AMI-tv
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Accessible Media Inc. |
| Sister channels | AMI-audio AMI-télé |
| History | |
| Launched | January 29, 2009, 16 years ago |
| Former names | The Accessible Channel (2009–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | AMI-tv |
AMI-tv is a Canadian, English-language, digital cable specialty channel. Owned by Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), it primarily broadcasts programming relating to accessibility and disabilities. All programming is broadcast with accommodations for those who are visually or hearing impaired, offering described video (DV) on the primary audio track, and closed captioning.
It was launched on January 29, 2009, as The Accessible Channel (TAC), by the National Broadcast Reading Service (now AMI), the non-profit organization that operates the radio reading service VoicePrint (now AMI-audio). Initially, most of AMI-tv's programming consisted of programming sublicensed from other Canadian broadcasters and broadcast in its "open" format, including entertainment programs, and special news and sports broadcasts. By the 2020s, the bulk of AMI-tv's programs have been original productions dealing with accessibility and disabilitiess, including factual, reality, and entertainment programming.
AMI-tv is licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as a discretionary "must-carry" service; it must be carried on the lowest level of service by all licensed digital cable, satellite television, and IPTV providers in Canada. On December 16, 2014, AMI launched a French-language version of the network, AMI-télé, under a second Category A licence.