Young Sheldon (CTV) and The Good Doctor (CTV) have emerged as the fall’s top new series across all demos. According to Numeris, Young Sheldon delivered 3.6 million average viewers for its series debut, while The Good Doctor is averaging 2.6 million viewers. In the key A25-45 demo, the revival of Will & Grace (Global) is in third place, while Seal Team ranks third with total viewers.
Jagmeet Singh and Doug Ford are among the political rivals brought together by TVO’s new series, Political Blind Date. The TVO Original, produced in association with Open Door Co. and Nomad Films, brings politicians with different points-of-view together on a “date” to explore important issues through in-depth conversations. The six-part weekly series premieres Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. ET and tvo.org.
levelFILM has signed an exclusive output deal with Comedy Dynamics, the largest independent comedy production and distribution company in North America. The Toronto-based independent film distributor will distribute much of Comedy Dynamics’ current and future slate in Canada, including Bob Saget’s upcoming stand-up special Zero to Sixty, which will premiere on Canadian VOD and Digital platforms Nov. 14. The partnership will see levelFILM release three to five titles per month, and in addition to stand-up specials, will include independent film and television acquisitions.
CraveTV and New Metric Media, the producers of Letterkenny, have announced a multi-year partnership focused on marketing the comedy as a worldwide entertainment brand. The initiative includes commitment to produce 40 new episodes, investment in the support of brand extensions like Letterkenny merchandise and Puppers Premium Lager (in partnership with Stack Brewery in Sudbury), and international sales and distribution of the series, alongside DHX Media. The partnership also includes cross-promotional support for a 26-city Letterkenny Live! Tour. The series and format was officially rolled out to International buyers at MIPCOM in Cannes.
CTV has partnered with the Country Music Association to broadcast The 51st Annual CMA Awards, airing Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return as hosts for the 10th year in a row. In conjunction with the acquisition of the show, Much launches a new one-hour country music block on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET, beginning Nov. 5, featuring artists like Dallas Smith, Florida Georgia Line, Jess Moskaluke and Sam Hunt.
CBS All Access has announced second season renewal of Star Trek: Discovery. Launch of the series broke a new record for subscriber sign-ups in a single, day, week and month for the digital subscription VOD and live streaming service. Airing on Space in Canada, over five episodes the series is averaging over 1.2 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched series in Canadian specialty television history to date, according to Numeris.
Steve Vogelsang, former CTV Winnipeg news director and sports personality, is accused of robbing two separate banks in Alberta. Vogelsang, 53, was arrested last Saturday at a Medicine Hat hotel after police say a man walked into the Royal Bank Oct. 19 and the Bank of Montreal the next day, demanding money. CBC reports that Vogelsang had fallen on hard times financially after he and his wife divorced.
QYOU Media has announced the upcoming launch of Heads Up Daily (HUD), a new daily show of curated esports content. The first licensing partner for the series is Super Channel’s GINX Esports TV Canada. HUD will be produced in partnership with ECG Productions in Markham, ON with plans to customize and localize the programming globally through broadcast and mobile distribution partnerships.
Lionsgate is partnering with television and film producer John Goldwyn on a first-look deal to develop and produce scripted programming for television and streaming platforms through his John Goldwyn Productions banner. Lionsgate will have exclusive first look rights to all new television projects developed and produced by Goldwyn.
The latest report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, looks at the adoption of OTT in the Anglophone market. According to the report 57 per cent of Canadian anglophones subscribe to over-the-top streaming services. The report looked at CraveTV, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Sportsnet Now, finding 71 per cent of OTT subscribers are using online streaming in addition to traditional TV service.
