Alliance Atlantis reports that HGTV has jumped to the top spot among Canadian specialty channels when it comes to attracting women aged 25-54, pushing Corus Entertainment’s W Network into second place — at least for the spring season.

It’s the first time that the home-and-garden channel has captured the top spot for the key demographic, and it represents about 36% growth over last year. The spring season audience BBM/Nielsen numbers arrived Wednesday, comparing viewership for April 2 to June 25, 2007 to the same period in 2006.

However, Corus Entertainment’s data for the ‘broadcast year’ has W leading among women 18+, 18-34 and 18-49. It is tied with HGTV for women 25-54

Following W, Bravo! took third place in the demo, followed by Alliance Atlantis’ Showcase.

HGTV reports three shows, stripped across Monday through Friday, contributed to the growth with consistent audiences: House Hunters, Location, Location, Location and Buy Me. Holmes on Homes, stripped Monday through Friday, also delivered strong audiences. Design Tuesdays on the net performed particularly well with women 25-54, with shows such as Home to Stay, Design Inc. and Sarah’s House.

From Media in Canada