CTV Announces Major Expansion of Local News with All-New Weekday Newscasts at 5 p.m., Debuting Across Canada this Fall

– CTV NEWS AT FIVE to deliver distinct, locally focused newscasts, airing on all CTV stations across Canada –
– CTV Toronto and Toronto's CP24 to provide a unique cross-simulcast at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET –
– Expanded local news coverage creates an additional 35 hours of original local production from CTV News each week –

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TORONTO, June 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Further bolstering the network's commitment to deliver Canada's most trusted news coverage, CTV today announced a major expansion of its award-winning local programming, delivering CTV NEWS broadcasts at 5 p.m. on all local CTV stations across Canada, beginning this fall. Creating an additional 35 hours of original local production each week, the added news programming on weeknights ensures viewers can find CTV News at 5 p.m. as well as 6 p.m. in their local market.

"A staple in CTV's local lineups for generations, CTV NEWS broadcasts are fundamental to our local market strategy of delivering local news that matters to our viewers, while providing a strong lead-in to our winning primetime slate," said Nikki Moffatt, President, Local Radio and TV and Senior Vice-President, Finance, Bell Media. "Adding locally produced, early evening weeknight newscasts in all key markets benefits our industry and partners, while strengthening the communities we are proudly committed to serve."

"Local news is an essential institution that unites communities across the country, and we are excited about our investment in more local news coverage with these daily 5 p.m. newscasts on all CTV stations," said Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News. "If you want to know what's going on in your city or town, there's no substitute for local news."

Joining the six CTV stations already delivering CTV NEWS AT FIVE (CTV Vancouver, CTV Calgary, CTV Red Deer, CTV Edmonton, CTV Lethbridge, and CTV Atlantic), editions of the newscast will be added to the following local station lineups this fall:

CTV Saskatoon
CTV Regina
CTV Prince Albert
CTV Yorkton
CTV Winnipeg
CTV Northern Ontario
CTV Kitchener
CTV Ottawa
CTV Montreal

Beginning this summer in Toronto, both CTV Toronto and CP24 will air CP24 LIVE @ 5 and CP24 LIVE @ 5:30, while continuing to cross-simulcast CTV NEWS AT SIX, the 2017 RTDNA Award winner for Best Large Market Television Newscast and Toronto's most-watched local newscast with total viewers and all key adult demographics.

Reaching more viewers in an average week or month, and attracting the highest average audience of any news organization in the country, CTV News is definitively Canada's most-watched and most-trusted destination for news coverage. Locally, viewers on average watch more hours of news on CTV than anywhere else. CTV's evening newscasts are Top 5 programs in the majority of their local markets.

Recognized by peers in journalism as the best of the best last month, CTV News was widely honoured at the 2017 RTDNA Awards, earning a total of 42 national and regional honours, including Best Television Newscast for both national (CTV NATIONAL NEWS WITH LISA LAFLAMME) and local broadcasts (CTV NEWS TORONTO and CTV NEWS KITCHENER). CTV News also garnered multiple honours at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best National News Anchor (CTV NATIONAL NEWS' Lisa LaFlamme), and Best Local News Anchor (CTV Edmonton's Daryl McIntyre).

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About CTV News
CTV News is Canada's most-watched news organization both locally and nationally, and has a network of national, international, and local news operations. CTV News operations include CTV NEWS CHANNEL, BNN – Business News Network, CP24, and information programming, including CTV NATIONAL NEWS WITH LISA LAFLAMME, CTV NATIONAL NEWS WITH SANDIE RINALDO, W5, POWER PLAY, and QUESTION PERIOD. Flagship news sites include CTVNews.ca, as well as CP24.com and BNN.ca, and are complemented by CTV News GO, CP24 GO, and BNN GO apps, and text-over-video product, ON THE GO, which provide a direct connection to Canada's most trusted news anytime and anywhere.  With a perspective that is distinctly Canadian, CTV News brings Canadians the international and domestic news stories of the day and is the #1 news organization in Canada.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 16 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Source: Numeris, A25-54, BYTD weeks 3-37 (9/12/2016 to 5/14/2017) and Spring 2017 Survey, final data.

SOURCE CTV

Rob Duffy, Bell Media, 416.384.5717 or [email protected]; Renee Dupuis, Bell Media, 416.384.3154 or [email protected]