MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 13, 2024) - After attempting to establish Sun News as a viable news channel in the Canadian broadcasting landscape and encountering a series of barriers to carriage, Sun Media Corporation regrets to announce today that it is closing the station. At the time of this release, Sun News Network is already off the air.
"This is an unfortunate outcome; shutting down Sun News was certainly not our goal," said Julie Tremblay, President and CEO of Media Group and Sun Media Corporation. "Over the past four years, we tried everything we could to achieve sufficient market penetration to generate the profits needed to operate a national news channel. Sadly, the numerous obstacles to carriage that we encountered spelled the end of this venture."
Sun Media Corporation spent months actively seeking a potential buyer but no party capable of taking over the channel was found. Therefore, in view of the financial losses, there was no alternative to closing Sun News.
"The closure is regrettable for the Canadian broadcasting system, which is losing a distinctively Canadian voice in the national news space, and also, most importantly, for all the Sun News employees who are losing their jobs. We thank all employees for their daily efforts and the talent they have contributed to the channel. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours," concluded Julie Tremblay.
About Sun Media Corporation
Sun Media Corporation, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is one of Canada's largest newspaper publisher. With 36 paid-circulation daily newspapers and 3 free dailies, each with its own dedicated web site, and almost 130 weekly newspapers and other publications across Canada, Sun Media Corporation's English and French-language newspapers and web sites make it a leading provider of news and information. Sun Media Corporation includes the activities of Osprey Media and Canoe.ca, an integrated enterprise offering e-commerce, information and communication services that operates a network of Internet portals that attracts more tens of millions of unique visitors per month in Canada. Sun Media Corporation also provides commercial printing and distribution services for newspapers and magazines.