Complex sentence: In 1997, Canwest and Scripps Networks launched a Canadian version of HGTV as a Category 2 specialty channel; it features much of the same programming as the U.S. channel, along with some domestically produced programs to fulfill Canadian content requirements.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1997, Canwest and Scripps Networks launched a Canadian version of HGTV as a Category 2 specialty channel. The Canadian version features much of the same programming as the U.S. channel, along with some domestically produced programs to fulfill Canadian content requirements.