Another day, another multi-million-dollar media deal. Wednesday in Toronto, Rogers president and CEO Guy Laurence announced a three year, $100 million partnership with Vice Media. Vice, co-founded 20 years ago in Montreal by Concordia grad Shane Smith, has a proven track record delivering online news to the demo broadcasters seem unable to reach–18 to 34-year-olds.
Some early successes in the Canadian prime time ratings race may have to be tempered with U.S. results. Fox seems to be in free fall, with only Gotham on steady ground. Don’t count on a full season of Gracepoint, for example, no matter how well it does on Global. The impact of Rogers’ NHL deal
As expected, Sunday night’s first NHL game of the season helped City bodycheck its way into contention. Whether the Sunday Night hockley audience holds when the Leafs aren’t part of the mix remains to be seen. Rogers’ City stations drew an average of 1,069,000 overnight, estimated viewers starting at 7:05 Sunday night with the Leafs’ lopsided win over the
Rogers $5.2 billion gamble on the NHL paid its first dividend Wednesday night as over two million Canadians watched the Leafs home opener on Sportsnet. That made it the most-watched show of the night on any channel in Canada. Sportsnet’s 2,010,000 overnight, estimated take beat everything that night on CTV, Global, CIty or CBC. An
Think of all the referee helmet cam jokes we’ll likely see next week on 22 Minutes. Like the ref accidentally leaving the cam on in the washroom, or getting caught scoping hot babes in the stands while ignoring infractions on the ice, or…the mind boggles. The helmet cam was just one of the innovations trotted out
WINNIPEG, Man.–It’s been great seeing the Sunnyside on Manitoba. The weather was spectacular Friday on location with the cast and crew of Sunnyside, a promising new sketch comedy series coming to City early in the new year. My old pal Dan Redican–who had the comedy chops as far back as I can remember when we
The other day, somebody asked me what I thought about shomi. First thing that popped into my head: that sexy Showcase series starring Rachael Crawford that aired a decade ago. No, that was called Show Me Yours. Maybe they were just wishing me a Happy New Year. (Shana Tova?) Then it clicked. That new Shaw/Rogers
This week, CHML’s Scott Thompson was shocked–shocked!–to hear that Bell was getting out of the TV news business. Well, that was their threat anyway. Bell’s brain trust, along with other industry weasels leaders, have been in Gatineau, Que., the past week-and-a-half. They’re attending something called “Let’s Talk TV: a Conversation with Canadians.” The CRTC called