Specialty Channel Viceland Rolls Out This Month Across Canada

TORONTO: Viceland, a new culture and lifestyle channel featuring hundreds of hours of original content, is scheduled to launch in Canada on February 29.

Viceland (formerly H2)  will roll out at 5 a.m. with the one-hour special Bar Talk, hosted by Vice Canada’s head of content, Patrick McGuire. A three-month free preview will be offered nationwide via service providers such as Rogers Cable and Shaw. The channel will explore a range of topics, including food, fashion, music, sex, sports and more. Its content, developed and produced by creatives at Canadian media company Vice, will be available on mobile devices, tablets, computers and TVs.

Headlining the channel’s initial slate is the new series Gaycation, hosted by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel, as well as the music documentary series Noisey. Other shows include Weediquette, which explores the impact of marijuana legalization across the U.S. and internationally, and F*ck, That’s Delicious, featuring American rapper Action Bronson.

“Viceland is the definition of destination viewing and we couldn’t be more excited to bring our viewers this incredible slate of fresh, premium programming unlike anything seen before on a linear channel,” said Colette Watson, the VP of broadcast and TV operations at Rogers Communications. “Viceland is another example of our commitment to expand our offerings to bring Canadians the best in original programming, and they won’t be disappointed.”

“Viceland is an extension of Vice’s mission as a whole,” added Michael Kronish, the executive VP of television at Vice Canada. “To borrow from our long-time partner, Spike Jonze, we want to examine the world we live in, and explore the things that confuse us, make us curious, make us laugh, or awaken our sense of wonder. We can confidently say that our programming accomplishes this mission.”