The network primarily airs children's television series, teen dramas, as well as other programming targeting a family audience.

Despite having its own headquarters in the Brookfield Place office in Financial District, the channel is transmitted from Corus Quay.

Family Channel was licensed as a premium television service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on December 1, 1987; it was originally operated as a joint venture between Allarcom Pay Television Limited and First Choice Canadian Communications Corporation (owners of both Superchannel and First Choice), with both companies owning a 50% stake in the service.

[3] In October 1999, as part of the break-up of Western International Communications (which had bought Allarcom), its stake in Family Channel was sold to Corus Entertainment.

On January 11, 2011, Family launched a high-definition feed, and concurrently introduced an updated logo and on-air presentation.

[17] The acquisition was finalized on July 31, 2014, with Family and its sister networks becoming part of a newly formed division of the company known as DHX Television.

[22] Alongside new and original productions, DHX reached new output deals with AwesomenessTV, DreamWorks Animation, and Mattel in 2015 for programming based on their properties across its networks.

The F2N block was positioned towards an older teenage audience than the "tween" audience that Family has typically targeted; DHX Television senior vice-president Joe Tedesco explained that the company had original series in development for Family in case it ever did lose its output deal with Disney, and that these decisions were based on a goal to build a "strong lineup" of programs, and was not financially motivated.

Family has also co-commissioned programming with the American network Universal Kids, owned by DreamWorks' parent company NBCUniversal, which had previously acquired the rights to the Family original series The Next Step and provided additional funding for its sixth season due to reduced financial commitments by DHX.

After changes in CRTC policies and the network's licensing in November 2016, Family switched to a conventional, commercial-supported format for its non-preschool programs.

Yoopa shut down on January 11, 2024, and was replaced with a TV broadcast version of its parent company's QUB Radio channel.

[39] On September 25, the CRTC confirmed it had revoked Vrak's licence at the request of Bell Media,[40] with the channel shut down on October 1, 2023.

Subject to carriage, the multiplex channel was made available at no additional charge to television providers and subscribers who receive its parent network.

[42] On September 18, 2015, due to Corus Entertainment's acquisition of rights to Disney's children's programming and brands, the channel was re-branded as Family Jr.[43][44] As Family was licensed as a premium service, it is allowed to operate multiplex channels that carry additional programming consistent with its licensing and nature of service.