The four major broadcast television networks in Quebec are Ici Radio-Canada Télé, TVA, Noovo and Télé-Québec.
TVA is by far the most watched network: in fall 2006, it held 28% of the Quebec francophone primetime television audience, compared to Radio-Canada's 19% and Noovo's 14%.
[1] Given the predominantly French-speaking population, only CBC, the English-language television service (CBMT-DT) funded by the government of Canada, is available over the air throughout the province.
Montreal has local owned-and-operated stations of CTV (CFCF-DT), Global (CKMI-DT), and Citytv (CJNT-DT), Canada's three main English-language networks, while Gatineau receives all three networks as part of the Ottawa media market; Global is also available over-the-air in Quebec City and Sherbrooke through rebroadcasters of the Montreal station.
[3] Montreal Gazette media writer Steve Faguy found that there were at least 40 different Quebecois programs with formats dependent on celebrity guests (either as a participant or interview subject).
Though initially bilingual, carrying programming from sister broadcaster CBC as well, the network would hold a monopoly on French-language television during all of the 1950s.
Known as le 10 for its channel number, it was first private and independent French-language television broadcaster, the station would become the backbone of what is now the largest and highest-rated network in Quebec.
With stations in Montreal and Quebec City, its reach was extended with partnerships with Radio-Canada affiliates elsewhere in the province, creating what is known as a twinstick.
In the middle of the decade, as the growth of digital cable expanded, digital-only cable channels began to appear; today they include such channels as AddikTV, Argent, CASA, Cinépop, MOI ET CIE, Prise 2, RDS2, RDS Info, Télétoon Rétro, TVA Sports and Natyf TV.