 Final logo, 2009–2016 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Western Canada and Territories |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment |
| Sister channels | Encore Avenue |
| History | |
| Launched | February 1, 1983 |
| Closed | March 1, 2016[1] (33 years, 29 days) |
| Replaced by | The Movie Network |
| Former names | Superchannel (1983–1984 and 1989–2001) First Choice-Superchannel (1984–1989) |
Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories. Although the channel's name implies that it focuses solely on theatrically released motion pictures, Movie Central's programming included original and foreign television series, made-for-cable movies and documentaries.
Movie Central was carried by various Canadian cable, IPTV, and satellite television providers in Western Canada including Bell Satellite TV, Shaw Direct, Shaw Cable, Access Communications, Telus Optik TV, and Westman, among other providers. Its programming was comparable to that of The Movie Network (TMN), a separately owned pay service which is marketed to Eastern Canada, in areas located east of the Ontario-Manitoba border. Movie Central was headquartered at the Corus Quay building in Toronto, Ontario, alongside Corus's national specialty television properties, despite that city being located outside the service's territory.
Known as Superchannel (or First Choice–Superchannel) from its launch in 1983 until 2001, the service held a regional legal monopoly on movie-based premium TV service in Western and Northern Canada from 1984 until the launch of the present-day Super Channel in 2007.
On November 19, 2015, Corus announced that it would shut down Movie Central and sister service Encore Avenue in order to focus on its specialty television services. The Movie Network, which previously held a similar regional monopoly in Eastern Canada, subsequently expanded into the West to become a national service. TMN owner Bell Media made a payment of C$211 million to Corus for its services in transitioning MC subscribers to TMN.