Family Channel was licensed as a premium television service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on December 1, 1987; it was originally operated as a joint venture between Allarcom Pay Television Limited and First Choice Canadian Communications Corporation (owners of both Superchannel and First Choice), with both companies owning a 50% stake in the service.[4]
The network officially launched on September 1, 1988; during its first decade, Family Channel's programming format mirrored that of then fellow U.S. premium service The Disney Channel. Family's programming lineup consisted mainly of domestic and foreign-imported live action and animated series (with many of the imported series produced by The Walt Disney Company's television production units – Walt Disney Television, and eventually Touchstone Television, now ABC Studios), feature films from the Walt Disney Pictures library, classic films from other American and Canadian film studios, and specials. At the time of its launch, Family Channel broadcast for 16½ hours each day, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET.
Family was originally offered by cable companies as a standalone channel that required an additional monthly subscription fee. In October 1997, most domestic cable and satellite providers started offering the channel as part of a package with that year's wave of new specialty channels. While Family initially continued its premium format, it later changed its programming strategies to closer-resemble those of mainstream specialty channels, albeit remaining commercial-free because it was still legally considered a premium service.
