Boon Dog Professional Services latest data crunch indicates Canada’s publicly-traded television service providers, combined, lost almost 20 per cent fewer TV subscribers in 2017 than they did in 2016, bucking the trend of accelerating TV cord-cutting. However, Boon Dog predicts the positive turn is probably temporary. Combined, the big TV service providers lost an estimated 166,000 TV subscribers in fiscal 2017, down from 205,000 the previous year. Boon Dog’s Mario Mota says Shaw Cable’s launch of its BlueSky TV service, based on Comcast’s X1 IPTV platform, can take significant credit for the boost. Boon Dog estimates that roughly 11.2 million households subscribed to a traditional TV service at the end of 2017, which means the 166,000 customers lost last year represent about two per cent of the total market.
Media Technology Monitor’s latest TV Distribution Report indicates the majority of Canadians still subscribe to a paid TV service. According to the report, three-quarters of Anglophones continue to subscribe – by far the most popular way of getting TV content. It also finds Fibre Optic (IPTV) is the only subscription service still experiencing growth. On another note, MTM says while Off-Air TV has largely been replaced by alternative service delivery methods, a small segment of Anglophones continue to use Off-Air reception
David Suzuki is getting a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. The longtime environmental activist and host of CBC’s The Nature of Things will be honoured on Mar. 23 as the Walk of Fame’s first Hometown Star. A plaque will be installed at the CBC plaza in downtown Vancouver with the unveiling ceremony to take place Mar. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at 700 Hamilton Street.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television honoured the best in Canadian film and television at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday night. Maud Lewis biopic Maudie took home Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, while star Sally Hawkins earned the Best Actress prize and co-star Ethan Hawke Best Supporting Actor. Aisling Walsh, who directed the Irish-Canadian co-production was named Best Director. On the TV side, Kim’s Convenience, History’s Vikings, Alias Grace and Anne were among the series recognized. Find the complete list of winners here.
CTV original series The Detail joins the network’s mid-season schedule Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/MT on CTV and CTV GO, beginning Mar. 25. Headlining the series are U.K. talent Angela Griffin (Coronation Street), Shenae Grimes-Beech (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Wendy Crewson (Saving Hope, Room). Episodes of the show will be available to CraveTV subscribers the day before their broadcast premieres.
TSN is set to deliver multiplatform coverage of NCAA® MARCH MADNESS®. Live coverage begins Mar. 15 at noon ET on TSN, culminating with the championship game, live from San Antonio on Apr. 2 on TSN1. Coverage will also be available for live streaming via TSN.ca/Live and the TSN GO app. Nabil Karim and Kate Beirness will host from the TSN Studio, alongside basketball analysts Leo Rautins, Sam Mitchell and Jack Armstrong. Sportscentre is also set to cover the tournament from all angles, with breaking news, daily highlights and game analysis.
The CRTC has approved applications by Ethnic Channels Group Limited to distribute Portuguese channels TVI FIÇCAO, TVI24, RTP3, RTP Açores Internacional and Jamaican TV channel Mello TV in Canada.
Cogeco’s YourTV helped raise $254,229 during the 30-hour Brockville Palliative Care Telethon last month, setting a new record. The telethon, which originates from the Brockville Arts Centre with a mix of local musical entertainment, interviews and testimonials, is broadcast live on YourTV and hosted by local radio personality Bruce Wylie. Over its 35 year history, the telethon has now raised $3.75 million dollars for Hospice Palliative Care services in Brockville and surrounding area.
The Canadian Academy of Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has confirmed Diana Krall, Shawn Hook and Nunavut indie roots band The Jerry Cans will perform at the 2018 JUNO Awards on Mar. 25, broadcast live at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBC, CBC Radio and cbcmusic.ca/junos. Eight-time JUNO Award winners Barenaked Ladies will also come together for a one-time special performance alongside former member and co-founder Steven Page as they celebrate their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The show will also feature a tribute to Gord Downie with Sarah Harmer, Dallas Green (City and Colour) and keyboardist Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies). Hearn worked with Downie on his critically acclaimed album Secret Path.
Carter, the new 10-episode, one-hour drama starring Jerry O’Connell, Sydney Poitier Heartsong and Kristian Bruun as a crime-solving trio, will debut May 15 on Bravo. The series, shot in North Bay, ON, will stream on CraveTV following its broadcast run. O’Connell plays a TV detective, who returns to his hometown and finds himself playing real-life detective with childhood friends, no-nonsense police veteran Sam Shaw (Heartsong) and streetwise, coffee truck owner Dave Leigh (Brunn).
Original Digital Content: Is this the future of Television? On this week’s Broadcast Dialogue podcast, publisher Shawn Smith talks to Mike McShane, the Director of Business and Partnerships at Bell Media. McShane oversees Much Studios, which was created in 2015 to harness the vision of YouTube creators to fuel a new digital strategy for the brand and keep up with audience appetite for short-form digital content.
