Wednesday in Toronto was Shaw’s turn to promote their new and returning shows for fall. The network has pushed its luck by dining off aging hits such as Survivor and NCIS for a dozen long years. In the States, the median age of a NCIS viewer is over 60 and the same is probably true
At 8:01 Tuesday morning, Bell Media sent an email with the following headline: “TSN once again ranks as Canada’s #1 specialty channel in all key demos” At 8:08 a.m., Rogers–who hosted today’s Canadian network upfront in Toronto–blasted out their message: “Sportsnet is Now the #1 Sports Brand on TV in Canada” So who is telling the
It took 52 minutes to drive to Rogers 2015 upfront this morning in downtown Toronto. The sizzle reel they showed press this morning also lasted 52 minutes. Coincidence? I think not. Rogers lucked into last season’s hottest show–Empire–and hope to build on that strength this year as they swing back towards imported content and away
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s Shaw stealing Supergirl! On Monday, Shaw announced their U.S. acquisitions for fall and among their prize imports is the big super hero buzz show from CBS. Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist as the DC Comics superhero and Calista Flockhart as her bitchy boss. This is a bit of
In Canada, the annual television network “Upfronts” are a few weeks later than they are in the States. Our Upfronts are really “Uplaters.” They also don’t draw anywhere near the same amount of advertising revenues. Canadian advertisers tend to commit less of their budgets in the spring, playing more of a wait and see game. Since
This week, I talk to CHML’s Scott Thompson about my interview this week with William Shatner. The original Star Trek skipper was in Toronto to guest star on an episode of Murdoch Mysteries when the CBC drama returns for a ninth season next October. Shatner will play famous American author Mark Twain. Scott asks what Shatner is
William Shatner beamed down to Toronto this week to shoot scenes for an appearance next fall on Murdoch Mysteries. Droopy Roger Sterling moustache in place, the 84-year-old TV icon will play American author Mark Twain on the CBC drama when it returns for a ninth season next October. Shatner was busy shooting scenes opposite Yannick
Brendan Fraser is a funny man. I spoke with him last week at his home near New York. The call was about “Texas Rising,” the 10-hour historical miniseries premiering Monday night on Global and History. I caught Fraser right in the middle of what he described as “a dramatic moment. The world’s biggest wasp just flew