APTN is introducing a 30-minute midday edition of APTN National News as part of a refreshed spring lineup. The network says the midday cast, airing at noon CT beginning May 6, will give viewers a quick overview of key stories impacting First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. The spring schedule also includes several new Indigenous-language series, alongside the network’s offerings in English and French. New kids and youth series joining the programming lineup include animated series Chums, offered in Ojibwe, Cree and English, and La brigade, a French-language series inspired by Franco-Métis heritage, centered around a group of students at the Louis-Riel school defying authority and questioning the rules. Read more here.
CBC says its live CBC News Special: The Eclipse in Canada on April 8, hosted by Heather Hiscox in Niagara Falls with Andrew Nichols in Toronto, was the most-watched daytime program on television in both the 2+ and 25-54 demos, with a total audience of 3.4 million and a combined average audience of 730,000 viewers for the entire afternoon special. TV audiences peaked at 3:28 pm ET, with 1.4 million viewers watching a clear camera shot of totality from Sherbrooke, Que. live on CBC and CBC News Network. Digital audiences included a combined 3.3 million unique visitors on CBC.ca and the CBC News app, resulting in the largest number of video views and total hours consumed on the app this year. The CBC News YouTube channel attracted 1.5 million unique visitors and 2 million video views, an increase of 63% and 28%, respectively compared to the last three months with a total of 219,000 hours watched, up 121%. CBC News also offered a live two-hour special on TikTok that reached an audience of 200,000 users on the social network.
CBC/Radio-Canada has announced highlights of its upcoming XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 coverage, July 26 to Aug. 11. CBC’s coverage will feature live broadcasts from every venue, totalling more than 3,000 hours of live content across the public broadcaster’s platforms. In addition to TV broadcasts on CBC and partner networks TSN and Sportsnet, audiences will be able to watch live events daily on CBC Gem, CBC’s Paris 2024 website and the CBC Paris 2024 app. The broadcast team includes Anastasia Bucsis, Rob Pizzo, Scott Russell, Julie Stewart-Binks, Andi Petrillo, Waneek Horn-Miller, Perdita Felicien, Craig McMorris, Devin Heroux, Adrienne Arsenault, Heather Hiscox, Salimah Shivji and Sarah Leavitt. Audiences can also tune into CBC Radio weekday mornings to hear the latest from Paris with Scott Regehr.
Screen Nova Scotia has announced the nominees for the annual Screen Nova Scotia Awards Gala, which will take place May 11 at Casino Nova Scotia. New 2024 awards include Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting and the addition of a new category from ACTRA Maritimes for Series Ensemble. The event will be hosted by Jonathan Torrens. This year’s Industry Champion Award will be awarded posthumously to visionary television producer David MacLeod, instrumental in the early success of Screen NS as a founder and longtime board member. The winners of the Community Recognition Award and the Film Crew Excellence Award will be announced live during the event.
Canadian Cinema Editors has announced this year’s nominees ahead of the 14th Annual CCE Awards on June 14. Productions garnering multiple nods include Canada’s Drag Race, nominated twice in the Best Editing in Lifestyle/Reality/Competition, and The Changeling in Best Editing in TV Drama.
Drew and Jonathan Scott’s new HGTV Canada series Backed By The Bros premieres June 5, available to stream the same day on STACKTV. The 10-episode season will see the brothers relinquish total control of renovations to advise entrepreneurs, short-term rental owners and residential developers on high-stakes investment properties. To get each project across the finish line in an unforgiving housing market, the twins will back investors with their expertise, insights, and top-notch resources. Backed By The Bros is produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment with Drew and Jonathan serving as executive producers.
Blue Ant Studios’ rights business has obtained worldwide licensing rights for the documentary Stormy, an unvarnished look into Stormy Daniels, as the porn actress and former stripper shares her account of her alleged affair with former U.S. President Donald Trump. The film is executive produced by Emmy-winner Judd Apatow alongside Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers from Imagine Documentaries (The Super Models, Judy Blume Forever). Stormy is currently streaming on Peacock in the U.S.; with Blue Ant Studios’ rights business overseeing international licensing.
OUTtv has come on board as the new exclusive global SVOD rights holder, excluding the UK, for hit BBC series Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make Up Star. Originally a BBC Three and Netflix co-production, the competition reality series is the ultimate make-up showdown and for its fifth series welcomed new host, supermodel Leomie Anderson. Produced by Wall to Wall Media for the BBC, Season 6 will launch on OUTtv channels and SVOD services this spring.
