About SériesPlus

SériesPlus

SériesPlus is a Canadian French-language drama specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Broadcasting scripted series — Quebec dramas, French-language acquisitions, and dubbed international series — the channel is the francophone destination for serialized drama in Canada. Its official website is seriesplus.com.

Overview

SériesPlus's identity is drama in French: the schedule features original Quebec series, French-language dramas from France and Belgium, and international series dubbed into Quebec French, programmed for viewers who want serialized storytelling in their language. The channel's brand — restyled as "SériesPlus" in a January 2020 rebrand — is contemporary and drama-focused, positioning the service as the home of must-watch series for francophones.

As one of the few French-language drama specialty channels, SériesPlus serves an audience whose options for serialized drama in French are limited. Its original Quebec productions contribute to the province's screen industry and give the channel exclusive content that distinguishes it from import-dependent competitors.

History

The channel launched in 2000 as Séries+, part of the wave of French-language digital specialty channels, offering drama series to francophone audiences.

The licence itself predates the name: on May 11, 1999, the CRTC granted Alliance Atlantis Communications and Premier Choix Networks (an Astral Media division) approval to launch a French-language drama service then called Canal Fiction. The channel signed on January 31, 2000, at 6 p.m. EST as Séries+, and added a high-definition simulcast on October 30, 2006. Ownership passed through Astral Media and Shaw Communications, and in 2013 — as part of the divestitures required by Bell Media's acquisition of Astral — Corus Entertainment announced it would acquire the channel (alongside Historia); after also acquiring Shaw's interest, Corus became the full owner January 1, 2014.

In October 2017, Bell Media announced its intent to acquire SériesPlus and Historia from Corus for $200 million, but the Competition Bureau blocked the transactions in May 2018 — ruling they violated a condition of the Astral purchase barring Bell from re-acquiring divested properties for ten years — and the sale was shelved. On January 6, 2020, the channel underwent a rebranding, restyling its name as "SériesPlus" with a refreshed identity.

Programming

Scripted drama is the entire proposition: original Quebec series — developed with the province's production community — anchor the schedule, alongside French-language acquisitions from Europe and international series dubbed into Quebec French. The channel's dramas span genres: crime, romance, family sagas, thrillers, and comedies dramatiques, programmed in prime-time blocks and binge-friendly marathons.

The original productions are the channel's signature: Quebec series that reflect the province's culture, talent, and stories, commissioned by Corus and produced with independent studios. The dubbed acquisitions bring global hits to francophone viewers, while the European French series offer linguistic and cultural familiarity.

Coverage & Audience

SériesPlus is distributed nationally on cable, IPTV, and satellite, serving francophone households across Canada with a concentration in Quebec. Its audience is drama lovers — viewers who follow serialized series devotedly, spanning ages — an audience that values the channel's curation and its commitment to French-language drama. The channel's originals draw the Quebec audience that supports homegrown series, while its acquisitions serve the broader francophone drama fan.

Ownership

SériesPlus is owned by Corus Entertainment, operated from Montreal as part of the company's French-language portfolio alongside Historia and Télétoon. Corus's full ownership since January 2014 has provided stable investment in original Quebec drama and integration with the company's production and digital operations. The blocked 2018 sale to Bell confirmed the channel's strategic value — and Corus's commitment to its French-language services.

Quebec Drama Production and Cultural Specificity

SériesPlus's original Quebec dramas — series developed with the province's producers, writers, and performers — represent the channel's most significant cultural contribution. These productions, with their Quebec settings, sensibilities, and talent, give francophone viewers scripted programming rooted in their own world — the televisual mirror that imported series cannot provide.

The channel's investment in original drama — sustained over decades — supports Quebec's screen industry: employing the creative talent, sustaining the production companies, and generating the exportable formats that travel beyond the province. SériesPlus's commissions are a meaningful component of the Quebec production economy.

The channel's drama acquisitions — French-language series from France and Belgium, dubbed international hits — complement the originals, giving viewers the global drama culture in French. This import-domestic balance defines the channel's programming philosophy.

Brand Evolution and Market Position

SériesPlus's 2020 rebrand — restyling as "SériesPlus" with refreshed identity — modernized the channel for the streaming era: the contemporary branding, the drama-focused positioning, and the digital extensions acknowledge that serialized drama now lives across platforms.

The channel's market position — the francophone drama destination — remains distinctive in a landscape where global streamers offer French-dubbed content but lack Quebec originals. SériesPlus's domestic productions are its competitive moat.

Serialized Storytelling and Binge Culture

SériesPlus's programming serves the serialized-drama audience that defines contemporary television culture: viewers who follow story arcs across episodes and seasons, who discuss plot developments socially, and who value the narrative depth that only long-form storytelling provides. The channel's schedule — the prime-time drama blocks, the weekend marathons, the season premieres — accommodates both the weekly viewer and the binge-watcher.

The channel's original Quebec series — designed for serialized viewing — employ the narrative techniques of prestige drama: complex characters, season-long arcs, and the cliffhangers that sustain engagement. These productions demonstrate that Quebec drama competes with international series on storytelling sophistication.

SériesPlus's streaming and on-demand availability — through Corus's digital platforms — serves the binge-viewing behavior that defines drama consumption, while its linear schedule provides the curated, communal experience of appointment television.

Drama Acquisitions and Global Series

SériesPlus's acquired series — the French-language dramas from Europe and the dubbed international hits — give francophone viewers the global drama culture in their language. The channel's curation — selecting series for quality and audience appeal — ensures that its acquisitions complement rather than duplicate its originals.

The channel's European French acquisitions — series from France and Belgium — offer linguistic and cultural familiarity that English-language imports, however well dubbed, cannot match. These series' sensibilities — the narrative traditions of French television — resonate with Quebec viewers.

The channel's dubbed international series — the global hits presented in Quebec French — give francophone viewers the worldwide drama conversation in their language, ensuring linguistic equity in drama consumption.

Original Series Showcase and Production Partners

SériesPlus's original productions — the Quebec dramas developed with the province's leading producers — showcase the creative talent that defines the province's screen industry: the writers whose scripts capture Quebec life, the directors whose visual storytelling elevates the material, and the performers whose portrayals resonate with viewers. The channel's commissions provide the sustained work that develops creative careers.

The channel's production partnerships — the relationships with independent producers, the co-production arrangements, and the development investments — structure its original slate: the multi-season commitments that allow series to build audiences, the pilot development that tests concepts, and the ongoing dialogue with the creative community that keeps the pipeline full.

The channel's series launches — the premiere events, the marketing campaigns, and the critical screenings — treat original dramas as cultural occasions: the province's television community gathers to celebrate new Quebec stories, and the channel's promotion ensures that audiences discover them.

Digital Presence

SériesPlus's official website at seriesplus.com offers schedules, series information, and video extras in French. The channel's dramas stream through cable providers' on-demand platforms, and its originals are promoted through Corus's French-language digital marketing. Social media accounts in French build fan communities around the channel's series — sharing trailers, behind-the-scenes content, and episode discussions — engaging viewers who follow serialized drama across platforms. The channel's digital strategy treats fandom as an extension of the programming.