FX (Canadian TV channel)
| Company type | Specialty television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | October 31, 2011 |
| Headquarters | Canada |
Area served | Canada |
| Owner | Rogers Sports & Media (66.64%) |
| Parent | Rogers Communications |
FX is a Canadian English-language television channel primarily owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a branch of Rogers Communications, which holds a 66.64% majority stake and acts as the managing partner. The remaining 33.36% ownership belongs to FX Networks, a subsidiary under Disney General Entertainment Content. Modeled after the U.S.-based FX cable network, FX centers its programming largely on scripted dramas and comedies.
History
In February 2011, Rogers Media obtained approval from the CRTC to create Highwire, envisioned as a national English-language specialty channel focusing on action and adventure content. The channel officially launched on October 31, 2011, under the name FX Canada, available in both standard and high definition formats, initially fully owned by Rogers. On December 16, 2011, FX Networks purchased a 33.6% share, with Rogers maintaining majority ownership. Subsequently, Shaw Direct incorporated the channel into its lineup on November 22, 2012.
By April 2013, FX Canada secured exclusive Canadian broadcasting rights for the revived American soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live. However, these shows were soon removed from the schedule due to shifts in programming strategy and replaced with reruns of NBC’s 30 Rock.
Plans for introducing a Canadian counterpart to the U.S. spin-off channel FXX were set in motion by Rogers, with the launch occurring in April 2014 after initial postponements. Until that time, FX Canada continued to air series that later transitioned to FXX.
In October 2014, Bell Satellite TV began offering FX Canada and FXX channels, ending Bell’s previous absence from their distribution. This move was reportedly influenced by FX’s integration into Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.
The channel underwent rebranding in January 2015, adopting the global FX logo and simplifying its name to FX.
In April 2022, both FX and FXX became accessible through Amazon Prime Video channels as part of the Citytv+ streaming bundle.
On November 19, 2024, Access Communications announced that its local FXNow service would discontinue operations on December 31, 2024, with content migrating to the Citytv app; Rogers has yet to confirm this change.
Programming acquired from FX Networks
Under the partnership between Rogers Media and FX Networks, new original productions created for the U.S. flagship FX channel by affiliated studios (FXP and 20th Television) are broadcast on FX Canada. Nonetheless, the channel does not carry every original series that premiered prior to 2011.
For example, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia only debuted on FX Canada in mid-2013, while FX Canada held secondary broadcast rights for Sons of Anarchy, as first-run rights were sold to Super Channel. Additionally, certain series produced by independent studios—such as Anger Management (Lionsgate), Justified (Sony Pictures Television), Archer, and The New York Times Presents (distributed by Red Arrow Studios)—are excluded from FX Canada's lineup due to rights being secured by other Canadian broadcasters.
Since Hulu is not available in Canada, FX Canada has aired shows commissioned for the FX on Hulu platform launched in 2020 (including titles like Devs and Mrs. America). After the launch of the Star hub on Disney+ in Canada on February 23, 2021, Hulu-originated series that were not scheduled for broadcast on FX Canada—such as American Horror Stories and Reservation Dogs—have instead been made available via Disney+. Since December 2021, Disney+ Canada has offered access to previous seasons of all programming originally aired on FX Network.
Additional programming
Serving as a supplementary outlet for Sportsnet, FX Canada is authorized to broadcast sports content up to 10% of its schedule. During the 2013 Major League Baseball season, the channel aired six pre-season games featuring the Toronto Blue Jays and was made available as a free preview to cable and satellite providers. In the 2014–15 season, FX Canada occasionally presented NHL games on Saturday evenings as part of Rogers' Hockey Night in Canada lineup, mainly by simulcasting U.S. regional sports network broadcasts. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it also airs early-round matchups involving two American teams.
Outside of sports programming, FX Canada fulfills Canadian content obligations by broadcasting reruns of shows from Citytv and CBC during weekday early morning hours.