In June 1994, the Canadian Radio-television and The Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granted a license for the Women's Television Network (WTN). which became one of seven "specialty" channels added to Canadian cable offerings in January 1995. Supporters argued the need for such a niche network for business reasons. citing the quantity of female viewership (the impetus behind the U.S. cable network Lifetime). But the license was also granted in recognition of the limited access women had to creative, production, and executive positions in Canadian television.

     Yet WTN was mired in controversy from its inception. The issue was not its programs but the manner in which cable providers introduced the seven specialty channels in 1995. Initially, cable subscribers were forced to accept a rate hike with the addition of most of the channels. Later. however, they were given an option not to accept those channels requiring an increase in monthly fees. WTN was fortunate to be included among channels offered within the standard package, requiring no additional fee for its service. This was a key to ensuring the network had ample time to develop its identity and audience.  

     Moffat Communications controlled a 68 percent interest in WTN at its launch. Other stakeholders included a group of women investors, The Barde Group (8.42 percent), Ron Rhodes ( 12 percent), and Michael Ihnat (10 percent), all of whom had lobbied for a women's network until they found a corporation large enough to make a cable license possible. Moffat was a moderate-sized cable and broadcast entity at the time that also owned CKY-TV, the CTV affiliate in Winnipeg, and various other cable interests. Moffat's ownership also based the network in Winnipeg, rather than the more common media center, Toronto. Although it purchased some high-profile programming from other sources, WTN mandated that 70 percent of its schedule be Canadian and spent $9 million on Canadian productions in 1996. The network featured some U.S. exports,  including  The Mary Tyler Moore  Show and Rhoda, as well as, in its early years, British drama and comedies such as  French and  Saunders.  It also  programmed documentaries and biography series focused on women and their lives and featured regular film blocks in prime time. For example, on Fridays WTN offered Through Her Eyes, a series of films directed by women from around the world.

     The network achieved limited success in its first few months (an estimated audience of 23,000 in February 1995). The network was initially unavailable in Montreal, preventing it from reaching that city's sizable market. At the end of six months it was the least watched of the new specialty channels. As a result, executives responded to criticism that the initial programming was too serious and feminist by reconfiguring the network's profile. One television critic cited the replacement of the hard-hitting public affairs talk show POV: Women with Take 3 (a lifestyle series) as illustrative of the shift introduced by the fall of 1995.

     The program alterations proved successful, garnering many positive reviews of the network, and by August 2000 WTN's viewership ranked in the upper half of specialty channels. After establishing itself the network was able to reincorporate some of the more serious public affairs programming. Open for Discussion, for example, featured a regular call-in show scheduled to follow issue-oriented movies exploring topics such as domestic abuse or rape. WTN also made a significant public service investment through its WTN Foundation, which sponsored projects such as a girls' television camp in Ottawa and other outreach programs, many aimed at helping women enter the television industry. Other projects benefited women in a more general sense-inmates from a women's correctional facility, for example, staffed Open for Discussion, earning money for their families.

     By 2000 Moffat was the sole owner of WTN, and in March 2001 sold the network to Corus Entertainment Inc. for $205 million (Canadian). Corus, a spin-off of Shaw Communication, is one of Canada's leading entertainment conglomerates, with holdings including 52 radio stations as well as specialty, pay, conventional, and digital television services. Corus quickly drew criticism by closing the Winnipeg office and firing all but three of nearly 80 WTN employees. The network was moved to the Corus facility in Toronto, where it expected to employ no more than 25.

     Corus relaunched WTN as W in April 2002, adding U.S. exports Ally McBeal, The Huntress, and Chicago Hope to the schedule, while eliminating the Herstory biography series, Hot Topics, and the weekly screening of international films. Public relations staff described the network's new focus as featuring more movies and music specials and less "femme-related" programming. The network also added a dual feed for western Canada.

     W airs programs also available on U.S. women's networks Lifetime and Oxygen Media, including Strong Medicine, The Division, and Beyond Chance, all produced for Lifetime. Oxygen airs The Sunday Night Sex Show and Debbie Travis' Painted House, both originally produced for WTN. Before the re-launch as W, the Canadian network bore more similarity to Oxygen, with its more explicitly feminist address. The adjustment in programming and the brand shift have made it more comparable to the generally "feminine" address of Lifetime.