CBC Sports has announced that it will carry live coverage of 20 games of the inaugural season of Canada’s new tier-one men’s professional soccer league, the Canadian Premier League (CPL). The partnership with MEDIAPRO Canada will see CBC become the exclusive television broadcaster for 10 CPL games. An additional 10 games will be livestreamed at cbcsports.ca, the CBC Gem streaming service, and via the CBC Sports app. All games will be produced by MEDIAPRO. Scott Russell and Andi Petrillo will host CBC’s coverage of the broadcast games. Commentary will be provided by soccer broadcaster Gareth Wheeler and retired midfielder and analyst Terry Dunfield, also the lead on-air team for MEDIAPRO’s streaming service, OneSoccer. CBC Sports’ resident soccer expert, Nigel Reed, will provide additional editorial coverage online. CBC Sports will also offer CPL videos, player profiles and highlight shows across its platforms. The first game under the partnership will stream at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Saturday, Apr. 27 from Hamilton as Forge FC (Hamilton) hosts Ontario rivals York9 FC (York Region). Read more here.
MEDIAPRO Canada has announced the acquisition of Tri-Lite TV, a Mississauga, ON production centre that includes 500 m² of studio space. Chris Priess, president of Tri-Lite TV, has joined the MEDIAPRO team in Canada as General Manager of Broadcast Services. MEDIAPRO has acquired global media rights to the Canadian Premier League for the next decade. The MEDIAPRO Group is currently involved in the production of 16 national soccer competitions around the world, including top-tier leagues in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Angola, Slovenia, Serbia, Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico, and produces events for the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIBA, Euroleague, FIFA World Cup, the Arab Games, the Africa Cup of Nations and Formula 1. With 58 offices on four continents, MEDIAPRO also produces projects for HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Turner, DirecTV, Movistar, FOX, Viacom and Televisa.
Entertainment One (eOne) has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of UK-based Audio Network Limited, one of the world’s largest independent creators and publishers of original high-quality music for use in film, television, advertising and digital media. The deal is valued at approximately $215 million USD.
Splash’N Boots, the JUNO award-winning Canadian children’s duo, have inked a deal to include their music videos in Universal Kids’ new preschool music show “Get Up and Move,” debuting on the U.S. network Apr. 22. Splash’N Boots won a 2019 JUNO Award for Children’s Album of the Year for their most recent album You, Me and The Sea, which was written and produced with Alan Doyle.
Food Network Canada is debuting a new food adventure series from Corus Studios. In each episode of Big Food Bucket List (14×30), host and comedian John Catucci (You Gotta Eat Here!) will visit three restaurants across North America, trying their must-eat meals, and then hitting the kitchen to learn how they’re made. The new series premieres with back-to-back episodes May 24. Tourism Nova Scotia joins as a sponsor for three episodes, providing restaurant recommendations that highlight the province’s culinary offerings.
CTV says JANN is the most-watched new Canadian series so far this year with the A18-49 and A25-54 demos, according to Numeris data. CTV says JANN was also the most-watched Canadian comedy year-to-date with total viewers. The Apr.18 episode captured a season-high audience of 1.1 million average viewers after two days of playback. Season 1 of the series wrapped up Apr. 24.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Quebecor Fund have launched a new program to support the budget increase of French drama series in Québec intended for international markets. Specifically, the new program covers costs related to the enhancement of projects so they are more appealing for international buyers. Eligible projects must be live-action, French-language television series that meet the CMF’s definition of Drama programming and demonstrate a viable path to generate return on investment. The financing for the Eligible Project’s domestic version must be 100 per cent secured. Applications to the Quebecor Fund are due no later than Apr. 30. Click here to access program guidelines.
Telefilm Canada, in partnership with the Rogers Group of Funds, has announced the 16 English- and French-language documentary feature films supported by the Theatrical Feature-Length Documentary Program, with a funding total of more than $1.6 million. The goal of the program is to increase Canadian audiences for Canadian feature films, by encouraging the production of high-calibre feature-length documentaries. Among the projects selected are Cree-Canadian filmmaker Neil Diamond’s Red Fever; and Michelle Latimer’s The Inconvenient Indian, inspired by the best-selling Thomas King book. Find the full list of projects here.
Leo Award nominations are out, celebrating excellence in British Columbia film and television. This year’s Outstanding Achievement Award recipient is Crazy8s, an eight-day filmmaking talent incubator that provides funding and support to emerging filmmakers to help them produce a short film. Founded 20 years ago by the B.C. Branch of the Directors Guild, Crazy8s is now run by the not-for profit Crazy8s Film Society. Awards events will be held May 25 & 26, culminating in the Leo Awards Gala on Saturday, June 1.
Corus and the Banff World Media Festival have announced the recipients of this year’s Corus Writer’s Apprentice Program. The 2019 recipients are invited to BANFF on a full-access pass to benefit from extensive networking during the festival, as well as participate in a two-week internship opportunity in the writer’s room of a current Canadian series. This year’s group includes Thomas Conway (Spun Out, Covington); Jordan Hall (Carmilla: The Series); Jennifer Irons, founder of ME Studios; Kim Morrison (Mary Kills People, Private Eyes); and Heather Taylor (The Last Thakur, Stitched), who is also co-founder of creative studio Cereal Made. The festival takes place June 9-12.
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