Iconic Music Series AMERICAN IDOL Lands on CTV Two, March 11

      – AMERICAN IDOL airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. MT –
– Judges include the legendary Lionel Richie, pop sensation Katy Perry, and country star Luke Bryan –
– Emmy^® Award winner Ryan Seacrest returns as series host –

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/2Cxr1lB

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2018 /CNW/ - CTV announced today the acquisition of beloved singing competition AMERICAN IDOL from FremantleMedia International to anchor CTV Two's midseason schedule Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. MT, beginning March 11.

The all-new AMERICAN IDOL joins the previously announced pick up of three new CTV Two midseason comedies - LIVING BIBLICALLY (Feb. 26), SPLITTING UP TOGETHER (March 27), and ALEX, INC. (March 28). CTV Two also announced today the addition of two more series to the network: GOTHAM, moving to a new Thursday at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. MT time slot beginning March 1, as well as MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, returning to CTV Two Fridays at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. MT with a two-hour premiere on March 2.

"AMERICAN IDOL is a historic franchise," said Mike Cosentino, President, Content and Programming. "We are looking forward to reintroducing the series and its star-studded judging panel to Canadians as a new anchor for CTV Two."

"We're excited to be working with Bell Media to bring the new season of the original singing competition to Canada," said Michela Di Mondo, SVP, Sales and Distribution, FremantleMedia International, Canada. "AMERICAN IDOL is an iconic series which has entertained families across Canada for years and we look forward to doing it again."

Hosted by Emmy^® Award winner Ryan Seacrest, who has served as the series host since its inception in 2002, the return of AMERICAN IDOL features superstar judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. To date, AMERICAN IDOL has garnered 57 Emmy nominations and eight wins. Over 15 seasons, the series has launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, among others, who have won 13 GRAMMYS^®, two GOLDEN GLOBES^®, and an ACADEMY AWARD^®. Additionally, contestants have sold more than 61 million albums, resulting in more than 47 Platinum records and more than 444 Billboard #1 hits, and sold more than 257 million digital downloads.

The nationwide search for the next superstar kicked off in August 2017, as the Idol Bus traveled across America in its pursuit for talent, covering 23 cities across the country. Auditioning was made easier than ever as hopefuls also had the opportunity to submit audition videos online, as well as via select social media platforms using an official tag, #TheNextIdol, cultivating over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time in American Idol history, hopefuls had the opportunity to audition through a live stream platform.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group. Executive producers include FremantleMedia North America's Trish Kinane and Jennifer Mullin, along with co-executive producer, Megan Wolflick.  Recent additions to the team include Phil McIntyre, the music mogul behind multiplatinum artists such as Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas, who joins the series as executive producer and music producer and multi-instrumentalist Kristopher Pooley as music director.  FremantleMedia International distributes the series worldwide.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television 
@KatyPerry 
@LukeBryanOnline 
@LionelRichie 
@RyanSeacrest

Facebook:
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Facebook.com/lukebryan/ 
Facebook.com/LionelRichie/ 
Facebook.com/ryanseacrest/

Instagram:
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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 CTV Two

Madison McCloskey, CTV Networks, 416.384.2186 or [email protected]