CTV’S Canadian Idol drew more than two million viewers for its premiere episode on June 9. That’s a big number for a Canadian show under any circumstances, but given that CI, another international version of U.K. smash Pop Idol, went head to head with the first period of game seven of the Stanley Cup Final between the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, it’s a near miracle it was even competitive. As it stands, game seven generated about 2.6 million viewers for CBC.

CTV’s senior VP of comedy and variety programming, Ed Robinson, is ‘thrilled’ by the viewer numbers, but admits things would have been much different if a Canadian team had made it to the final.

‘We were lucky in that regard, but to come that close to any game seven in the Stanley Cup Final, I still don’t quite believe it,’ says Robinson.

Canadian Idol, funded almost entirely by the BCE Benefits Program, premiered with segments on auditions in Western Canada, which attracted thousands of Idol hopefuls.

The similarities between Canadian Idol and Fox Television’s hit American Idol include the theme song, opening graphics and a non-threatening male host in Ben Mulroney. Robinson is hopeful that the ratings will also ape CI’s American cousin.

‘The trend seems to be on this show, wherever it plays, that the first few episodes build and then when the rounds of 10 [contestants, whittled down from the thousands who audition] begin and the audience starts to vote, there is a slight dip. But once it gets to the final group of 10, it starts to build again toward the finale,’ says Robinson, who is admittedly nervous to jinx himself by predicting a finale rating. This season’s American Idol live finale generated nearly 40 million viewers in its home country, and 3.4 million more in Canada.

Canadian Idol airs Mondays 8-9 p.m. and, beginning July 8, a live half-hour segment will run Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.

The two-million viewer number for the Canadian Idol opener can be attributed to word of mouth inspired by American Idol’s success, the heavy Canadian Idol promotion on American Idol and other CTV programming, and steps the network has taken to spread the word through another of its shows. CTV’s etalk DAILY, an entertainment news show featuring Mulroney, moved to weeknights on the main CTV network from its daytime slot to lead into CI, bumping longtime slot holder Wheel of Fortune (which was in reruns for the summer – sorry Grandma).

According to etalk executive producer Jordan Schwartz, the purpose of putting the show on in primetime, at least in part, is to hype Canadian Idol and serve as a resource for fans salivating for backstage news about the still unnamed contestants.

He says the opportunity could be very beneficial for the show, adding it now has a different primetime feel, with a new set and revamped look. He says, however, that even though the link between this move to primetime and Idol being the CTV flagship show for the summer season is fairly obvious, etalk will remain ‘well-rounded.’

‘It’s not like we’re ignoring our music segments; it’s not like we’re not going on movie junkets and talking to the stars,’ says Schwartz. ‘We’re still doing all that and we still have our daily news. It’s not Canadian Idol all the time, but it is a focus.’

Robinson says that etalk’s affiliation with CI is an experiment of sorts, and the model of using one network program to promote another may be a one-time thing, but the connection is proving beneficial to both properties in the early going.

When Playback spoke to Robinson, ratings for the first three etalk primetime episodes were available, and in Ontario it beat the syndicated Entertainment Tonight two out of three nights. That unquestionably looks good for etalk, and Schwartz hopes for big things even after Canada has found its Idol.

‘My fingers are crossed,’ he says. ‘Hopefully we’ll blow them away.’

-www.ctv.ca