Cody Simpson Announced as Special Guest Performer at YTV's The Next Star Season 6 Finale

• Tickets now available for live finale at Canada's Wonderland on Sunday, September 22
• New half-hour pre-show announced with performance by Brooklyn Roebuck

TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2013 /CNW/ - During tonight's episode of YTV's The Next Star, it was revealed that Australian pop singing sensation Cody Simpson will be performing during the season finale broadcast live from Canada's Wonderland on Sunday, September 22 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Additional guest performers will be announced closer to the finale date. Tickets are currently on sale at http://nextstar.ytv.com/

An inaugural Pre-show will air prior to the finale at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT, hosted by web host Mark "Suki" Suknanan. The half-hour show will feature interviews with the Top 6 finalists, Kat, Dante, Alicia, Jaden, Paige and Alex, as well as special guest performance by The Next Star Season 5 winner Brooklyn Roebuck. Season 4 winner "Charlie" (Some Assembly Required) will act as roving reporter on the ground getting up close and personal with performers and fans.

Directly after the pre-show, "Suki" will be jumping back into his role as Next Star Nation web host, hosting live hits in each commercial break offering fans behind the scenes access on their second screen devices and online.

Each of the six singing hopefuls will record an original song - which will be available on iTunes on September 16 - and also star in their very own music video. The finalist who wins the title of "The Next Star" will also receive a $5000 Sears Shopping Spree, a 1 Song Recording Deal distributed through Sony Music Canada, and an Epiphone Masterbilt Guitar.

The Next Star's judges, Keshia Chanté, Mark Spicoluk and Tara Oram will participate in the live finale festivities, which will be presided over by Season 6 host Carlos Bustamante.

Produced by leading Toronto distributor and producer Tricon Films and Television in association with YTV, The Next Star airs Mondays at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

About YTV
Seen in over 11 million homes across Canada, YTV is a leading entertainment brand for kids.YTV offers quality entertainment for kids and families with hit Nickelodeon series, blockbuster movies and original Canadian programming. YTV reaches its viewers online at YTV.com and in local communities with the traveling road show WOW!. YTV is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), Cosmopolitan TV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus online at www.corusent.com.

About Tricon Films & Television:
Tricon Films & Television is one of North America's strongest independent production and distribution companies dedicated to producing and representing groundbreaking television. Tricon has fast emerged as a leading supplier of high quality factual and scripted content that continues to perform successfully both domestically and around the world. Launched in 2002, Tricon's distribution arm has an impressive track record of selling a broad mix of award winning programming from primetime scripted comedy and dramatic series, to reality, lifestyle, factual and documentary series. www.triconfilms.com.

For high-resolution images, please visit: http://mediacentre.corusent.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
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SOURCE: YTV Canada Inc.

Kate Calder        
Corus Entertainment      
416.479.6319   
[email protected]     

Alina Duviner 
Unit Publicist  
416.574.1098  
[email protected]

Emily Blake
Unit Publicist
647.291.6097
[email protected]