BANFF – One in four Canadians is a 4 screen consumer; and Canada per capita is the number one user of Facebook. Close to 40% of us readily watch TV online and Millennial YouTube and iTunes stars are popping up everywhere, exploding the old definition of TV.
So these are unsettling times for conventional Banff World Media Fest summer camp types that remember the good old days of The Banff Park Lodge (and tube-TVs…)
But that needn't be the case.
Jennifer Dettman, executive director, studio and unscripted content for the CBC, tells us that the Mother Corp is on the cusp of great…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Shaw Media announced a series of original digital initiatives designed to build on, and extend, its Global, History Canada, Food Network Canada, and HGTV Canada brands.
According to the news release, the cross-platform content expands its conventional and specialty brands to enhance fan engagement and provide richer viewer experiences.
The new digital initiatives include:
The Second City Project (fall 2014)- Global TV is bringing the next generation of legendary Second City comedy talent to Shaw Media screens in The Second City Project, led by Bob Martin. Designed to bring premium sketch comedy to Canadian television as well as meet the insatiable appetite…
Continue Reading
DENVER and TORONTO – World Fishing Network posted the highest single-month viewership in the history of the network during the month of April as part of its North American free preview.
Overall, WFN said that it experienced a 265% increase in average audience viewership in the U.S. during the preview period. Participating providers included Antietam Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision (Optimum), CenturyLink, Cox Communications, DISH, MetroNet and Verizon FiOS.
In Canada, Access, Bell, Cablevision du Nord du Quebec, Cogeco, Eastlink, MTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Source Cable, TBayTel, Telus, Videotron and Westman participated in the preview. While Canadian television…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Last week the three largest private English language broadcasters all laid down their cards and showed their hands for the upcoming fall TV season.
While some of what we heard and saw was predictable (Rogers is hockey mad, Shaw’s Global is drama-happy and Bell took a shot or two at the amount of money Rogers spent on hockey…), there were some surprises, as well. The biggest is that Rogers has compressed what it considers Citytv’s prime time from 8 to 10 p.m. only, leaving the 10-11 hour primarily to CTV and Global (and CHCH, too).
What’s the deal at…
Continue Reading
BANFF – On Sunday, seven wise folk sat as a panel to road-map what the future holds for our business.
These were: moderator Peter Sussman, executive director of Aver Media Finance (part of BMO); Jeremy Butteriss of Google Canada; Walter Levitt the CMO of Comedy Central; Kirstine Stewart the managing director of Twitter Canada; John Morayniss the CEO at EOneTV; Peter Schube the president and CEO of Jim Henson Co.; and Barbara Williams, Shaw Media's content SVP.
Let's make it clear that Williams (right) was just kidding when she exclaimed she only needed a job for three more years, so could…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Another year and another rebrand – two in fact. After making over TVTropolis in to DTOUR at this time last year, Shaw Media said Wednesday that it will launch new specialty channels FYI and Crime + Investigation later this year, rebrands of Twist TV and Mystery TV, respectively.
Geared towards a younger, upscale audience, FYI will offer contemporary lifestyle programs that spark inspiration, imagination, and innovation amongst viewers, reads the press release. From the fashionable-food-blogger to the adventure-seeking-bookworm, millenials are history's most progressive social innovators living hyphenated lives in digital domains. With an off-script format engaging this…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Building on last year's hit U.S. dramas The Blacklist, Chicago PD and Sleepy Hollow, Global announced Wednesday that it is adding eight new dramas to its fall lineup.
The new shows include psychological thriller Stalker starring Maggie Q Dylan McDermott; Madam Secretary, starring Téa Leoni as the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State; the mysterious Gracepoint; and State of Affairs (pictured) featuring Katherine Heigl as a CIA analyst who navigates political minefields. Based on the comic book series Hellblazer from DC Comics, Constantine will adapt the comic about a man-turned-supernatural detective. And building on the NCIS franchise, Global will…
Continue Reading
EMERALD PARK, Sask. – It may have taken a little longer than expected for Ag-Com Productions to bring The Rural Channel (TRC) to life, but it recently celebrated its one year anniversary. On May 29, 2013 the rural lifestyle and agri-food business channel hit Canadian airwaves through an exclusive distribution arrangement with Shaw Direct.
Originally licensed in August 2008, TRC took five years to come to fruition. It had planned to go to air in 2011, but it had to wait on the launch of Shaw Direct’s new satellite. Even so, Bill Wilson (pictured), founder, president…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – In a rather interesting coincidence Friday, Shaw Media announced that its TV Everywhere product Global Go is now available to Bell Fibe TV and Bell TV satellite customers, while CTV announced that its CTV Go is now available to Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct subscribers.
Global Go, (pictured), is available to 94% of the Anglophone market in Canada, and allows users to log in with their service provider subscription credentials, and live stream their local Global station on the app or catch up on missed episodes of their favourite Global shows.
Shaw customers can now watch live CTV and…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Cable companies reported modest growth in revenues and subscribers in 2013, while satellite companies recorded a decline in both categories, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released Thursday.
According to Broadcast Distribution 2009–2013: Cable, Multipoint Distribution Systems and Direct-to-Home, combined revenues for both cable and satellite companies increased by 4.8% from $14.1 billion in 2012 to $14.8 billion in 2013. The total number of subscribers, (which includes customers subscribed to IPTV services such as Bell’s Fibe TV or Telus’ Optik TV, but excludes independent cable companies with less than 2,000 subs and who…
Continue Reading
