in Toronto, featuring a live studio audience during popular programs Market Call and SqueezePlay. This represented the first occasion for viewers to engage with live in-person broadcasts.
In May 2008, BNN relaunched its website BNN.ca with upgraded features including a new video player that enabled personalized searches and unlimited access to archived videos. The site also introduced blogs, a "Market Monitor," video highlights, an online stock ticker, sections like "Hot Stocks" and "Guest Picks," stock indices tracking, and tools for monitoring trending news.
Weekend programming generally consists of reruns from weekday shows along with series sourced from Bloomberg Television.
Radio
Following the April 30, 2018 rebranding of BNN, Bell introduced BNN Bloomberg Radio on Vancouver’s CFTE, previously known as TSN Radio. This station features audio simulcasts of BNN Bloomberg TV shows alongside other Bloomberg Radio programming, aiming to reach a national audience through streaming on iHeartRadio. On February 9, 2021, Bell transitioned Hamilton’s CKOC from its TSN Radio format to BNN Bloomberg Radio.
In 2023, CFTE ceased operations, and CKOC was placed on the market awaiting CRTC approval; meanwhile, the BNN Bloomberg Radio broadcast persisted until the transaction was finalized. The CRTC authorized the sale of CKOC on June 26, 2024, and the BNN Bloomberg Radio service officially concluded on August 19, 2024.
Notable on-air personalities
- Amber Kanwar
- Paul Bagnell
- Andrew Bell
- Amanda Lang
Notable producers
- Ryan Miller
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- 24-hour television news channels in Canada
- Bell Media networks
- Bloomberg L.P.
- Television channels and stations established in 1999
- Specialty television channels in Canada
- English-language television stations in Canada
- Business-related television channels
- CTV News
- Business mass media in Canada
- 1999 establishments in Canada