Just Can't Get Enough Homegrown TV: Bell Media Confirms 2016/17 Original Production Slate

− Bell Media introduces eight new original series as 14 original productions return –
− New series for 2016/17 include RUSSELL PETERS IS THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, THE DISAPPEARANCE, THE BEAVERTON, CARDINAL, and FRONTIER, plus new original programming for Bell Media's new food and lifestyle channel, Gusto, among others –
− CTV announces Season 4 of hit culinary competition MASTERCHEF CANADA, joining impressive slate of returning original hit series –
− Two-hour event special CANADA IN A DAY headlines 2016/17 specials slate −
− Bell Media Production lineup ETALK, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, THE SOCIAL, INNERSPACE, DAILY PLANET returned, along with new daytime series YOUR MORNING –
− To tweet this release: bmpr.ca/1t8t4YK –

TORONTO, June 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Bell Media confirmed today its leading slate of new and returning original entertainment programming for the 2016/17 broadcast year in advance of the #CTVUpfront presentation in Toronto. With Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programs, Bell Media reinforces its industry leadership with original productions, including its recently announced commitment to produce all new original scripted series in 4K.

"Bell Media creates content and stories that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with acquired programming on our channels, and we continue to be committed to creating the very best in entertainment for all our platforms," said Randy Lennox, President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media. "If there's a great story worth telling, we want to work with Canada's incredible production community to tell it."

More Canadians make Bell Media their choice for homegrown programs than any other media company. CTV's SAVING HOPE is the most-watched Canadian drama among all key adult demos, while the network is home to the country's top two Canadian series among total viewers, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA and MASTERCHEF CANADA; the top Canadian programs in daytime, Bell Media Production's THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW and THE SOCIAL; the most-viewed entertainment news program, ETALK; and the most-watched original series on entertainment specialty for all key adult demos, Discovery's CANADA'S WORST DRIVER.

New Bell Media Original Series for 2016/17:

Drama

• Discovery's first-ever scripted original series FRONTIER, with its exclusive world debut in Canada this November, starring Jason Momoa (Discovery)
• Based on bestselling crime novels, the murder-mystery CARDINAL starring Billy Campbell and Karinne Vanasse (CTV)
• New serialized mystery drama THE DISAPPEARANCE about the vanishing of a 10-year-old boy (CTV)

Comedy

• Based on the enormously popular website, the satirical news series THE BEAVERTON (The Comedy Network)
• Following its debut on CraveTV, the fish-out-of-water dramedy RUSSELL PETERS IS THE INDIAN DETECTIVE (CTV)

Factual

• From the producers of HIGHWAY THRU HELL, spin-off HEAVY RESCUE: 401 (Winter 2017) (Discovery)
• The next in the "MIGHTY" series, MIGHTY TRAINS (Fall 2016), hosted by INNERSPACE's Teddy Wilson (Discovery)
• Featuring Andrew Younghusband, the star of the top original entertainment specialty program in Canada among key adult demos, CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, the new series TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS (Fall 2016)

As previously announced, original Canadian programming on Bell Media's new food and lifestyle channel Gusto will include A IS FOR APPLE, ONE WORLD KITCHEN, and FISH THE DISH. Bell Media has entered into a production arrangement with industry veteran Chris Knight to supply exclusive Canadian programming for the network through Gusto Worldwide Media. The production commitment will allow Bell Media to grow Gusto's roster of hit series with new original Canadian programming, all in 4K.

Returning Bell Media Original Series for 2016/17:

Reality

• Ahead of its Season 3 finale airing Sunday, June 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, the network announced today that original culinary competition series MASTERCHEF CANADA will return for a fourth season in 2017. The hit series will be back with a new batch of home cooks competing for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they pursue their culinary dream and battle to become Canada's next MasterChef. Casting opens this Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET and aspiring home cooks will have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6 to apply
• Priming the 2016/17 Fall Season is summer's most-watched television series, Season 4 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, when it returns June 28 (CTV)

Drama

• Canadian Screen Award-winner for Best Dramatic Series, Montréal cop drama 19-2 returns for Season 3 (June 20), in advance of its already announced fourth season (Bravo)
• Award-winning medical drama SAVING HOPE returns for a fifth season (CTV)
• Space's most-watched original series of all time, the sci-fi adventure series KILLJOYS returns for a second season (Space)
• Season 2 of critically acclaimed drama SENSITIVE SKIN is currently airing on HBO Canada, while Season 4 of the internationally renowned genre darling, ORPHAN BLACK and its companion after-show AFTER THE BLACK (produced by INNERSPACE) are currently continuing on Space

Comedy

• JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS returns with a fourth season of all-star laughs from the famed Montréal comedy festival (Comedy)
• New cult favourite and breakout hit LETTERKENNY returns for a second season (CraveTV)

Factual

• The most-watched original series on entertainment specialty among key adult demos, CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, enters its 12th season (Discovery)
• Newfoundland's COLDWATER COWBOYS is back for more high seas adventure in Season 4 (Discovery)
• Entertaining and educational hit series, HIGHWAY THRU HELL, returns for Season 5 (Discovery)
• Long-time international favourite, HOW IT'S MADE, returns for an incredible 28^th season (Discovery), along with:
  • JADE FEVER (Discovery, Season 3)
  • MAYDAY (Discovery, Season 16)
  • MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS (Discovery, Season 2)
  • VEGAS RAT RODS (Discovery, Season 3)

Events & Specials

• The ground-breaking, crowd-sourced broadcast event CANADA IN A DAY, in celebration of Canada's upcoming 150^th anniversary, headlines Bell Media's slate of new original movies, documentaries, and specials for the 2016/17 broadcast year. The slate also includes:
  • THE 2017 JUNO AWARDS (CTV)
  • BUILDING STAR TREK (Discovery)
  • DEATH OF A COMET (Discovery)
  • IHEARTRADIO MUCH MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS (Much)
  • JUPITER: CLOSE ENCOUNTER (Discovery)
  • WE DAY 2016 (MTV)

Returning Bell Media Production Original Series for 2016/17

Complementing this fulsome slate of original Canadian independent productions is a robust lineup of top-rated in-house entertainment productions from Bell Media Production renewed for new seasons in 2016/17:

• Canada's most-watched entertainment news program, ETALK
• The country's #1 and #2 Canadian daytime series, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW and THE SOCIAL
• As announced Monday, new daytime series YOUR MORNING
• Flagship science and technology program, DAILY PLANET (Discovery)
• Genre entertainment series, INNERSPACE (Space) and its series of after-shows

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Bell Media PR on Twitter
Bell Media on Facebook

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 original series LETTERKENNY and RUSSELL PETERS IS THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, 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 Production
Bell Media's in-house production arm, Bell Media Production, creates some of Canada's most-watched original series and specials, including CTV's ETALK, the most-watched entertainment newsmagazine in Canada, YOUR MORNING, CTV's newest national morning program, the #1 and #2 Canadian daytime series in the country, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW and THE SOCIAL, and the annual street level awards show THE IHEARTRADIO MUCH MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS. Bell Media Production also helms interstitial programming for E!, Space flagship daily genre entertainment program, INNERSPACE, and Discovery Canada's flagship daily magazine program DAILY PLANET, via in-house production company, Exploration Production Inc. (EPI).

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 30,000 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: Numeris, Sep 21, 2015 – May 22, 2016. Entertainment specialty ranking based on Aug 31, 2015 – May 8, 2016. Local news ranking based on Spring 2016 diary survey, A25-54.

SOURCE Bell Media

Sara McLaren, Bell Media, 416.384.6104, [email protected]