TFO
TFO is a Canadian French language educational television channel and media organization serving the province of Ontario. It is owned by the Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority (OTELFO), a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario and operating as Groupe Média TFO. It is the only French-language television service in Canada that operates entirely outside Quebec. The network airs cultural programming, including blocks of French-language children's programs, along with original series, documentaries, and films.
TFO logo | |
| Broadcast area | National via satellite, available on basic cable throughout Ontario and parts of Manitoba, New Brunswick and Quebec |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | French |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (2009–present) 480i (SDTV) (1987–present) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Groupe Média TFO |
| Parent | Government of Ontario |
| Sister channels | TVO |
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 1987 |
| Former names | La Chaîne Française (1987–1995) |
| Links | |
| Website | tfo.org (in French) |
The network was first established in 1985 as La Chaîne Française, a spin-off of the provincial English-language public broadcaster TVO, later re-branding as TFO in 1995. The network operated under the auspices of TVO until 2007, when it was spun off into an autonomous agency.
TFO is available on multichannel television providers throughout Ontario; all cable and IPTV providers in the province are required to carry it on their basic tier. TFO is also carried nationally on the Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct satellite television services. The network previously broadcast over-the-air in some communities in Eastern and Northern Ontario with significant Franco-Ontarian populations; these transmitters ceased operations in 2012.