By Etan Vlessing
CANADA’S INDIENET GROUP of independent TV stations on Thursday skipped their traditional public presentation to national ad buyers in Toronto, and went virtual with a streaming pitch.
Besides touting a fall 2020 programming slate packed with the usual mix of local news coverage, sim-sub U.S. shows, classic shows, game shows and movies, the independent option to Canada’s bigger broadcast groups talked up helping brand marketers make quick changes and decisions around their media buying plans this year as Covid-19 crisis has put the country’s media and advertising businesses on hold.
“I’m sure you will all join me in hoping we get back to business as usual,” YesTV director of sales Glenn Stewart said at one point during the indieNET streaming presentation.
Knowing that won’t happen soon, CBC, Quebecor, Corus, Bell and Rogers also chose to forego traditional live upfront presentations this year as the country tackles the global coronavirus spread. CBC did theirs May 27th, Quebecor’s was on Tuesday and the others are next week.
However, with linear TV viewership in long-term decline and advertising shifting dollars to digital platforms, the indieNET partners – YesTV, NTV, CHCH and CHEK – did their annual high-stakes dance with major advertisers this year mindful they’ve banded together for five years to attract national advertisers (with their 10 million viewers) in a market riddled with uncertainty and have seen that viewership trend dramatically reverse during the pandemic.
“While some might see this as an uncertain broadcast year ahead, we at indieNET see it as an opportunity for us. It’s a chance to showcase the stability and consistent performance that’s been a hallmark of ours since day one,” said CHCH anchor Nicole Martin, who hosted the virtual presentation.
The indieNET consortium, led by sales agency Airtime Television Sales, also reiterated how they together cover 94% of the Canadian market (from Victoria to St. John’s), making it an easy and effective ad buy for national marketers, beyond local businesses.
Among the pandemic-resistant offerings from the upbeat indieNET presentation was the employee-owned CHEK-TV in Victoria and Vancouver Island introducing The Upside, a new daily segment of positive, uplifting stories in the community. “As society takes steps to open up again, CHEK will continue to build on its reputation as the region’s tried and true independent voice, one that British Columbians are watching,” the Vancouver and Victoria-based channel told marketers (pictured above is CHEK’s Rob Germain).
CHCH general sales manager Geoff Thrasher also put as positive a spin possible on the 2020 Upfront market. Despite cord-cutting and growing audiences for streaming giants, demand for TV remains strong amid the pandemic, Thrasher insisted, as he touted his Hamilton-based channel’s local newscasts for keeping viewers informed during the virus crisis (it pre-empted regular schedule every day to broadcast Ontario premier Doug Ford’s daily news conferences), and daytime and primetime schedules full of American series and movies having “delivered much-needed entertainment and escape” in recent months.
During the pandemic, CHCH viewership has increased 18% and its online viewership jumped 40% to over a million monthly views of chch.com
The indieNET virtual pitch also edited together clips from new and returning Hollywood shows where the main characters uttered lines that became inspiring memes, like “Times have changed,” “The best is yet to come,” and “We all need someone to lean on.”
Thanks to the pandemic, however, not all of the broadcasters’ fall schedules are fully set and more announcements will come through the summer.
“The majority of what has been consistent on the NTV schedule will remain, with a continued commitment to our extensive live news coverage, as well as a strong mix of top rated entertainment programming from the local producers here in Newfoundland, to the studios in Hollywood,” said Lorraine Pope, director of sales and program acquisitions with NTV.
