It is mid-May, 2020. By now, the major US broadcast networks have usually had their blockbuster upfront presentations in New York. Canadian broadcast execs would be flying down to Los Angeles this week to scoop up shows during the annual “Hollywood Screenings.” Not this week and not this year. The COVID-19 pandemic had shut down
Sunday’s multi-network, multi-platform broadcast of Stronger Together– Tous Ensemble was a tremendous success. Over six million dollars was raised for Food Banks Canada during and right after the broadcast, impressive considering the system kept crashing as viewers tried to tweet in their funds. The all-star special featured appearances from Drake, Justin Bieber, the Schitt’s Creek
It now looks like everybody except The DeFranco Family, Dick Assman and Don Cherry will be taking part in Sunday’s all-star, Canadian talent extravaganza, Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble. When the first long list of names were announced, a lot of us wondered: what about Drake? Well, he’s now closing the 90-minute, commercial-free, multi-network show. He’ll
Earlier this week, the fourth episode of brioux.tv: The Podcast premiered. It features The Globe and Mail’s outspoken TV critic John Doyle. If you haven’t heard it yet, the hour-long episode can be found here. John has been one of the top voices in TV criticism ever since he began contributing to the Globe’s long-gone
Tuesday night’s final episode of Schitt’s Creek drew an overnight, estimated CBC audience of 1,017,000 viewers. It was the sitcom’s highest overnight tally since the first season and CBC’s strongest draw in weeks. The hour-long farewell special that followed, “Best Wishes, Warmest Regards,” drew an additional 743,000 live, unconfirmed viewers from 8:30 p.m. ET to
It seems impossible that six seasons have passed and we’re down to the final episode of Schitt’s Creek. Loyal fans could never get enough Schitt’s and giggles. The acclaimed comedy opened big in January of 2015, with back-to-back episodes watched by close to 1.4 million Canadian viewers. The weekly tally always swelled as the Live+7
By now, almost everybody in Canada should be isolating at home by now. How has that affected TV ratings? The assumption would be that, during the current pandemic, news channel numbers must be up year-to-year. In addition, with every major sports leagues sitting out the COVID-19 virus, TSN and Sportsnet channel ratings must be way
More and more Canadians are sticking close to home as they observe self-isolation during this pandemic. Has that led to a spike in TV ratings? A quick look at three days of overnight estimates shows that news viewership has jumped higher so far. Let’s start with last Sunday, March 15: CBC’s The National drew 640,000