Netflix has announced it’s creating a dedicated production hub in Toronto, that will include multi-year leases with Cinespace Studios and Pinewood Toronto Studios. At Cinespace, Netflix will lease four sound stages, along with office and support space totaling approximately 164,000 square feet. The streaming giant will lease another 84,580 square feet at Pinewood encompassing four sound stages and adjacent office space. Netflix says both sites will support upcoming series and films, including the horror anthology series Guillermo del Toro Presents Ten After Midnight, the film Let It Snow and others, providing production jobs for up to 1,850 Canadians per year. The new spaces add to Netflix’s existing production footprint in Canada, which already includes a lease of B.C’s Martini Film Studios, as well as production sites set up across the country on a production-by-production basis. Since 2012, Netflix has produced more than two dozen projects in Canada including horror series Hemlock Grove (Toronto), A Series of Unfortunate Events (Vancouver), Lost in Space (Vancouver), and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Vancouver). Netflix says it is still on track to exceed its 2017 commitment to invest $500 million in Canadian content production over five years. In a release issued by Cinespace, the company credited the Doug Ford government for keeping Ontario competitive as a destination for film and TV production. Read the full story here.
MusiquePlus will be no more by the end of August. Groupe V Média, which also operates the Max and V, is rebranding to cater to a female audience with the yet-to-be-named channel featuring series like Gilmore Girls and romantic comedies. The famous MusiquePlus glass studio, at the corner of De Bleury and Sainte-Catherine streets, will also disappear with Groupe V’s lease expiring this summer. Groupe V is hoping to repeat the success of Max (formerly MusiMax until 2016), whose market share was bumped by its transition to mostly American scripted drama, including FX series like Feud and American Crime Story.
The CRTC has approved France’s Museum channel for distribution in Canada. The 100 per cent French-language channel targets art lovers, with a window into museums and prestigious exhibits. The channel’s Canadian sponsor is Canal+ pay TV distribution company THEMA Canada.
Amazon says the coming fourth season of Man In The High Castle, the Vancouver-produced series based on Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel depicting an alternative history where the Nazis and Imperial Japan won WWII, will be its last. Season 4 is set to launch this fall. Cast and crew were notified of the cancellation this past week.
HGTV has greenlit a new series from Jonathan and Drew Scott. Produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment, Property Brothers: Forever Home will see the reno twins meet with couples who want to unlock their property’s full potential via a full-scale home makeover.
VisionTV will premiere The Big Downsize on Mar. 11, a new five-part Canadian series that follows two families as they seek expert advice from organizational guru Jane Veldhoven. The Big Downsize was co-written by Donna Gabriel and Jennifer Adcock, directed by Adcock, and produced by Edward Peill and Erin Oakes from Halifax-based Tell Tale Productions Inc. (Radical Age, The Curse of Oak Island).
Citytv is set to premiere original two-hour documentary Cool Black North this Friday – a special two-hour presentation featuring the personal and professional stories of 15 Black Canadians spanning the arts, entertainment, law, business, science and social activism. Those profiled include singer and radio host Jully Black and Cityline host Tracy Moore. Produced by Second Time Around Productions, in association with Citytv, Cool Black North will air Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will be available next day post-broadcast on Rogers on Demand, Rogers Anyplace TV, and the City App for iOS, Android and fourth-generation Apple TV.
Family Channel’s new series Bajillionaires will debut as a two-day television event Mar. 2-3 at 10 a.m. ET/PT. The live-action comedy follows a group of neighbourhood pals as they try to invent an amazing product, change the world and maybe even make a bajillion dollars in the process. Watch the series trailer here.
Ben Mulroney, Danielle Graham and Lainey Lui will cover this Sunday’s 91st Academy Awards for CTV. The network’s Oscar coverage starts with special ETALK Live At The Oscars at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, leading into Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From The Red Carpet at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Digital special ETALK Live From The Oscars Balcony returns for a second year. In partnership with Twitter, it starts streaming live at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. Canadians Mike Myers and Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk) are among the award’s shows presenters.
The Canada Media Fund’s MADE campaign, recognizing and celebrating Canadian creative talent, will make its world premiere during the ETALK Live At The Oscars special. The star-studded 60-second commercial, which features actors Karine Vanasse (Cardinal) and Jacob Tremblay (Room), is voiced by Academy Award-winner Christopher Plummer and pays homage to Canadian success stories like Arrival, Deadpool, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Orphan Black. Following its debut, a supplementary 30-second commercial is set to air on additional Canadian networks, starting Feb. 25.
Amy and Tassie Cameron, the writer/showrunner/executive producer team behind Cameron Pictures, will receive the sixth annual Canadian Film Centre (CFC) Award for Creative Excellence. The award annually honours CFC alumni who have made significant creative and entrepreneurial contributions to the international screen-based entertainment industry. CFC founder Norman Jewison will present the award to the Cameron sisters at an invitation-only reception in Los Angeles on Mar. 20. Cameron Pictures has most recently produced Mary Kills People, set to air its third season this spring on Global, and Little Dog, whose second season is currently airing on CBC.
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