TV & Film News – Super Bowl LVIII draws record audience

Super Bowl LVIII drew an audience of 19 million Canadian viewers, spurring it to set a record as the most-watched Super Bowl ever, and one of the Top 5 most-watched English-language broadcasts ever in Canada. The Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers attracted an average audience of 10 million viewers across TSN, CTV, and RDS, according to preliminary data from Numeris, supplied by Bell Media. Nearly 50% of the Canadian population watched some or all of the NFL championship, ranking it the most-watched broadcast of the 2023/24 broadcast season to date. The average audience of 10 million, was up 16% compared to last year, with viewership up 19% among Adults 18-34, 18% among those 18-49, and 10% among the key 25-54 demo. Audiences peaked at 12.6 million viewers at 8:33 p.m. ET during the halftime show, headlined by Usher. Read more here.

Fremantle has taken a majority stake investment in Singapore-based Beach House Pictures (BHP). Founded in 2005 by producers Donovan Chan and Jocelyn Little, BHP specializes in creating and co-financing original IP. Recent productions include Netflix Indonesia’s number one documentary Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee, and Jessica Wongso; Emmy-nominated Netflix lifestyle series Mind Your Manners; and Netflix Global Top 5 true crime doc Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case. Beach House was previously backed by Blue Ant Media.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) has announced that Canadian Screen Week will now take place from Sunday, May 26 to Saturday, June 1, a change from the originally set dates in April. The 2024 Canadian Screen Awards are now scheduled from Tuesday, May 28 through to Friday, May 31 at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. The Academy cites venue availability for the change.

Maria del Mar will be presented with the ACTRA Toronto 2024 Award of Excellence at the 22nd ACTRA Awards this spring. With close to 100 film and television credits, del Mar’s credits include Murdoch Mysteries, 24, Frasier, Street Legal, E.N.G., and Star Trek: Discovery. An ACTRA Member for almost 30 years, del Mar was elected to ACTRA Toronto Council four times, chaired the ACTRA Toronto Awards Committee for five years, and served on ACTRA National Council. The Award of Excellence recognizes an ACTRA Toronto performer whose outstanding career achievements are matched by a significant volunteer contribution to the industry.

Emmanuel Kabongo’s producing debut SWAY has won Best Picture at the 1st Annual Canadian Black Screen Awards to be presented in Toronto on Feb 17. Kabongo has also won Best Actor for his performance in the title role and will receive a Jury Award for Achievement in Acting, along with co-star Mishael Morgan. The thriller tells the story of a community leader whose life spirals out of control after his brother goes missing. SWAY had its World Premiere at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Wynonna Earp is returning with a 90-minute special for Tubi after ending its four-season run on Syfy in 2021. Tentatively titled Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, the special was written by series creator and executive producer, Emily Andras, according to a report in Vanity Fair. Series stars Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dom Provost-Chalkley, and Katherine Barrell are set to return, alongside frequent series director Paolo Barzman. It will start shooting in and around Calgary shortly, with its premiere set for late this year.

Crave’s new original comedy series, The Trades, debuts Friday, March 22. From Trailer Park Boys Inc. and Kontent House Productions, the eight-part comedy series is a love letter to skilled-trade workers, set in a blue-collar community where the high stress of working in a refinery is balanced by the comedic antics of its plant workers. It stars Robb Wells as a pipefitter and Anastasia Phillips (Moonshine) as his sister, following in her big brother’s footsteps pursuing a career in the trades as a carpenter, just like their father, played by Patrick McKenna (The Red Green Show).

Planet Earth III, featuring 97-year-old broadcaster and three-time Emmy winner Sir David Attenborough, travels to B.C. and Nunavut in the third installment of the critically-acclaimed series. Filmed in 43 countries across six continents over nearly five years, the eight-part series, plus a ‘Making Of’ special, follows some of the world’s most amazing animal characters, including never-before-seen humpback whale behaviour in British Columbia, an extraordinary population of garter snakes and the elusive spirit bear. In Nunavut, the film crew follows Arctic wolves and musk oxen as they compete for scarce prey. Planet Earth III premieres Sunday, March 10 on BBC Earth in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview event from Feb. 26 to April 28.

Rogers Communications has added the BritBox app to its Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming offering. Britbox is the first streaming service app to simultaneously launch from coast-to-coast on Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming since Rogers came together with Shaw. An active Britbox subscription is required to access the app.

CBC New Indigenous Voices, presented by the National Screen Institute, is accepting applications for the 2024 edition, marking the program’s 20th anniversary. NSI is seeking 10 emerging Indigenous creators from across Canada to participate in the 14-week, full-time, immersive for Indigenous creators, aged 18 and over, to learn from industry experts and gain hands-on experience in the essential elements of film and television. Applications close March 18.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released new data looking at media and technology usage in various Canadian markets, emphasizing  commonalities and distinctions among regions and major cities. Key findings include that a majority of Atlantic residents (82%) are subscribed to a paid TV service like cable, satellite or fibre optic, making them more likely to subscribe to a traditional TV service compared to the broader anglophone population; Torontonians are more likely to own a computer/laptop than the rest of the anglophone population (96% compared to 92%) and Albertans are more likely than the rest of the anglophone population to own a smartphone (95% vs 90%). On the other hand, Northerners are the least likely to have home internet (91% vs 96%) and to own devices like computers/laptops, tablets, smartphones and internet connected TVs (57% vs 73%); Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services, such as Netflix, are most popular in Toronto (87%) and Alberta (86%).