Corus Entertainment has announced it’s ending production of Entertainment Tonight Canada, as the company’s share price continues to hover around the $1 mark.
“After more than 18 incredible seasons, we are ending production of Entertainment Tonight Canada,” Corus said in a statement Wednesday morning. “The costs of producing a daily entertainment newsmagazine show in a challenging advertising environment have led to this decision. We recognize the impact this decision has on the dedicated team who have worked on the show and we thank them for their meaningful contributions over the years.”
Corus shares were trading down at $1.02 on the TSX around noon ET as the company continues to look for efficiencies amid a soft advertising market. Corus’ Q3 2023 financial report at the end of June indicated an 8% drop in consolidated revenue for the quarter and 7% year-to-date.
Global TV’s entertainment anchor, the magazine-style ET Canada had most recently been helmed by Cheryl Hickey and Sangita Patel, accompanied by reporters Carlos Bustamante, Morgan Hoffman and Keshia Chanté. Former Big Brother Canada houseguests Brittnee Blair and Jedson Tavernier also joined the show as correspondents last year. Hickey had been with ET since 2008, while Patel and Bustamante joined in 2017.
“The end of production of Entertainment Tonight Canada impacts the full team, including hosts, and we thank everyone for their time working on the show,” a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue.
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