Numeris has quietly announced on its website that it has ceased publishing its TV Topline Reports, breaking down the Top 30 programs in Canada and Quebec Franco. “Effective the start of the 2022-23 broadcast year (August 29, 2022), the TV Topline Reports will no longer be produced. The final report will encompass the period ending on August 28, 2022,” reads a statement on the website. The report was one of the last data sets still made public by the audience measurement organization, which listed television programming by week and ranked by Average Minute Audience (the average number of viewers, age 2+, watching the program during any given minute). Read more here.
The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) has announced the finalists for the 48th Annual Alberta Film & Television Awards, celebrating outstanding achievement in Alberta’s screen industries. In collaboration with the Calgary International Film Festival, the Rosie’s will be held in person this year over two celebrations on Saturday Sept. 24. This year’s nominees are led by Abracadavers and Heartland.
Michelle Yeoh will receive the inaugural TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, recognizing a woman who is a leader in the film industry and has made a positive impact for women throughout their career. Spanning a nearly 40-year career, Yeoh has broken barriers with her performances, including her most recent lead role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians, among others. The TIFF Tribute Awards return to an in-person gala fundraiser during the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 11 at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
Corus Entertainment is set to launch new streaming service TELETOON+ on Sept. 1, featuring a commercial-free, downloadable library of popular shows and mega-franchises from the DC Animated Universe to Scooby Doo. With new episodes dropping on the platform the day following their Canadian broadcast premiere, TELETOON+ will be available to subscribers via Amazon Prime Video Channels, Bell Fibe TV App, Virgin Plus, or RiverTV, for $5.99/month. Corus’ former kids and family streaming service, Nick+, will cease to be offered as of Sept. 1, with select Nickelodeon content available on TELETOON+ until the end of October. New episodes of Nickelodeon series can be found on Corus subscription video streaming package, STACKTV. Read more here.
WildBrain Television has announced that Family Channel has greenlit three new content projects across live-action and animation, in partnership with independent Canadian producers. Heading up the live-action slate is Life with Luca, a 90-minute spin-off feature film of beloved franchise, Life with Derek. Produced by Shaftesbury as an original commission, the movie recently wrapped filming in Southern Ontario and will premiere on the network in early 2023. WildBrain is also now the exclusive worldwide distributor of the classic Life with Derek library (70×22′) and an earlier spin-off film, Vacation with Derek (1×90′). WildBrain Television’s animation lineup features Slugterra: Ascension, produced in partnership with Epic Story Media. The shorts will premiere exclusively on WildBrainTV in Canada in a sneak peek on Sept. 5, with new episodes beginning Sept. 18, before rolling out globally across WildBrain Spark’s Slugterra YouTube channels. Also newly greenlit is an expanded order of five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories, produced in partnership with A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative. Summer Memories debuted on Family Channel this summer. The new stories will begin airing in 2023.
Vérité Films, Jeremy Fisher Music, and Hidden Pony Records have announced Jeremy and Jazzy, a new children’s animated television, music, and multi-platform brand that brings to life a new collection of children’s music written by three-time JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher (Jeremy) with award-winning artist Aiza Ntibarikure (Jazzy). Jeremy and Jazzy is set to debut on CBC Gem on Sept. 5, followed by its linear broadcast premiere on CBC Kids, starting Sept. 12 and then streaming on CBC Kids’ YouTube channel starting Sept. 19.
HGTV Canada celebrates 25 years as a network this fall after launching in Canada on Oct. 17, 1997. Kicking off the celebration this October are new and returning series including Island of Bryan, Sarah’s Mountain Escape, Making It Home With Kortney and Kenny, and Property Brothers: Forever Home. The celebration continues throughout the 2022/23 broadcast year with the premiere of nine additional Corus Studios series including Pamela Anderson’s hotly anticipated renovation adventures, Pamela’s Garden of Eden, Season 3 of Rock Solid Builds featuring Randy Spracklin and crew, and Renovation Resort, starring Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray, who are each celebrating more than 15 years with the network. HGTV Canada will be available in a National Free Preview starting Oct. 1 until the end of the month.
Food Network Canada’s fall schedule kicks off Sept. 12 with seven consecutive weeks of festive Halloween-themed content. A slate of new series also joins the schedule including It’s CompliPlated, Guy’s Ultimate Game Night, Bobby & Sophie on the Coast, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Big Bad Budget Battle, plus the return of Corus Studios’ Big Food Bucket List and the recently announced milestone 10th season of Top Chef Canada.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes returns to CBC and CBC Gem on Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) for a historic 30th season that includes a live taping at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto (Oct. 4) and a special episode (Oct. 11) that explores what has made the show a cultural touchstone for viewers across Canada over the past three decades featuring Rick Mercer, Mary Walsh and Peter Mansbridge. Trent McClellan, Aba Amuquandoh, Stacey McGunnigle, and Mark Critch are back on the news desk for Season 30. CBC says throughout Season 29, the show’s social media audience grew by over 650,000 followers collectively. The season also marked a successful introduction to TikTok, earning roughly 82.2 million video views and 9.1 million likes.
CTV’s The Social celebrates its 10th season, weekdays at 1 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning Sept. 6. Co-hosts Melissa Grelo, Cynthia Loyst, Lainey Lui, and correspondent Jess Allen are back to reflect on the past 10 years.
CBC Sports’ digital platforms will live stream the 2022 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships, starting Sept. 2. Taking place in St. Margarets Bay, NS, a total of 143 teams and close to 300 athletes will be in action, including Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Olympians Ali ten Hove and Mariah Millen in 49erFX, and Will Jones and Evan DePaul in 49er. Canadian sailing fans will be able to follow the action on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app. The streams will include the last round of the qualifying races, as well as the final series and medal races. The stream will also be carried on the 49er World Class Association YouTube page and Facebook page.
CBC has revealed what it has in store for the upcoming season of Family Feud Canada, premiering Monday, Sept. 12 with two new Celebrity Special episodes. Hosted by Gerry Dee, the fourth season will feature 104 new episodes and broadcast four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem. This fall’s Celebrity Special lineup features The Great Canadian Baking Show vs. Heartland (airing Sept. 12) and Strays vs. Dragons’ Den (Sept. 13).
Canoe Productions and The Hunting Party have announced The Canoe Project, a new short-form comedy series set to make its national debut on Fibe TV1 on Sept. 30, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The series was created by comedian Mark Harnett, alongside producer Gaelen Patrick Condon (Incredible Violence, Infanticide!), and stars both Harnett and Jimmy MacKinley (Trailer Park Boys, CBC Radio Laugh Out Loud). The new six-part series follows Richard (played by MacKinley), a slimy Newfoundland government official as he blackmails Canoe (played by Harnett), an Inuit man from Labrador. Canoe is coerced to move to the big city so that Richard can document his indoctrination to the “modern world” and score a promotion.
Apple TV+ has begun rolling out on Rogers’ Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming, giving customers access to Apple TV+ original series and films. New and existing customers are eligible to receive a three-month Apple TV+ subscription when they sign up before Nov. 23. Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming customers that subscribe to Apple TV+ can discover Apple Originals via voice remote by simply saying “Apple TV+” or the name of an Apple TV+ title (for example, Ted Lasso or The Morning Show) to start watching.
Ontario Creates has announced the return of the International Financing Forum (IFF) for a 17th year, its first in-person event since 2019. Held in association with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Sept. 11-12, the feature film co-financing and co-production market, brings together jury-selected producers looking to secure financing for upcoming projects with film industry executives, including international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers. Since 2006, over 100 projects launched at Ontario Creates’ IFF have been successfully financed and produced with several others currently in production and post-production. Successful projects include 2022 TIFF premieres Alice, Darling and The Swearing Jar, and in recent years Castle in the Ground, Sharkwater Extinction, and Maudie; Berlinale premiere, Night Raiders; and Academy Award-nominated Incendies, among others. In addition to the two-day in-person financing event, an online version will be facilitated for attendees under travel restrictions.
CaribbeanTales’ Micro-Credentials for Black Media Professionals has released its online Production Manager Course. Through the course, participants will gain a range of knowledge and insight on what planning and organizing happens ahead of and during production. The course will be instructed by Mark Allyene, an active production manager who has also had vast experience working as a locations manager. Targeted at emerging filmmakers, the program aims to fill a critical gap providing accessible online tools for skills development, increasing the employability of participants and the number of qualified Black Professionals in critical industry roles.
The Movie Theatre Association of Canada (MTAC) and The Cinema Foundation are welcoming moviegoers across Canada and the U.S. to celebrate a day at the movies with discounted admissions to kick-off National Cinema Day, Sept. 3. National Cinema Day will bring together audiences at a discounted admission of $3 (plus applicable taxes). The one-day event will be held at more than 3,000 participating locations with more than 30,000 screens across North America. Participating theatres in Canada include Cineplex, Cinemas Guzzo, Cinemas Cine Entreprise, Imagine Cinemas, Landmark, Magic Lantern Theatres and many local independent theatres.
