ABC Spark
Final logo used from 2012 to 2025 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment (2001–2025) Alliance Atlantis (2001–2008) Canwest (2008–2010) Shaw Media (2010–2013) |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | September 7, 2001 (as Scream) March 26, 2012 (as ABC Spark) |
| Closed | September 1, 2025 |
| Replaced by | Slice and W Network (programming) |
| Former names | Scream (2001–2009) Dusk (2009–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | ABC Spark (archived July 2025) |
ABC Spark was a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel launched on September 7, 2001, as Scream (stylized as SCREAM), under the ownership of Corus Entertainment and Alliance Atlantis as a Category 2 service. During its early years, Scream broadcast horror, thriller, and suspense films along with some television series. After the acquisition of Alliance Atlantis by Canwest and Goldman Sachs, the channel was relaunched as Dusk in 2009, with a pivot from horror to paranormal- and suspense-themed programming to appeal to a wider audience. During its time as Dusk, it aired programming consisting of films, television dramas, and reality TV, and documentary-style television series from the thriller, suspense and supernatural genres.
Two years after Canwest was sold to Shaw Media, a sister company of Corus, the channel was relaunched on March 26, 2012, as ABC Spark which used the ABC branding and various programs were licensed from the ABC Family Worldwide subsidiary of Walt Disney Television, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. This channel was based on the U.S. subscription channel Freeform (previously known as ABC Family) and primarily consisted of programming aimed at teenagers, young adults, and preteens, as well as some sitcoms.
Amid the financial problems at Corus, the channel ceased operations on September 1, 2025.