TORONTO – With Jurassic Park already percolating outside the Real Sports Bar well before the NBA Finals game 1 on Thursday morning, inside were Canada’s group of independent TV stations who unveiled their lineup of fall programming while re-iterating how millions of Canadians tune in to watch what they have to offer.
The IndieNET group (CHCH, YesTV, CHEK, and NTV) together cover 94% of the Canadian population, making it one good buy for national advertisers, not just their local businesses. Entering its fourth year, IndieNET has proven itself as an established option to diversify national network TV.
In front of a crowd of over 300 national advertisers and clients, the IndieNET broadcast partners previewed a collective fall lineup that includes hit drama Empire and U.S. simulcasts such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and 60 Minutes.
The event was hosted by Airtime Television Sales, who are the sales force behind the IndieNET partnership
“We couldn’t be happier with our product this year and it showed in today’s turnout,” said Mark Burko, co-president of ATS, in the press release. “Each station that spoke here this morning brings a lot to the table for the upcoming year, and when put together coast to coast they make for a truly diverse national network buy.”
Since founding IndieNET in 2016, Airtime has seen the network achieve steady growth, notably an increase to over 100 national advertising partners in just four years and a 700,000 increase in reach from 2017 to 2018. As a thank you to clients, the event kicked off with a door prize giveaway of the hottest ticket in town: two tickets for game 2 of the NBA Finals to see the hometown Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors, Sunday night across the street at Scotiabank 
Arena.
Among the programming announced by the IndieNET collective is the return of hip-hop drama Empire for its sixth and final season on CHCH, airing Tuesday nights at 9 this fall. In addition, primetime game show institutions Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy will return at 7 and 7:30pm respectively, the latter of which continues for a 36th season while host Alex Trebek battles pancreatic cancer.
Finally, heavy-hitting newsmagazine simulcasts 20/20, 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes will return on weekends.
