Freeform (TV channel)

====ABC Spark (Canada)====
{{Main|ABC Spark}}
On October 26, 2011, The Walt Disney Company and [[Toronto]]-based media company [[Corus Entertainment]] entered into a partnership to launch a [[Canada|Canadian]] version of ABC Family, '''ABC Spark''', which launched on March 23, 2012.<ref>{{cite press release|title=New Millennial Focused Channel, ABC Spark, to Launch in Canada|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/10/26/new-millennial-focused-channel-abc-spark-to-launch-in-canada-789303/20111026abc01/|publisher=Disney–ABC Television Group|via=The Futon Critic|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=October 26, 2011|archive-date=September 11, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911211258/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/10/26/new-millennial-focused-channel-abc-spark-to-launch-in-canada-789303/20111026abc01/|url-status=live}}</ref> The channel, which is licensed by the [[Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission]] as a [[Category B services|Category B specialty channel]] (which under CRTC rules, allows Canadian digital cable and [[direct-broadcast satellite television|direct-broadcast satellite]] providers to optionally choose to carry the channel), is aimed at teenagers and young adults between 15 and 34 years of age.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC Spark launches in Canada|url=https://variety.com/2011/tv/news/abc-spark-launches-in-canada-1118045086/|author=Jennie Punter|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619220422/http://variety.com/2011/tv/news/abc-spark-launches-in-canada-1118045086/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ABC Spark name was purposefully chosen to avoid conflicts with [[pay television|premium service]] [[Family Channel (Canadian TV network)|Family Channel]]. Before the exclusive Canadian television rights to their programming formally transferred to Corus in January 2016 (through a broader deal struck in April 2015 that involved the launches of domestic English and [[French language]] versions of [[Disney Channel (Canada)|the]] [[Disney Junior (Canada)|three]] [[Disney XD (Canada)|channels]] as sisters to ABC Spark), Family maintained a licensing agreement with [[Disney Channels Worldwide]] that gave it territorial rights to the programming libraries of Disney Channel, [[Disney Junior]] (as well as its predecessor preschool programming block, [[Playhouse Disney]]), and [[Disney XD]] ([[Allarcom]] and [[The Movie Network|First Choice]] first proposed the "Family Channel" name for the Canadian service in 1987, and jointly launched it in September 1988, one month after the American channel changed its name to The CBN Family Channel).<ref name="corus-pr">{{cite press release|title=Corus Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group Join Forces in Landmark Licensing Agreement|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1518997/corus-entertainment-and-disney-abc-television-group-join-forces-in-landmark-licensing-agreement|agency=[[Canada Newswire]]|publisher=Corus Entertainment|date=April 16, 2015|access-date=April 17, 2015|archive-date=April 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417062006/http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1518997/corus-entertainment-and-disney-abc-television-group-join-forces-in-landmark-licensing-agreement|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="fp-corusdisney">{{cite news|title=Corus Entertainment snaps up Disney content from DHX Media, plans to launch Disney channel in Canada|url=http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/corus-entertainment-secures-rights-to-disney-channel-content-in-canada?__lsa=0f27-3aec|newspaper=[[Financial Post]]|publisher=[[Postmedia Network]]|date=April 16, 2015|access-date=April 17, 2015|archive-date=April 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417055718/http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/corus-entertainment-secures-rights-to-disney-channel-content-in-canada?__lsa=0f27-3aec|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ksn>{{cite news|title=DHX TV reveals fall skeds for rebranded channels|url=http://kidscreen.com/2015/08/21/dhx-tv-reveals-fall-skeds-for-rebranded-channels/|author=Jeremy Dickson|website=KidScreen|date=August 21, 2015|access-date=August 21, 2015|archive-date=August 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823041353/http://kidscreen.com/2015/08/21/dhx-tv-reveals-fall-skeds-for-rebranded-channels/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Decision CRTC 87-905|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1987/DB87-905.htm|publisher=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]|date=December 1, 1987|access-date=June 15, 2013|archive-date=July 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708020007/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1987/DB87-905.HTM|url-status=live}}</ref>

While ABC Spark did not follow the lead of its U.S. counterpart and change its name to Freeform, it did adopt similar branding elements.