In December 2007, Sex-Shop Television Inc. was granted approval by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch Vanessa, described as "a national French-language Category 2 pay television programming service devoted to the themes of sex appeal, sensuality, eroticism and sexuality." In March 2009, Sex-Shop Television Inc. then obtained approval to launch an English-language service of the same type and name. A French-language version of Vanessa initially launched on October 28, 2010; Vanessa was added by
Bell Satellite TV to its lineup one week later, giving the channel national distribution. An English version was expected to launch the following year; it appeared as though plans to launch an English service were scrapped. However, on March 11, 2013, Sex-Shop Television announced that an English-language channel was launching on March 13, 2013. The channel was revealed to have launched on
Vidéotron.
High definition (HD) feeds of the English- and French-language services launched in September 2014 on
MTS TV and Telus's
Optik TV in Quebec. In September 2014, Sex-Shop Television reached a licensing deal with the American adult entertainment company
Vivid Entertainment, which saw Vanessa re-brand as
VividTV on October 28, 2014, and gain access to its library. Half of the network's programming was to come from Vivid, with the remainder from Vanessa's existing productions. On September 1, 2018, both the English and French versions of the channel were rebranded
Dorcel TV Canada. ==References==