*Global looking to tweens

Global Television’s application to extend Cancon-qualifiable primetime to 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday is filed to allow Global ‘more flexibility to air family-oriented programming,’ says CanWest Global Systems president Jim Sward. ‘Canadian producers are finding a niche in the tween market and we’d like to be better able to maximize the availability.’

As it stands, Global’s licence requires it to broadcast a minimum average of four hours weekly of Canadian programming from the underpresented categories between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The deadline for intervention was Nov. 12.

In Global programming news, in the midst of unusually low ratings for fall tv, numbers for the Nov. 2 X-Files season premiere are on record as the highest audience draw this season to date.

According to A.C. Nielsen’s Toronto/Hamilton People Metres, the program gathered a 31.2 rating in the 18-49 demo, translating into an audience of 2.2 million in Ontario alone. The 12-17 bracket recorded a whopping 47.1 rating.

*Atlantis Cottontail series

Toronto’s Atlantis has inked a deal with Green Lights Films of Vancouver to develop a half-hour animated kids’ series, The World of Peter Cottontail.

The series will be based on the works of American writer Thornton W. Burgess, whose Peter Cottontail children’s books have been in print for the past eight decades through u.s. publisher Little, Brown and Co. and, more recently, New York’s Dover Publications.

Atlantis says it will have international distribution rights to The World of Peter Cottontail as well as international merchandising rights. Plans are reportedly well underway on the international licensing of the series and production is tentatively scheduled for 1998 in Vancouver.

In other Atlantis news, the company’s two new television drama series, Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict and Nightman, are the number one and number two ranked first-run series premiering in syndication in the u.s. this season, according to Nielsen Television Index tv ratings statistics.

Both shows are syndicated in the u.s. by Tribune Entertainment. The Toronto-filmed Earth: Final Conflict debuted to a 5.2. Nightman is generating a 4.6 rating.

Atlantis has officially organized its broadcasting activities under the banner of Atlantis Broadcasting and named Juris Silkans, president of Life Network and HGTV-Canada, president of Atlantis Broadcasting.

*CTCPF pitches to Finance

Representatives of the ctcpf, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the cbc, the Canadian Cable Television Association, the cftpa and the afptq, and the Specialty and Premium Television Association met with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance Nov. 3 to pitch for renewal of the ctcpf.

Led by ctcpf interim chair Peter Herrndorf, the group asked that the current federal infusion of $100 million into the ctcpf be renewed and continued long-term. In attendance were cftpa president Elizabeth McDonald, tva’s Andre Provencher, Global Television’s Loren Mawhinney, cbc executive director of arts and entertainment programming Phyllis Platt, Radio-Canada director of programming Charles Ohayon, Jay Thomson, vp legal and regulatory affairs for the ccta, sptv president Jane Logan, lfp executive director Garry Toth, and Telefilm’s Danny Chalifour representing the eip.

With the ctcpf, 376 projects were financed in 1996/97, resulting in production of 2,221 more hours of primetime Canadian programming, all in the underserved categories of drama (29% of total allocation), documentaries (24%), children’s programming (33%), and variety and arts programming (14%).

*WIC signs Recall, interns

In their first collaboration, Alliance’s new action-adventure series Total Recall: The Series has been licensed in Canada to WIC Entertainment. The 22-episode series will debut in fall 1998 on wic stations across the country.

Total Recall will be syndicated in the u.s. by PolyGram Television. Alliance is handling international distribution.

In other wic news, WIC Television is giving 50 post-secondary broadcasting enthusiasts a chance at hands-on experience in tv via a new internship program.

*Journey begins

Preproduction has begun on The Film Works’ $4-million production of Such A Long Journey, a feature film based on the book of the same name penned by Rohinton Mistry.

The film version of the novel, which won the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Prize in the u.k. and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, is being directed by Sturla Gunnarsson (Gerrie and Louise). Principal photography in Mumbai, India, is set to go Dec. 10 to Jan. 27.

Norstar is distributing in Canada. The Sales Company has worldwide rights.

*Pippi sets sail

The first full-length animated musical feature starring the pigtailed Swedish icon Pippi Longstocking debuted in Toronto Nov. 14. The $10-million Nelvana coproduction is being distributed in Canada by Malofilm.

Pippi Longstocking will have a limited release in Toronto, opening in six theaters, and will open in Quebec over the March break. Plans for a nationwide theatrical release remain a work in progress.

Pippi Longstocking will have a limited release in Toronto, opening in six theaters, and will open in Quebec over the March break. Plans for a nationwide theatrical release remain a work in progress.

The film uses over 1,300 background paintings and approximately 100,000 cels.

Pippi is a coproduction between Toronto’s Nelvana, Sweden’s AB Svensk Filmindustri and Germany’s Idunafilm/Trickompany Filmproductions GmbH.

Nelvana’s seventh full-length animated feature will be Barbarella, likely a Canada/France coproduction.

*Paragon animates Roy

Toronto’s Paragon Entertainment, through its animation division (formerly Lacewood Studios), and All American Television have concluded a deal to jointly develop, produce and distribute an initial 26 episodes of Roy Rogers Show.

The new half-hour animated series will be based on the legendary motion picture and television western hero and apparently will be coproduced with French animation house Pixibox Studios.

u.s. distribution will be handled by All American, Pixibox will distribute in France, and Accolade Releasing, exclusive sales agent for Paragon, will handle international sales in conjunction with All American.

Paragon and All American will be soliciting the participation of major toy companies for licensing opportunities on the series. Pearson, plc is currently in the process of acquiring All American.

*Doubly exposed

Baton Broadcasting’s Double Exposure will debut Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. and repeat at 9 p.m. on The Comedy Network. The comedy duo of Bob Robertson and Linda Cullen have been signed for their debut tv series gig for 26 episodes. Double Exposure’s New Year’s comedy special Swift Kick in the Year End recorded a national audience of 1.2 million viewers.

Executive producer Nick Orchard (Cosmic Highway, Eastenders, The Beachcombers) is directing the series, a coproduction from Cullen Robertson Productions, Soapbox Productions and Baton.

*Que. box office

Theatrical box office returns in the Quebec market for recent high-profile Canadian movies are somewhat disappointing, with Michel Poulette’s film noir thriller La Conciergerie (CFP Distribution) grossing $233,000 after five weeks. The Christian Duguay espionage/action film The Assignment (Motion International) had earnings of $252,000 after four weeks while Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter (Alliance Vivafilm) pulled in $50,000 in its French version and $36,900 in English for combined three-week receipts of $86,900.

The three films benefited from extensive marketing and press coverage, particularly The Sweet Hereafter. The figures include Oct. 30 but not the opening Oct. 31-Nov. 2 weekend.

*People

At Sullivan Entertainment, Kim Yu has been appointed to the position of vp communications; Frank Tralli, who left his position as director of finance at Paragon Entertainment, is vp finance; and Jeff Grottick is now vp of home video and acquisitions.

Northbridge Programming and North American Television, distributor of trio and Newsworld International television channels, has appointed Kirstine Layfield as general manager and vp, programming. Layfield’s responsibilities will include program acquisitions and network programming for trio.

At Movie Vista Productions in Vancouver, union veteran George Chapman has joined the company as vp of in-house and service production, and Rob Jackes, formerly with Cannell Productions, has been named mvp’s vp finance

Booker Adrian Herscovici has left Everest Entertainment to join MGM Canada’s Toronto office.