YTV has come a long way since Sept. 1, 1988, when then Minister of Communications Flora MacDonald ‘flipped the switch’ and approximately 4 million subscribers tuned in to John Candy introducing Canada to the first ever kids television network.

Since those first baby steps, YTV has seen vigorous growth. Its current penetration is 7.6 million households, and this year, it has reinvented itself with a new slogan and attitude, ‘Keep it Weird’ to replace its long-standing ‘You Rule’ tagline. It also has an unprecedented roster of 57 new shows.

Meanwhile, YTV’s thriving involvement with the Canadian production community continues to grow, with the network ordering 250 hours of new Canadian programming compared to 66 hours last year. YTV has become highly visible not only on television, but through its Web site, its participation in the community and its new line of toys with

Hasbro and other merchandising endeavours.

‘YTV has evolved dramatically over our 10 year history,’ says YTV president Paul Robertson, who oversees a young, creative workforce at YTV’s Toronto headquarters. ‘Our household penetration has grown to the point that we are now nearly ubiquitous. The other extraordinary evolution has been the increase in the quality and quantity of our Canadian programming. As our subscriber and advertising revenue has grown we’ve ploughed it back into programming year after year. Over the 10 years, we have triggered $550-million of Canadian independent production.’

Back in 1988, YTV hit the

airwaves with programs such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

The Muppet Show, YTV Rocks

and YTV Hits. Since that time, the

network has broadened its scope, reaching significant milestones along the way. In 1990, it was the first network to introduce the program jockey concept (PJ’s), with lively on-air personalities acting as links between shows and creating loyalty to specific programming blocks – something that many broadcasters of kids programming have emulated. It also launched its popular preschool block, Treehouse, which has since graduated to its own network, and been replaced by a revamped block for preschoolers called YTV Jr. In 1994, YTV introduced the co-production ReBoot, a state-of-the art computer-animated series from Vancouver’s Mainframe, which quickly became a top-10 flagship show. Cinar’s Are You Afraid of

the Dark?, and later Protoc0l’s Goosebumps, established YTV as the kids network for spooky programs. More recently, the network has partnered with Toronto-based Nelvana for such high-end animation series as Stickin’ Around and Sam & Max. Other key series for the network have included Radical Sheep’s Big Comfy Couch and a wide range of series from Nickelodeon and Warner Bros.

‘Our audiences watch our Canadian programs. As we matured we have stepped up our involvement with the independent production community,’ says Robertson. ‘we have an incredible wealth of production talent for animation and live action kids programs. Canadian shows usually represent 5 of our top 10 performers.’

A recent turning point in YTV’s evolution was the involvement of Shaw Communications in the specialty channel. The communications company acquired 20 per cent ownership of YTV in 1995 and then took on 100 per cent ownership in September 1996.

‘YTV came a long way with a combination of minority shareholders,’ says Robertson, ‘but now with the dedication of one single shareholder in Shaw, we’ve been able to commit the necessary investment to take YTV to the next level. Since September 1996, when Shaw became 100% owners, we have enabled $260 million in independent production.’

Shaw’s ownership, along with increased competition in the world of kids television, has acted as a catalyst for YTV to further develop and expand. A cornerstone of that expansion is its new sophisticated branding, easily apparent in its redesigned logo, award-winning on-air promotions, and new ‘Keep it Weird’ theme.

‘We always knew we had to constantly evolve. The alternative is to risk having the kids think that you’re last year’s news,’ explains Robertson. ‘It’s been typical at YTV that in 10 short years, there has been extraordinary innovation in our look, our presentation and the increased quality of programming. It was natural for us to take it up a notch. We had used `You rule’ for five or six years. We felt that in a world where we were the only kids network, `You Rule’ was compelling. But with so many choices now available for the kids we felt we had to have something that would distinguish YTV and would capture kids’ imagination. So based on our research, we came up with `Keep it Weird.”

Summing up YTV’s progress, Robertson says: ‘Two years ago we were doing an outstanding job in television alone. Now, we are doing an outstanding job in television, plus we’re branching out into several related areas.’ Some of those areas include toys, games, the internet and community events. ‘We see ourselves as continuing to help drive the production of extraordinary Canadian programs for kids,’ he continues. ‘But our vision is bigger than that. We want to be the most respected kids brand in Canada, and participate throughout the world of entertainment.