Super Écran

Super Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service owned by Bell Media.

Super Écran broadcasts a mix of commercial-free films and television series. Films are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada, while the television series consist of original series and programs from HBO and Showtime in the United States.

History

Launched on February 1, 1983 under the name Premier Choix, the channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to provide a national 24-hour-a-day French-language pay television service. It was owned and operated by First Choice Canadian Communications.

Premier Choix had a difficult time attracting enough subscribers, as did a regional Quebec-based pay-television network called TVEC which was licensed in November 1982. Rogers Cable in Toronto couldn't add the channel until September 1983, and Videon Cable in Winnipeg didn't have the additional channel capacity to add it until its dispute with Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) over ownership of the cable plant was settled.