And no, that doesn’t impact Viceland
TORONTO – Starting October 16th, the edgy Vice News Tonight will anchor prime time for Bell Media’s Much channel (it still seems weird not to call it MuchMusic…).
In an exclusive deal announced today, Bell Media and Vice Media have partnered to bring the news show to Canadians this fall. Produced in Brooklyn, NY four times per week, the 30-minute news program is set to anchor Much’s new fall schedule Monday to Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, beginning October 16. It will also air on HBO Canada Monday to Thursday at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. HBO is the show’s home, Stateside.
The complete newscasts will also stream on Much.com, with stories also available on Much-branded social media channels, too.
Mike Cosentino, president, content and programming for Bell Media, told Cartt.ca in an interview that Vice News Tonight is the first step in reinvesting in an overall Much renovation – and that more new programming announcements aimed at revitalizing that brand will be made very soon. Much has moved away from a hyper focus on music to be more youth-focused and edgy (although, in our digital media world, one could also make the case that music and music videos have moved away from TV to other platforms).
This programming deal, for those who were wondering, has nothing to do with the Rogers Communications-owned specialty channel Viceland. That is a separate joint venture with Vice Media and the channel will not be airing Vice News Tonight. Viceland is the home for scripted fare, lifestyle shows and edgy reality series.
“This is a home run, branded news program – the first of its kind, non-music news program for Much – and the timing is perfect in a world where we are investing and refocusing on our Much brand,” said Cosentino. “It’s part of the strategy to unlock a newly revitalized Much schedule.”
“There is simply a DNA match between the millennial-focused Much and Vice News Tonight, and the revitalized fall schedule across Much-branded platforms offers the perfect home for this ground-breaking news program in Canada,” added Cosentino in the press release making the announcement. It stands quite apart from traditional newscasts because the show has no anchors, but instead creates correspondent-reported field pieces, newsmaker interviews and profiles, animation and graphics, and “from-the-desk” style reports.
Vice News Tonight recently gained worldwide attention for its eye opening coverage of the Charlottesville riots, which aired as a dedicated 22-minute special before going on to receive more than 50 million views across multiple platforms. Its unique approach to news coverage has also garnered the attention of the media industry, having received six news and documentary Emmy nominations for four segments released in 2016, says the release.
