About Historia

Historia

Historia is a Canadian French-language history specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Broadcasting documentaries and series on history — from ancient civilizations to contemporary Quebec — the channel is the francophone counterpart to Corus's English-language History channel, operating under the History brand identity while retaining its distinctive name. Its official website is historiatv.com.

Overview

Historia's schedule is history in French: documentaries on world history, archaeological investigations, military history, and social histories, drawn substantially from the History brand's international pipeline and dubbed or produced in French, alongside original Quebec productions on the province's and the country's past. The channel adopted the History logo and branding in 2015 while keeping the Historia name — a recognition of the brand equity the channel built over its first fifteen years.

As the only French-language history specialty channel in Canada, Historia serves an audience with no alternative for the genre in its language. Its programming balances the spectacular international documentaries that define the History brand with Quebec stories told for Quebec viewers.

History

The channel was licensed by the CRTC as Canal Histoire to Alliance Atlantis and Premier Choix Networks (Astral), and launched January 31, 2000, as Historia. Ownership passed through the industry's consolidation: Alliance Atlantis's interest went to the CW Media joint venture (Canwest/Goldman Sachs) in 2008, then to Shaw Communications in 2010. In March 2013, Corus Entertainment announced it would acquire Astral Media's stakes in Historia and SériesPlus — divestitures required by Bell Media's takeover of Astral — and in a separate deal acquired Shaw's interests as well; the transactions were approved December 20, 2013, and Corus became the channel's full owner January 1, 2014.

On October 21, 2014, Corus reached an agreement with A&E Networks for French-language rights to History programming, and on March 9, 2015, Historia was relaunched under the History logo and branding — reuniting it visually with its English-language counterpart, which joined Corus through the Shaw Media acquisition in 2016. An HD simulcast, launched by Astral in 2006, continues under Corus.

Programming

Historical documentaries anchor the schedule: ancient history, military conflicts, archaeological discoveries, and social histories, many of them French versions of the History brand's signature series, alongside original Quebec documentaries on New France, the Quiet Revolution, and contemporary Quebec. The channel's French-language productions — developed with Quebec producers — ensure the national and provincial story is told in the audience's language.

The programming strategy mirrors the English History channel's: the spectacular and the scholarly, the ancient and the modern, with the History brand's franchise series dubbed into French and complemented by domestic productions. The channel's Quebec content distinguishes it from a mere translation service.

Coverage & Audience

Historia is distributed nationally on cable, IPTV, and satellite, serving francophone households across Canada with a concentration in Quebec. Its audience is the French-language history enthusiast — viewers drawn to documentaries and historical narratives, spanning ages — an audience that previously had to watch the genre in English or not at all. The channel's uniqueness in the French market gives it a loyal, self-selecting viewership.

Ownership

Historia is owned by Corus Entertainment, headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto and operated from Montreal as part of the company's French-language services. Within Corus, the channel sits alongside SériesPlus and Télétoon in the French portfolio, and alongside History in the factual division. Corus's full ownership since January 2014 — and the 2015 History-brand relaunch — integrated the channel with the company's broader history-television strategy.

Quebec Historical Programming and National Narratives

Historia's original Quebec productions — documentaries on New France, the Quiet Revolution, the province's political transformations, and its cultural evolution — give francophone viewers the History-brand treatment of their own past. These productions, developed with Quebec documentarians, serve the audience's interest in the provincial story with the production values that define the brand.

The channel's Canadian history programming — the national narratives from Confederation to contemporary Canada, presented in French — ensures that francophone viewers receive the country's historical storytelling in their language. This linguistic dimension of historical programming reflects the broadcasting system's duality: the same national past, told in both official languages.

Historia's international documentaries — the French versions of the History brand's global slate — bring world history to Quebec viewers, from ancient civilizations to modern conflicts. The channel's schedule balances the provincial, national, and global: the three scales of historical interest.

Corus French Factual Strategy

Historia operates within Corus Entertainment's French-language factual portfolio — alongside the company's other Quebec documentary and educational services — giving Corus comprehensive coverage of the francophone factual audience. The History brand's French-language power, combined with Corus's operational expertise, sustains the channel's position.

Documentary Craft and Historical Authority

Historia's documentaries — the French-language productions and dubbed international series — bring the History brand's production values to Quebec viewers: the cinematic recreations, expert interviews, and compelling narratives that define quality historical television. The channel's programming treats history with the seriousness it deserves while remaining accessible to general audiences.

The channel's Quebec productions — developed with the province's documentarians — apply these production values to provincial subjects, giving the Quiet Revolution, New France, and contemporary Quebec the documentary treatment they merit. These productions represent significant investments in French-language factual programming.

Historia's educational dimension — the classroom use of its documentaries, the historical knowledge it disseminates — serves the cultural function of popular history: making the past vivid for audiences who might never engage with academic historiography.

Popular History in French

Historia's programming serves the popular-history audience — viewers who want the past made vivid, dramatic, and accessible. The channel's series — the archaeological adventures, the military investigations, the "history mystery" formats — employ the narrative techniques that make history compelling television: strong characters, high stakes, and the revelatory structure of investigation.

The channel's French-language presentation — the dubbing, the original productions, the Quebec hosts — ensures that popular history reaches francophone viewers in their language and cultural context. The channel demonstrates that the History brand's global appeal translates fully to French.

Historia's educational use — the classroom screenings, the teacher resources — extends its cultural function: the channel's documentaries serve Quebec's educational system alongside its entertainment mission.

History Brand Power and Global Recognition

Historia's History brand identity — the globally recognized logo and positioning adopted in 2015 — connects the Quebec channel to the worldwide History network: the brand's documentary authority, the franchise series, and the marketing power that the international identity provides. The rebrand's logic — unifying the French and English Canadian channels under the global brand — reflected the content synergy: the dubbed series, the shared acquisitions, and the coordinated scheduling.

The brand's French-language adaptation — the Quebec dubbing, the original productions, and the cultural customization — ensures that the global identity serves the local audience: Historia isn't merely the French History but the Quebec history channel that the brand enables. The name retention — keeping "Historia" while adopting the History logo — honored the channel's established equity.

The brand's digital extensions — the History-branded streaming, the on-demand documentaries, and the online historical content — serve the francophone history audience across platforms: the linear channel for the traditional viewer, the digital library for the on-demand learner.

Digital Presence

Historia's official website at historiatv.com offers schedules and program information in French. The channel's programming is available through cable providers' on-demand platforms, and its documentaries are promoted through Corus's French-language digital marketing. Social media accounts in French share historical content, premiere announcements, and clips, engaging the francophone history audience. The channel's digital extensions serve viewers who discover historical documentaries through browsing and recommendation as well as through the linear schedule.