Bell Media Announces Industry Leading Commitment to Commission All New Original Scripted Series in 4K

– CTV becomes first broadcaster in North America to commit to 4K for original scripted series –
– Announcement comes with the greenlight of new original series THE DISAPPEARANCE and THE BEAVERTON –
– Scripted strategy builds on success of Bell Media's 4K production at TSN and Discovery, and with live music events –

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/1O5hQy1

TORONTO, June 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Bell Media asserted its leadership position in 4K today with the announcement that it is committing to commissioning all new original scripted series in 4K. With the announcement, CTV becomes the first broadcaster in North America to commit to the new standard, including new series CARDINAL and, announced today, THE DISAPPEARANCE.

The two CTV series, along with The Comedy Network's new satirical comedy series THE BEAVERTON, also announced today, join the action-packed historical drama FRONTIER (Discovery) and the second season of runaway hit LETTERKENNY (CraveTV/The Comedy Network) as Bell Media 4K scripted series.

"Our strategy allows Bell Media to not only assert a leadership position in 4K production, but also allows us to build an enviable 4K on-demand library for our distribution partners and CraveTV," said Randy Lennox, President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

Today's announcement follows additional Bell Media firsts in 4K production:

• Bell Media delivered the first-ever live 4K production in North America when TSN broadcast the Toronto Raptors/Boston Celtics game from Toronto's Air Canada Centre on January 20, 2016.
• CTV's broadcast of THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS on April 3 was the first live awards show in North America to be produced in 4K. Bell Media recently announced that the upcoming IHEARTRADIO MUCH MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS will also be produced in 4K on June 19.

4K Production and Bell Media

Original Production

• Bell Media announced today that all new original scripted series would be produced in 4K, including just-announced THE DISAPPEARANCE and THE BEAVERTON; as well as CTV's first original serialized drama CARDINAL; the first original scripted series in Discovery history, FRONTIER; Season 2 of CraveTV's LETTERKENNY; and more to be announced soon.

Sports

• TSN confirms its leadership in sports production with its five national feeds featuring a full slate of marquee 4K broadcasts featuring the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, THE MASTERS, and more.

Digital

• Bell Media's Discovery GO App is a trailblazer in 4K production, currently featuring a wide range of 4K programming, including CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, HIGH TECH REDNECKS, SHARK, and one of the first original Canadian productions commissioned in 4K and exclusive to the Discovery GO App, HOW HARD CAN IT BE.
• Additional 4K titles to be added to Discovery GO later this year include new seasons of RIVER MONSTERS, JADE FEVER, HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS, and FRONTIER.

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 series commissioned by CTV include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA. Upcoming original series on CTV include CARDINAL and THE DISAPPEARANCE. Among the original scripted series on Bell Media pay, specialty, and streaming platforms are the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, Space's most-watched original series KILLJOYS, Bravo's award-winning and most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, CraveTV's first original series LETTERKENNY, Discovery's upcoming drama FRONTIER, and Comedy's new satirical news series THE BEAVERTON.  Discovery is also home to Bell Media's hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. Bell Media is one of the first media companies in North America to commit to producing all new scripted series in 4K.

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; 34 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. 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 13,500 advertising faces in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, Discovery GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; operates multi-channel network Much Digital Studios; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; 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 Bell Media

Eleni Tenuta, Bell Media, 416.384.3530 or [email protected]