For the first decade of La Chaîne's operations, TVOntario's existing practice of broadcasting in French on Sundays continued, and La Chaîne aired English-language programming during the same time block. This was because La Chaîne was only available on cable at first, and the government wanted to ensure that Franco-Ontarian viewers without cable still had access to a block of French-language programming, while making English TVO programs available on La Chaîne for those who wanted them. As transmitters were added in a number of French-speaking communities, the practice was discontinued in the mid-1990s.