According to the CBC, a cross platform audience of 11.7 million Canadians watched or listened to some part of the August 20 “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration concert.” The TV broadcast averaged four million viewers. The commercial-free presentation was aired on radio, TV and via website, apps, YouTube and Facebook.
Are the U.S. Super Bowl commercials an integral element of the event? The CRTC thinks so and has ordered the removal of simultaneous substitution on the Super Bowl game, effective January 1. Canadians will be able to see the commercials broadcast on U.S. television stations carried in Canada. The decision doesn’t apply to pre-and post-game components. BCE and the NFL have challenged the simsub ban in the Federal Court of Appeal. The Court is expected to rule in the next few months.
The Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) broadcast returns on Friday, Sept. 9 to raise funds to accelerate the course of cancer research in Canada. Featuring Canadian content for the second year in a row, the special will air on CBC, City, CTV and Global as well as AMI, Bloomberg TV Canada, CHCH, CHEK, Fight Network, Hollywood Suite, Joytv, NTV and TLN. Celine Dion, Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, Eric Stonestreet and SU2C Co-Founder Katie Couric are scheduled to appear.
Netflix, CBC and Northwood Entertainment are teaming up to stream the television series Anne, based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novel Anne of Green Gables. CBC greenlit the eight-episode series earlier this year. The show will be broadcast in Canada on CBC in 2017. Production starts in Ontario next month.
Discovery will offer its first-ever preview Oct. 20-Nov. 30 to entice new viewers. The channel’s fall line-up includes its first original Canadian scripted drama Frontier, starring Jason Momoa, who played Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones.
Global has renewed original series Private Eyes following a successful first season. The series from Entertainment One (eOne) has received an 18 episode order with production set to begin in Toronto this fall.
