Media had reached deals with local broadcasters to expand into 44 countries with the launch of editorial properties and localized Viceland networks, including the Special Broadcasting Service (Australia), Econet Media (sub-Saharan Africa), The Times Group (India), Moby Media Group (Middle East), Multi Channels Asia (Southeast Asia), Sky Network Television (New Zealand), V Media Group (Canada, French-language), Canal+ (France), Ziggo (Netherlands) and Telenet (Belgium). Vice holds a 49% minority stake and control of international expansions, except for Australia where the channel is 100% owned and operated by SBS. North America Prior to launch day, Vice ran newspaper ads for Viceland, containing only the network's name and a phone number that, when called, invited viewers to contribute answers to questions. Pre-launch programming for Viceland began on February 29, 2016, at 5:00 a.m. ET in Canada (with Bar Talk, a one-hour special hosted by Vice Canada's head of content Patrick McGuire), and on the same day at 6:00 a.m. ET in the United States, broadcasting a countdown clock to the official launch later in the evening, accompanied by footage of Vice executives answering the viewer-contributed calls as voice mail. The first program following the countdown was the series premiere of Noisey, following hip-hop musician Kendrick Lamar. United States The American version is operated by a joint venture with A&E Networks, (itself a stake owner of Vice Media) and originally replaced H2. Canada A Canadian version launched concurrently with the U.S. version as a relaunch of The Biography Channel, with Rogers Media as a managing partner. Separately, plans were made with V Media Group to create a channel in French Canada. To comply with Canadian content regulations, it also produced some of its own programming (sourced primarily from a Toronto studio it co-founded with Rogers); Vice co-founder Suroosh Alvi stated the programs were being produced Viceland would view its Canadian productions as being of global interest, as opposed to a regulatory obligation of little interest of non-Canadians; one-third of the network's first slate of original programming are Canadian productions from the new facility. In November 2017, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported that Rogers intended to cease providing funding to Viceland in early 2018, citing inside reports of low viewership and unprofitability. Representatives of both companies declined to comment. On January 22, 2018, Rogers and Vice jointly announced a termination of their partnership, with the Viceland channel discontinued on March 31, 2018. Vice