- CTV orders new two-hour MASTERCHEF CANADA holiday special -
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TORONTO, June 5, 2014 /CNW/ - In advance of the #CTVUpfront presentation
this afternoon, CTV announced today it has ordered a second season of
original comedy series SPUN OUT, completing Bell Media's English-language Canadian commissioned
production slate for 2014/15 to date. The 13-episode order from Project
10 Productions comes as SPUN OUT completes its inaugural season as one of the Top 4 returning new comedy
series for 2014/15.
CTV also announced today it has ordered a two-hour, spin-off special to
complement the recently renewed and ratings smash MASTERCHEF CANADA. Strategically scheduled to premiere this December, MASTERCHEF CANADA: A HOLIDAY SPECIAL will position, for the first time in the world, teams of family home
cooks competing against other families. The special, from Proper
Television and created in collaboration with MASTERCHEF format holder
Shine International, will feature home cooks of all ages.
**Media Note** Download photos from Bell Media's original programming at
BellMediaPR.ca.
"With its fantastic cast, deep writing room, and experienced producers,
we think SPUN OUT has great potential for a terrific second season,"
said Phil King, President - CTV, Sports, and Entertainment
Programming. "We are also proud to pioneer an innovative twist for the
MASTERCHEF franchise with our new holiday special."
The two orders complete Bell Media's Canadian independent production
slate to date featuring nine dramas, two competition series, two comedy
series, four factual series, and the recently announced, Corner Gas: The Movie.
"We are proud to work with a long list of talented producers, writers,
and showrunners on some of the most respected and engaging productions
on television," continued King. "Our Canadian slate is the strongest in
the country and we look forward to continuing to work with our
production partners to deliver the extraordinary Canadian programming
that viewers have come to expect from Bell Media."
Earlier this week, it was revealed that CTV was the only network to
place any Canadian original series in the Top 30 list of most-watched
programs of the season: MASTERCHEF CANADA (1.8 million viewers), SAVING
HOPE (1.6 million viewers), and MOTIVE (1.3 million viewers).
MASTERCHEF CANADA ended its inaugural season as Canada's most-watched
homegrown series and one of the most-watched new programs of the
season.
Meanwhile, SAVING HOPE and MOTIVE are Canada's #1 and #2 original drama
series, and SPUN OUT is Canada's most-watched original sitcom. Last
summer, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA became the most-watched Canadian
television program on record and the #2 program of the year overall
with an average audience of 3.5 million viewers.
Bell Media's entertainment specialty productions also continue to
resonate with viewers and define their respective channels. On Space, BITTEN is the #1 original series of all time, making Space the #1 specialty
network in its timeslot across all key demos. The award-winning and
internationally recognized ORPHAN BLACK continues to make waves, ranking as the #1 series among F18-49 and
F25-54 on Space. The character-driven cop drama 19-2 was the #1 new series of the season on Bravo, and ranked among the Top
3 programs overall. Throughout its entire run, it reached more than 3.3
million views. On Discovery, the Season 1 debut of COLD WATER COWBOYS stands as the channel's second-highest series premiere ever - Canadian
production or otherwise - drawing 610,000 viewers for its series
opener.
New Orders
SPUN OUT
Season 2, Project 10 Productions, 13 x :30, CTV
Starring KIDS IN THE HALL alumnus Dave Foley, CTV's original multi-cam
workplace comedy SPUN OUT follows the ups and downs of DLPR, a public relations agency staffed
with people who can spin everyone's problems but their own. No matter
how bizarre the cases are that the agency takes on, they pale in
comparison to the workplace romances, rivalries, personal successes,
and often hilarious failures of the close-knit and dysfunctional
colleagues at DLPR. The ensemble cast features some of Canada's top
comedic talent, including Paul Campbell (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), Rebecca
Dalton (THE L.A. COMPLEX), Al Mukadam (RADIO FREE ROSCOE), Holly
Deveaux (BAXTER), JP Manoux (COMMUNITY, ER), and Darcy Michael
(ENDGAME). From Project 10 Productions, CTV's multi-cam office comedy
is created by Gemini Award-winners Jeff Biederman (LIFE WITH DEREK),
Brent Piaskoski (ACCORDING TO JIM) and Brian K. Roberts (EVERYBODY
LOVES RAYMOND), and is produced by Andrew Barnsley (HOTBOX). Season 2
is set to begin production later this summer in Toronto.
MASTERCHEF CANADA: A HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Special, Proper Television, 1 x :120, CTV
Canadians are hungry for more MASTERCHEF! And this upcoming holiday
season, viewers will get just that with MASTERCHEF CANADA: A HOLIDAY SPECIAL - a brand new heart-warming instalment of the hit culinary competition
franchise. Following the success of MASTERCHEF CANADA, the new two-hour
special features a handful of fan-favourite home cooks from MASTERCHEF
CANADA Season 1, along with members of their families, who will chop,
slice, sauté, and bake their way together through a variety of
challenges for the win. Fan-favourite Canadian judges Michael Bonacini,
renowned for his exacting taste and the refined creator of a high-end
restaurant empire; Michelin-Starred and wildly innovative chef, Alvin
Leung; and celebrated champion of nuance and flavour, Claudio Aprile,
will also be back for the festive fun. Production on the primetime
special is set to begin this September in Toronto.
Additional Titles
19-2
Season 2, Sphère Média Plus and Echo Media, 10 x :60, Bravo
After a break-through inaugural season, Bravo's hit character-driven
drama, 19-2 will return for a second heart-stopping season. Since its premiere in
January, the critically-acclaimed series averaged 190,000 viewers an
episode, making it a Top 3 program on Bravo and making it the channel's
#1 new series of the season. An English-adaptation of the hit Québec
series, 19-2 stars Adrian Holmes and Jared Keeso as Detectives Nick Barron and Ben
Chartier. Production details to be announced.
AIRSHOW
Season 1, Great Pacific TV, 12 x :60, Discovery Canada
With just three days left until the next airshow, stunt pilots have got
to pack up and move out. Miss it and they'll miss the paycheque that
means the difference between grounded by bankruptcy or flying for
thousands of fans. AIRSHOW takes viewers behind the scenes of the most dangerous part-time
profession on the planet. This is a business where competition is high
and pilots are forced to push their planes through severe weather and
mechanical problems to get to that next payday. From the ground, it's
glamorous. But in the cockpit, it's a G-force-inducing grind where
pushing weather, pushing tin, and pushing the body is a must.
THE AMAZING RACE CANADA
Season 2, Insight Productions, 12 x :60, CTV
The race of a lifetime restarts with the season premiere of the
blockbuster, record-breaking, original series THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, which kicks off its exhilarating second edition on a new night this
summer, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 8 on CTV and CTV GO. Hosted once again by Olympic champion and Canadian
hero Jon Montgomery, the hit series became a country's obsession and
the most-watched Canadian series on record last summer, with an average
of 3.5 million viewers.
BITTEN
Season 2, No Equal Entertainment, Hoodwink Entertainment, and
Entertainment One Television, 10 x :60, Space
Space's sexy werewolf thriller BITTEN, wrapped its first season as the most-watched original series ever for
the channel, reaching more than 1 million viewers each week. The series
amassed a fervent social media following resulting in 903 million
estimated impressions, including a #RenewBitten campaign which included
celebrity supporters Lance Bass, Stacey Dash, Nikki Reed, and Dean
Cain. Production on Season 2 is expected to begin this summer and will
once again be shot on location in Toronto, Hamilton, and Hespeler. BITTEN stars Laura Vandervoort (SMALLVILLE, Ted) as Elena, the world's only
female werewolf along with Greg Bryk (A History Of Violence, ROOKIE
BLUE) as The Alpha pack leader Jeremy Danvers, and Greyston Holt
(ALCATRAZ, Durham County) as passionate Clayton Danvers. The series
also stars Steve Lund (BEING ERICA, HAVEN) as Nick Sorrentino and
Michael Xavier (THE BEST YEARS) as Dr. Logan Jonsen.
CANADA'S WORST DRIVER
Season 10, Proper Television, 8 x :60, Discovery Canada
An epic season, a decade in the making… Across nine seasons, 64 drivers
have gone through Driver Rehab, and as 53 drivers graduated and earned
back their keys, viewers have learned about safer driving techniques,
braking on ice, road rules, parking, reversing, and how fundamentals
from the racetrack can apply to everyday driving situations. But
there's still more work to do to make Canadian roadways safer, so host
Andrew Younghusband hauls eight more disastrous driver off the highway
for a 10th Season of Rehab. And what has made these drivers so shockingly bad, has
made CANADA'S WORST DRIVER so gleefully good. After nine seasons of bumper-busting bad behaviours
behind the wheel, the series stands as Discovery's most successful
program ever.
COLD WATER COWBOYS
Season 2, Paperney Entertainment, 8 x :60, Discovery Canada
With the second-highest series debut in Discovery's history, the men of
The Rock head back out to sea for an all-new season of this hit
Canadian series. Following the Newfoundland captains and their crews, COLD WATER COWBOYS ventures hundreds of kilometres offshore in the North Atlantic, facing
swells as high as houses and icebergs the size of small cities. Part of
a time-honoured industry in the midst of an unprecedented sea of
change, these captains are stubborn men who stuck to and survived this
calamity by retooling and rebuilding the industry on new catches: crab,
shrimp, turbot, herring, and mackerel. It's a tough job - tough on the
boats, tough on gear, tough on the human body - but these
bred-in-the-bone fishermen will never trade their boats for boardrooms.
Corner Gas: The Movie
Holiday Event, Corner Gas The Movie (SK) Inc. and Corner Gas The Movie
(ON) Inc., 1 x :120, CTV, The Movie Network, The Comedy Network
Bell Media, Telefilm Canada and Executive Producers Brent Butt, Virginia
Thompson and David Storey announced Corner Gas: The Movie, a 90-minute feature film to be distributed on multiple screens across
Canada this holiday season. The landmark film opens with an exclusive
Cineplex Front Row Centre Events theatrical debut, followed by
premieres on The Movie Network, CTV, and The Comedy Network, while also
complemented by a special collector's edition DVD to be available for
purchase before the holidays. Corner Gas: The Movie begins production June 23 in Rouleau, Saskatchewan with crews from
Ontario and Saskatchewan. Corner Gas: The Movie is an inter-provincial co-production produced by Corner Gas The Movie
(SK) Inc. and Corner Gas The Movie (ON) Inc. in association with CTV,
Telefilm Canada, Cineplex Inc., Tourism Saskatchewan, Creative
Saskatchewan, and the Canada Media Fund.
DEGRASSI
Season 14, Epitome Pictures Inc., a DHX Media company, 28 x :30, MTV Internationally acclaimed and Emmy®-nominated, original Canadian series DEGRASSI continues its longstanding tradition of creating the most provocative
and life-altering storylines seen in teen programming.
In Season 14, DEGRASSI continues to stay relevant and relatable, without being preachy or
condescending. With a strong and loyal following, the series is
consistently ranked within the Top 50 episodes downloaded on iTunes
Canada, averaging over 2000 unique user downloads monthly. The impact
of the show is also seen in its social media networks - currently
boasting over 3.4 million followers on dedicated Facebook and Twitter
accounts. In 2012, DEGRASSI marked an impressive milestone, airing its 300th episode. That episode also marked the 400th episode of the entire franchise, making the series the longest-running
English language drama in Canadian history. DEGRASSI is licensed in over 140 countries around the world, which speaks to the
universal appeal of the hit series. DEGRASSI is produced by Epitome Pictures (THE L.A. COMPLEX, INSTANT STAR) in
association with Bell Media. The series was co-created by Linda
Schuyler, co-producer of the original Degrassi series and Yan Moore. Schuyler and Stephen Stohn, and Sarah Glinski
serve as Executive Producers.
HIGHWAY THRU HELL
Season 3, Great Pacific TV, 17 x :60, Discovery Canada
With bigger rigs and wilder wrecks, HIGHWAY THRU HELL joins Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue for an all-new season - one which sees
Davis expand his operation into Alberta, while maintaining his business
on B.C.'s Coquihalla Highway. HIGHWAY THRU HELL travels some of the most economically vital - and most inhospitable -
trucking routes in North America. Plagued by winter storms, truckers
spin out and smash up, and during the worst conditions, the big wrecks
can come as often as every 12 hours. And when this happens, the call
goes out for heavy rescue to clear the highway carnage and get the road
open again.
JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS
Season 3, Just For Laughs Television, 13 x :60, The Comedy Network
As the primary partners of one of the largest and most prestigious
comedy festivals in the world, the Just For Laughs Festival in
Montreal, The Comedy Network brings viewers a star-studded lineup of
Canadian, international icons, and buzz-worthy up-and-comers for a
third season of the original stand-up series JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS. In production this summer and featuring the biggest stand-up acts in
comedy today, Season 3 of JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS will include performances by Andy Samberg, BROAD CITY stars Ilana
Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, Nick Offerman, Paul F. Tompkins, James
Adomian, Nikki Glaser, Ron Funches, TJ Miller, Seán Cullen, Sara
Hennessey, Arthur Simeon, Graham Chittenden, Dave Merheje, and many
more.
KILLJOYS
Season 1, Temple Street Productions, 10 x :60, Space
The brainchild of writer, creator, and showrunner Michelle Lovretta
(LOST GIRL), KILLJOYS is an adventure drama series that follows a trio of interplanetary
bounty hunters sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants
throughout the Quad, a distant star system on the brink of a bloody,
multi-planetary class war. In development since 2012 as part of Bell
Media's Writer Only Drama Development program, the project was ordered
to series by Space in October, 2013. The 10-episode series will begin
production this August in Toronto, and is set to premiere on Space as
well as Syfy in the U.S. in 2015. KILLJOYS is executive produced by Lovretta and Temple Street Production's David
Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg who are joined by lead director and
consulting producer, Chris Grismer.
THE LISTENER
Season 5, Shaftesbury, 13 x :60, CTV
Season 5 of CTV's hit original series THE LISTENER is currently airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO. The all-new season sees the IIB team moving forward
professionally and personally as telepathic crime-solver Toby Logan
(Craig Olejnik) advances in his policing skills to become an even-more
effective member of the elite unit, while Sgt. Michelle McCluskey
(Lauren Lee Smith) struggles to balance motherhood and a fulfilling
career. CTV also launches, for a third year in a row, THE LISTENER's exclusive, digital companion series THE TOBY LOGAN FILES for Season 5 on Monday, June 9 on CTV EXTEND. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox
International Channels, THE LISTENER ranks among the Top 5 most-watched Canadian series of last year.
MASTERCHEF CANADA
Season 2, Proper Television, 15 x :60, CTV
The most-watched Canadian series of the 2013/2014 broadcast season with
an average audience of 1.8 million viewers, Season 2 of CTV's hit
culinary competition series MASTERCHEF CANADA has been ordered for the 2014/2015 broadcast season. Canadian judges
Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung, and Claudio Aprile are back for a second
helping. The series will once again be produced by Proper Television,
with Shine International as the worldwide distributor. Production on
Season 2 set to begin this fall. Casting for Season 2 is now open at ctv.ca/masterchefcanada.
MOTIVE
Season 3, Lark Productions and Foundation Features, 13 x :60, CTV
CTV has ordered of a third installment of its hit original crime drama MOTIVE from Foundation Features and Lark Productions. With a unique "whydunit"
format that reveals the killer and victim at the start of each episode,
13 additional one-hour episodes have been ordered with production on
Season 3 set to begin this fall in Vancouver. With an average audience
of 1.3 million viewers, MOTIVE ends its second season as the second most-watched Canadian drama of the
season (following CTV's SAVING HOPE), and the third most-watched
Canadian series overall of the season (with MASTERCHEF CANADA).
SAVING HOPE
Season 3, ICF Films and Entertainment One, 18 x :60, CTV
CTV's hit original drama SAVING HOPE, which wrapped its second season as the #1 Canadian drama of the
2013-14 broadcast year, up double digits from its previous season,
delivering an impressive average audience of 1.6 million viewers on
CTV. Production on 18 new episodes from ICF Films and Entertainment One
begins June 11 in Toronto. Set to share the Wednesday night at 9 p.m.
GREY'S ANATOMY timeslot on CTV and CTV GO this season, SAVING HOPE
stars Erica Durance (SMALLVILLE), Michael Shanks (STARGATE SG1), Daniel
Gillies (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), Wendy Crewson (REVENGE), Huse Madhavji
(COMBAT HOSPITAL, STAR! DAILY), and Julia Taylor-Ross (ROOKIE BLUE).
New for Season 3, Stacey Farber (DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION) joins
the staff at Hope Zion Hospital in the recurring role of Dr. Sydney
Katz, OB/GYN.
Directors this season include David Wellington, along with guest
director and series lead Michael Shanks, and returning guest directors
Jason Priestley (CALL ME FITZ) and Gregory Smith (ROOKIE BLUE).
SENSITIVE SKIN
Season 1, Rhombus Media, in association with Baby Cow Productions, 6 x
:30, HBO Canada
SENSITIVE SKIN is the story of Davina (Golden Globe® Award winner and Emmy® Award nominee Kim Cattrall), a woman of a certain age and her long-time
husband Al (Tony Award® winner Don McKellar) attempting to change their lives. The couple have
sold their comfortable family home and moved downtown to an
ultra-modern condo, in a conscious effort to keep relevant, and begin
again. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. The series is executive produced by Kim Cattrall along with co-star
McKellar, who directs all six episodes, and Gemini Award winner Bob
Martin (MICHAEL: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS, SLINGS AND ARROWS), who wrote
the entire series. SENSITIVE SKIN was shot in Toronto and is adapted from the acclaimed BBC Two program
of the same name. SENSITIVE SKIN premieres Sunday, July 20 at 8 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada.
TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES
Season 2, QVF Inc.,12 x :60, The Movie Network
Chris Vance (PRISON BREAK, DEXTER) returns as Frank Martin, a
professional transporter who carries anything, anywhere, no questions
asked. New to the creative team is award-winning writer and producer
Frank Spotnitz (STRIKE BACK, HUNTED), who serves as showrunner for
Season 2. With shoots in Morocco, the Czech Republic and the Great Toronto Area, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES is a France/Canada international treaty co-production produced by
Atlantique Productions SA and QVF Inc. in association with broadcast
partners The Movie Network, Super Écran, and Movie Central as well as
M6 (France). The series is currently slated to premiere on The Movie Network, Super
Écran, and Movie Central in Fall 2014.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter:
@BellMediaPR
About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and
most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian
independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings
success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, MOTIVE, and THE AMAZING RACE
CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced complementary version of
the hit international series. New to CTV in 2014 are hit international
format MASTERCHEF CANADA and multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, one of
the most-watched new comedies of the season. Among the scripted series
on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the
most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN, Bravo's
most-watched new drama 19-2, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, and upcoming
dramas SENSITIVE SKIN, and KILLJOYS. Bell Media specialty channels are
also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL and CANADA'S WORST
DRIVER, among others. In 2013, Bell Media ordered 27 original Canadian
series and currently has 84 projects in various stages of development.
About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media
creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and
inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is
Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television,
radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30
local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network;
35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched
specialty channels in English and French; four pay TV services,
including The Movie Network and Super Écran; and is managing
shareholder of premium pay-per-view service Viewers Choice Canada. Bell
Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed
radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral
Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home
advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising
faces in Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates
more than 200 websites, delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO
video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO and Bravo GO, and
owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell
Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest
communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.
Source: BBM Canada, BY2013-14: Sept 23, 2013 - May 18, 2014 (Weeks 5-38,
final data), BY2012-13: Sep 24, 2012 - Aug 25, 2013 (Weeks 5-52, final
data).
CTV electronic audience databases incorporate data beginning in 1994.
Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research
Mark II meters.
SOURCE Bell Media
