Space ( TV channel ) Space , also known as Space Channel and formerly branded Space : The Imagination Station , is a Canadian specialty cable network which has been in operation since 1997 . Established as the Canadian equivalent of the American Sci Fi Channel , Space was initially established to show a mixture of science fiction and science programming , with a heavy emphasis on Canadian content . ( Over time , the science programming aspect has been reduced considerably . ) The network has had an on - again , off - again relationship with the " Doctor Who " franchise . Early on , it aired the classic series in the usual half - hour instalments , initially in high - profile time slots , but over time as viewership waned , Space eventually moved the show to a middle - of - the - night time slot before dropping it altogether in the late 1990s . The network also aired rebroadcasts of the 1996 telefilm . Although not broadcast by them , the " Who " franchise would be recognised by Space in the mid - 2000s when its annual awards show , the Spaceys , included nominations for both the series itself and Billie Piper in its 2006 ceremony ( neither won ) . In 2008 , Space returned to the " Who " franchise by picking up " Torchwood " after it had been cancelled by the CBC ; Space subsequently aired the second season of " Torchwood " in the summer of 2008 ( followed by a rebroadcast of the first two seasons in 2009 ) . Unlike the CBC , which chose to edit out several minutes from each Season 1 episode in order to fit a 60 - minute time slot including commercial breaks ( as well as to censor some content such as language ) , Space airs " Torchwood " in a 65 - minute timeslot to minimise the need for such edits , and the episodes are aired uncensored . Following the CBC ' s heavily criticised editing of the " Doctor Who " series 4 finale , " Journey ' s End " in December 2008 , there were calls for Space to take over broadcasts of the parent series from the CBC . Initially , Space denied it had any plans to broadcast the new " Doctor Who " . However , on 14 March 2009 Space broadcast the 2008 " Doctor Who " Christmas special , " The Next Doctor " , which the CBC had chosen not to air . It was later reported on fan websites that Space had acquired the rights to the subsequent specials and 2010 season for broadcast . On 1 June 2009 , Space officially announced that it had obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to " Doctor Who " , beginning with the ongoing 2009 specials and continuing with Series 5 in 2010 , along with the " Torchwood " : " Children of Earth " miniseries . Space also obtained rebroadcast rights to Series 1 through 4 beginning in March 2010 when the CBC ' s licence for those programmes expired , with the exception of " Voyage of the Damned " , the rights to which were acquired by Space in April 2010 . Space does not presently have the rights to air " Doctor Who Confidential " , " The Sarah Jane Adventures " , or " K9 " . On 20 July 2009 , Space began broadcasting the " Children of Earth " arc , with episodes shown virtually uncut and uncensored in a 75 - minute timeslot ( including commercial breaks ) — in a first , Space ' s broadcasts coincided with that of BBC America , although both networks still aired the mini - series several weeks after the BBC . " Torchwood " was followed on 25th July by a similarly intact broadcast of the first of the 2009 specials , " Planet of the Dead " , albeit several months after the BBC . Both " Children of Earth " and " Planet of the Dead " were released to DVD in a cross - promotion with Space the Tuesday following their broadcast , and Space also made the episodes available for online viewing . Space aired " The Waters of Mars " special on 19 December 2009 , a month after the UK broadcast . The final 2009 specials , the two - part " The End of Time " , aired together on 2nd January 2010 , one week after the UK and US broadcasts of part 1 , but only a day after the UK broadcast of Part 2 ( and the same day as BBC America aired Part 2 in the US ) . " The End of Time " aired as the finale of a daylong marathon of " Doctor Who " and " Torchwood " episodes and was allotted a sufficiently large timeslot to allow it to air virtually unedited , even with commercial interruption . To correspond with the broadcasts , Space dedicated the 2009 year - end edition of its entertainment news programme , " InnerSPACE " , to " Doctor Who " . The CBC provided some funding to the BBC for its production of " Doctor Who " during the first four seasons , and for " Torchwood " during its first season ( although the fanzine " Enlightenment " has suggested the arrangement was more promotional than substantially financial ) . It is not known if this arrangement continues with Space . Space is currently ( 2010 ) owned by the CTVglobemedia conglomerate , which also operates the country ' s major national commercial network , CTV . This has resulted in advertisements for " Doctor Who " and " Torchwood " appearing on CTV in cross - promotion . For example , promos for " Children of Earth " were shown during CTV broadcasts of the UK series " Merlin " ( featuring " Torchwood " co - star Eve Myles in an early episode and recurring appearances by " Planet of the Dead " co - star Michelle Ryan ) in June and July 2009 . ( Space would air " Merlin " itself beginning in the spring of 2010 . ) On 17 April 2010 , Space , in conjunction with BBC America , began airing series 5 . Once again , episodes aired virtually uncut , albeit several weeks after the UK . Broadcasts of Series 5 were scheduled to conclude on 24 July 2010 , which will include a live discussion broadcast following the airing of the finale . Space aired the 2010 Christmas Special , " A Christmas Carol " , on Boxing Day 2010 . Space has also embraced older episodes of the revival . Beginning on 31 May 2010 , Space began airing reruns of series 1 to 4 four nights a week in a prime - time timeslot . It has also announced that on 24 July , following the broadcast of the series 5 finale , that it would air " Voyage of the Damned " for the first time on English - language Canadian TV . In 2011 , leading up to the broadcast of " " , Space showed a marathon of every " Torchwood " episode prior . In the second half of series 6 of Doctor Who , Space showed some original broadcasts noting the greatest moments of series 5 and the first half of series 6 , with each focusing on an aspect of the show , such as the companions or villains . , Space airs all new episodes of " Doctor Who " and " Class " on the same day they air in the UK . Each year at Christmas , the channel broadcasts a special twelve - day marathon entitled " The Twelve Days of Space - mas " , during which each day features its own marathon of shows . In 2010 , " Doctor Who " featured on 26 December , with Star Trek featuring on Christmas day . During the Marathon , " The Christmas Invasion " , " The Runaway Bride " , " Voyage of the Damned " , " The Next Doctor " , " Planet of the Dead " , " The Waters of Mars " , " The End of Time " , and " A Christmas Carol " were shown . By 2011 , " Doctor Who " had been promoted to Christmas Day , with the entirety of series 6 being broadcast , leading up to " The Doctor , the Widow and the Wardrobe " . Space ' s broadcasting schedule revolves largely around " Doctor Who " , with episodes being broadcast daily . At a Toronto convention called " FanExpo " , the hosts of the channel gave out exclusively " Doctor Who " - related merchandise .