In TV headlines, TLN acquires Canadian rights for Serie A soccer

TLN Media Group has acquired the Canadian rights for Serie A, Italy’s top division of soccer. The multi-year deal with IMG Media, the league’s international rights-holder, covers the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Under the agreement, TLN will be able to offer full coverage of the 380-match season, as well as weekly preview and review shows, highlights and goals-of-the-week shows. TLN plans to broadcast in multiple languages including English, Italian, Spanish and French. The season will kick off on Aug. 18 with live coverage of Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut match with his new club Juventus as they face Chievo Verona.

DAZN Canada has partnered with Bell, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel and several additional cable/satellite providers to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket across Canada this upcoming season. Telus will sublicence directly from Bell. DAZN has also secured a new three-year streaming deal for Serie A TIM, Italy’s top soccer league, and a three-year Canadian distribution agreement with World Boxing Super Series (WBSS). The professional boxing tournament, owned by Comosa, will make 15 fight nights available to fans in Canada and the U.S., exclusively on DAZN.

nlogic says overall 26.5 million Canadians watched at least one minute of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The most-watched game during the initial group phase was Germany vs. Sweden on Sat., June 23. 9.3 million Canadians (Ind 2+) watched the July 15 final, with Toronto achieving the highest reach (36.0). nlogic’s findings also indicate that nearly 40 per cent of Calgary teens watched the final.

Cogeco Connexion has entered into an agreement with MediaKind (previously Ericsson Media Solutions) to offer its customers the MediaFirst next generation Internet protocol television (IPTV) platform in Canada. Offering customizable video content, wireless receivers, voice-activated controls, and access to Android Google Mobile Services, Cogeco says the service should be available to all of its customers by mid-2019.

CBC and Netflix have renewed Anne With An E from Northwood Entertainment for a third season (10 x 60). Inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables, the renewal comes following the U.S. and international debut of Season 2 of the series on Netflix in July, and just ahead of the Canadian premiere of Season 2 on CBC on Sept. 23. The new season is expected to begin production this winter for launch on CBC and Netflix later in 2019.

Cavendish, the new CBC original comedy series from comedians Mark Little (Mr. D) and Andrew Bush (Funny or Die), is shooting on location in Nova Scotia and in and around Cavendish, P.E.I. until the end of September. Season 1 is set to premiere in winter 2019 on CBC. The series follows the weird misadventures of bickering brothers, played by Bush and Little, who return to their hometown of Cavendish after 30 years to take care of their ailing father. Read more here.

DHX Media and BBC Children’s Productions will be co-producing another 10 episodes of original kids’ live action series Creeped Out. CBBC in the UK and Family Channel in Canada have ordered Season 2 of the spooky series that combines sci-fi, horror, adventure, suspense, fantasy and mystery. Production will begin this summer, with the first five episodes to be shot in Toronto in mid-August, followed by five episodes to be filmed in North West England. Season 1, which premiered on CBBC last October and debuts on Family Channel this fall, has also been picked up by Netflix worldwide (excluding Canada and the UK) for streaming this October. Read more here.

Telus says the Travelxp 4K HDR channel marks the first time a 24/7 HDR channel is available in Canada. Now available to Telus Optik TV customers in B.C. and Alberta, the global travel and lifestyle channel is available either On Demand or via channel 716.

The 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAS have added Bebe Rexha, Brett Kissel, bulow, and The Beaches to this year’s list of performers, in addition to a throwback performance from 98 Degrees, who return to the MMVA stage for the first time in over a decade. Alexandra Shipp, Ashlee Simpson-Ross and Evan Ross (Ashlee and Evan); Chrissy Metz (This Is Us); Colton Haynes (Arrow); and Gus Kenworthy and Kristin Cavallari (Very Cavallari) have been added as presenters. ETALK reporter Tyrone Edwards is set to co-host the Aug. 26 event alongside previously announced host Awkwafina.

Telefilm Canada has received a 2018 Digital Transformation Award for its Information System Redesign project, developed jointly with the Canada Media Fund (CMF). The redesign has helped simplify the business processes of both funding organizations, while maintaining efficiency and transparency for industry clients. The project culminated in the launch of the Dialogue online application platform.

FilmL.A., the official film office of the Greater Los Angeles Region, says Canada was the number one production location for top-grossing feature films in 2017. Its annual Feature Film Study researches the top 100 feature films released at the U.S. domestic box office during the calendar year, looking at primary and secondary filming locations and post-production/VFX work, production spending and jobs. In 2017, Canada was the top location for 20 of the surveyed films, replacing Georgia which claimed the top spot in 2016. Within Canada, the top provinces hosting those films were British Columbia (11 films), Ontario (7), Quebec (1) and Manitoba (1). Read the full story here.