TV & Film News – Pluto TV marks one-year anniversary in Canada

Pluto TV has celebrated its one-year anniversary in Canada, pacing at over 1 billion total viewing minutes (TVMs) monthly, according to data supplied by the streamer. Since entering the Canadian market, Pluto TV has added over 50 new full-time channels, available across 11 distribution partners, including The Weather Network, Blue Ant Media, OUTtv, Sony, Lionsgate, Cineflix, NFB, Stingray, and Corus Entertainment. New additions joining the catalogue include: Income Property Channel with real estate expert Scott McGillivray; Pluto TV Westerns; More MTV!; Love Pets; Leave it to Bryan Channel (launching in January) featuring Canadian contractor Bryan Baeumler; Real Disaster Channel; Sailor Moon Channel; Naruto Channel feat. the popular Japanese manga series; NickToons; Pluto TV Adventure Channel; and Crime Files (launching in January).

Blue Ant Media and Muse Entertainment have entered a partnership to launch Love Drama, a new free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel that offers a mix of scripted drama, including romance, mystery, thrillers and holiday-themed programming. The content includes 300+ hours of movies, series, and mini-series from Muse Entertainment’s vast library of scripted entertainment. The channel is now available to audiences in the UK on Virgin Media and Netgem TV and in Canada on LG Channels and Pluto TV. 

The Huron Carole benefit concert, founded by musician, actor and activist Tom Jackson, airs on APTN on Dec. 14 and continues with special showings throughout the holiday season, including Dec. 24, celebrating Jackson’s legacy of raising over $250 million for various humanitarian causes. Artists gracing the stage this year include Andrea Menard, PIQSIQ, Loreena McKennitt, Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, and Beverley Mahood. This year’s 90-minute seasonal showcase, produced by the Christmas & Winter Relief Association, aims to support vulnerable communities by raising funds for the Canadian Red Cross. The concert will also be available for streaming on APTN lumi from Dec. 14 onwards.

Global has announced premiere dates for its all-new Winter/Spring 2024 primetime offering. The New Year starts off with the return of the NCIS and FBI franchises, along with CSI: Vegas, 9-1-1, So Help Me Todd and Fire Country, comedies Abbott Elementary and Ghosts, and reality series Survivor and Big Brother Canada. New series Elsbeth, starring Carrie Preston and based on the fan-favourite character featured in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, also joins the lineup.

AMI has unveiled new and returning original series on AMI-tv and AMI+, starting with The Kelly & Ramya Prime Time Specialb on Dec. 29, celebrating AMI’s long-running daily program. Additional new programming includes One More Time, starring stand-up comedian D.J. Demers; All-Access Comedy, also hosted by Demers and featuring Canadian stand-up comedians from the disability community; and Season 1 and 2 of Push, which takes audiences into the inner world of the “Wheelie Peeps,” an unlikely group of friends and wheelchair users. Returning programming includes Season 3 of Mind Your Own Business, where entrepreneurs in the disability community aim to take their businesses to the next level; and Season 4 of Dish with Mary in which home cook Mary Mammoliti travels across Canada, chatting and cooking alongside the country’s hottest chefs.

TSN and RDS have acquired exclusive media rights to the Conmebol Copa America 2024. Live coverage of Copa America matches are available across TSN, TSN+, and RDS platforms throughout the summer 2024 tournament. Coverage kicks off on June 20 and concludes with the tournament final July 14. Canada’s next opportunity to qualify for Copa America comes on March 23 when they face off against Trinidad and Tobago.

Asian Television Network (ATN) will air live cricket this holiday season and into the New Year. In the month of December, and leading into the New Year, audiences in Canada can enjoy New Zealand (Women) vs Pakistan (Women): six matches; West Indies vs England: eight matches; New Zealand vs Bangladesh: six matches; American Premier League 2023: 24 matches; Super Smash T20 Men: 32 matches; Super Smash T20 Women: 32 matches. The series will air live on Commonwealth Broadcast Network (CBN) and ATN Cricket Plus. ATN will also air the home series of Cricket West Indies and New Zealand Cricket in 2024, featuring visiting teams from South Africa, Australia, England & Bangladesh

CBC, Netflix and APTN, with production partners Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, have confirmed the lead cast and director of the first episode for a new untitled Arctic comedy series (10×30). Anna Lambe (True Detective, Trickster, The Grizzlies) will star as young Inuk mother Siaja, with seven-year old Inuk actress, Keira Cooper, making her screen debut as Siaja’s daughter. Anya Adams (Yellowjackets, Ginny & Georgia, Black-ish, The Good Place) has been confirmed as the director of the first episode, and the producing director of the series, which will start filming in Nunavut in spring 2024. Created and written by Inuit writer and producer Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Inuit filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, and executive produced alongside Miranda de Pencier (Northwood Entertainment), the series follows a young Inuk mother who wants to build a new future for herself.

CHCH-TV Hamilton will be bringing back its live New Year’s special. Now in its second year, The Countdown to 2024 will be produced by Department 86 Productions for CHCH-TV. Hosted by TV personality Rick Campanelli, the Hamilton-based production will feature live music and comedy, filmed in front of a live studio audience at CHCH-TV’s Studio North. The Countdown to 2024 airs Dec. 31, starting at 11:10PM.

The 2023 Web Series World Cup (WSWC) final ranking crowns Chateau Laurier as the most awarded digital series of the year. The series was multi-awarded in several categories including Best Drama (TO WebFest), Best International Series and Best Supporting Actor for Emmanul Kobango (NYC WebFest), Best Director James Stewart and Best Actress Kate Ross Leckie (NZ WebFest), among over 200 festival awards. Chateau Laurier also won the 2023 Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Digital Series – Fiction (Emily Weedon & Kent Staines). This is the second WSWC trophy for Canada after The Communist’s Daughter won in 2021. 

Corus Entertainment streaming service STACKTV is now available through the Bell Fibe TV app. Existing Fibe TV app customers can now add STACKTV to their subscription for $10 a month, offering 16 TV networks on one platform, including all series, movies and specials that air on Global TV, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, The HISTORY Channel, Adult Swim, Slice, Showcase, National Geographic, Lifetime, Cartoon Network, Treehouse, YTV, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior. STACKTV is also available to Amazon Prime Video subscribers, Rogers Ignite TV, Ignite SmartStream and FuboTV customers.