Country Canada | Broadcast area National | |
Launched December 11, 2013
September 1, 2016 (Bell version) Closed August 31, 2016 (Knight Enterprises version) Owned by Bell Media
(2016–present) Slogan Canada's Freshest Food and Lifestyle Network | ||
Gusto is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel. Owned by Bell Media, it features programming related to cooking, cuisine, and lifestyle.
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The channel was founded in 2013, as Gusto TV, under the ownership of the independent producer Knight Enterprises with a Category B license. The network leveraged its library of original programming, as well as other acquired programming. On May 4, 2016, Knight announced that it would sell Canadian rights to the Gusto brand and associated programming to Bell Media; the Gusto channel was re-launched on September 1, 2016 under a Bell-owned Category A license previously used by its music channel M3 (resulting in wider carriage for the new version). Knight retained international rights to the Gusto brand, and will continue to produce new programming for the Bell-owned network.
Under Knight Enterprises
In October 2010, Christopher Knight was granted approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to operate "MmmTV", described as "a national, English‑language Category 2 specialty programming service devoted to luxury, from vacations and leisure activities to home furnishings and fashion."
In the summer and fall of 2013, several media outlets began reporting on aspects Gusto TV and its founder, Christopher Knight, owner of Knight Enterprises. In several reports, it indicated the launch of the channel on December 11, 2013. This was confirmed, when on December 5, an official press release was issued by Knight Enterprises.
On August 29, 2015, Gusto TV broadcast Live Feed; described by the network as an example of the slow television concept, the special consisted of live footage from the kitchen of the Beckta Dining and Wine Bar in Ottawa.
Under Bell Media
On May 4, 2016, Knight Enterprises announced that it had sold Canadian rights to the Gusto TV brand to Bell Media, and that the current Gusto TV would be shut down and replaced by a new version of the service under Bell Media ownership. The brand's parent company, Gusto Worldwide Media (GWM), will license Gusto TV's current programming to Bell in addition to producing future series for the channel. GWM will continue to own international rights to the Gusto brand, and announced plans to launch an internet television service under the brand in 2017. Gusto re-launched on September 1, 2016, replacing Bell Media's music and entertainment network M3 under its existing Category A license.