Treehouse block on YTV (1994–1998) In 1994,
YTV introduced a daily programming block for preschool children called "The Treehouse". In lieu of commercials, breaks between programs on the block featured segments hosted by three program jockeys ("PJs") named PJ Katie, PJ Krista, and PJ Todd, who made crafts, played games, and held contests from a
tree house-themed set. The PJs' co-hosts were a group of stuffed animal puppets called
the Fuzzpaws. On Fridays, PJ Katie would perform stories with clay animals. These segments were eventually spun off into the series ''
PJ Katie's Farm''.
As a channel (1997–present) In early 1996, it was announced that YTV was looking to move its preschool-oriented programming into a separate network. It was announced in the first half of April 1996, that YTV was developing a spin-off network targeted towards preschoolers named
Treehouse TV, and solicited letters supporting the network for the
CRTC and Treehouse on-air. The network's president, Patricia Macdonald, said she had "done a lot of research that led us to the conclusion that the kids market is underserved." On September 4, the CRTC approved YTV's request to launch Treehouse TV. The Treehouse channel launched on November 1, 1997, at 8:00 a.m. EST. For a few months, The Treehouse block on YTV continued to air alongside the channel. In 1998, the Treehouse block was replaced by
YTV Jr., an unhosted block. Like the Treehouse block, the Treehouse channel was commercial-free, opting instead to show
interstitial shorts in between shows. These shorts featured a new set of characters who lived in Treetown. However, the PJs (program jockeys) from the original Treehouse block did not return for the Treehouse channel, although ''PJ Katie's Farm'' reran on Treehouse throughout 1999. In March 2005, Corus Entertainment began offering a
video on demand service called
Treehouse On Demand to cable providers such as
Rogers Cable and
Cogeco, delivering content from Treehouse TV. It is offered as a free service to customers who subscribe to each providers digital cable service. Some providers such as
SaskTel offer it as a standalone premium subscription service. Between June 2015 and May 2019, Corus operated
TreehouseGO, a
TV Everywhere service available on
iOS and
Android devices. In 2011, Corus launched a standalone
subscription video on demand service for iOS. It was later rebranded to
Treehouse Classic until 2016, when a rebrand occurred and the "Classic" branding was removed. On February 5, 2013,
Nelvana,
Corus Entertainment's animation division, launched the Treehouse Direct channel on
YouTube. On March 2, 2015, Treehouse TV launched its own YouTube channel. On July 19, 2019, Corus Entertainment filed a
copyright infringement lawsuit against an
Oklahoma-based
medical marijuana dispensary chain, known as "Treehouse Dispensary", alleging the chain "wilfully copied and is using a confusing similar imitation" of the Treehouse TV logo. An attorney for the dispensary contested the claims and said that the business "categorically denies that its logo infringes on any existing trademarks in the United States." Corus won the lawsuit through a
default judgment the following December. On July 4, 2022, the CRTC announced plans to renew the license of Treehouse TV, along with those of
Boomerang,
Adult Swim,
Nickelodeon,
Cartoon Network,
Télétoon,
YTV,
Disney Channel,
La Chaîne Disney,
Disney Junior, and
Disney XD, for another two years (licenses not valid as of August 31, 2024). On September 1, 2025, amid financial pressure at parent company Corus Entertainment, the company's broadcasting rights to Nickelodeon programming on YTV and Treehouse expired and all Nickelodeon programming were removed from both networks, along with
YTV's dedicated Nickelodeon channel shutting down the same day. The shows are as follows:
Bubble Guppies,
Blaze and the Monster Machines,
Dora,
The Tiny Chef Show, and
Baby Shark's Big Show!. Nickelodeon programming remains available in Canada through YTV On Demand and the
Paramount+ streaming service.
Note: This does not affect shows that also aired on Nick Jr. (for example, Vida the Vet) as those shows are owned by Spin Master. ==Programming==