Despite the abrupt cancellation of ABC’s The One, CBC programming boss Kirstine Layfield says the Canadian version of the singing competition, scheduled to air during the pubcaster’s 2006/07 season, may still happen.

‘We still have the Canadian version in the early stages of development,’ says Layfield, adding that CBC – which simulcast the ABC version to dismal ratings – will now take some time to look at its shortcomings and decide how to proceed. ‘The reason for [airing the U.S. version] in the first place was to be able to see what the reaction from the Canadian audience would be.’

Hosted by The Hour’s George Stroumboulopoulos, the two-hour premiere of The One on July 18 drew just 236,000 viewers to its Tuesday 9 p.m. slot on CBC, with the 60-minute results show garnering an even worse 210,000 the following night, according to Nielsen. The premiere saw The National bumped to 11 p.m., yet, ironically, the news show, covering the current turmoil in the Middle East, outdrew The One with a consistent 556,000 viewers.

The One’s drop continued in its second and final performance episode on July 25, with about 150,000 viewers. Two days later, ABC cancelled the series with nine contestants remaining and no winner. Its premiere had drawn just 3.1 million viewers in the U.S., the worst debut ever for a network reality show.

Florence Ng, VP of broadcast investment at media buyer Zenith Optimedia, feels the show’s failure was, in part, a timing issue, as it debuted after the premieres of Rock Star: Supernova – which is doing big numbers for Global – and CTV’s Canadian Idol, and with little promotion. Targeted and widespread marketing will be integral for the success of a Canadian version, says Ng.

‘If you only promote it on CBC that’s not going to help because you are just hitting the people that already watch CBC,’ says Ng. ‘CBC is trying to cater to a slightly younger audience, but the people that watch CBC are [generally] older. It’s not always a case of if you have the program, people will come.’

Layfield assures that if the Canadian version goes forward, it will be built up more leading to its premiere. If built properly, Ng believes that a Canadian version of The One may still resonate with advertisers.

Both Idol and Rock Star continued to thrive in competition with The One. On July 17, Idol’s 90-minute performance show brought in a strong 2.2 million at 8 p.m., according to BBM. The results show grabbed 1.4 million viewers the following night, also at 8 p.m. Rock Star, going head-to-head with The One’s first hour at 9 p.m., garnered 1.1 million for Global on July 18. Its results show saw nearly 700,000 return the following night at 8 p.m.

Although Idol may be winning in the overall 2+ category, Ng argues that Rock Star may be a sexier option for advertisers as it draws its biggest numbers in the 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 age ranges.

‘Rock Star is probably doing the best numbers,’ says Ng. ‘The adult numbers for Canadian Idol are a little bit lower, but pick up a little on the female side. Rock Star is more balanced in terms of male and female.’

CTV is using Idol to generate good numbers for its other Canadian productions. The premiere of Instant Star’s second season drew a decent 592,000 after Idol on July 18, and an episode of Whistler – which had been slow out of the gates – drew 581,000 after Idol on July 24 at 9 p.m. It garnered just 442,000 in its regular Sunday 10 p.m. spot the night before.

The net is dominating the summer, having held the top five ratings spots for every week in July on the backs of Idol, and U.S. imports So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent. The exception is CTV’s own TSN, which slid into the top five with a World Cup semi-final on July 2.

Meanwhile, TSN has dumped WWE Raw after 11 years in favor of NFL Monday Night Football, beginning in the fall. Raw moves to The Score. Global has picked up the wrestling league’s weekly Extreme Championship Wrestling program – featuring a more ‘hardcore’ style, replete with barbed wire and thumbtacks – and will air it on Fridays at midnight beginning this month. ECW debuted with 3.4 million viewers on the Sci-Fi Network in the U.S. on June 13, making it the highest-rated program on cable TV that week.

TSN will air NFL’s Monday nighters come September, plus match-ups on Thursdays and Saturdays, giving the sportscaster 42 regular season games.

Over at Rogers Sportsnet – where a recent shakeup saw Scott Morrison, the head of Sportsnet News, and senior producer Jeff MacDonald let go due to reported morale problems in the newsroom – Blue Jays baseball continues to draw good numbers. The season average for Jays games as of July 24 was 381,000. Last year’s average to the same date was 311,000.

Sportsnet is in the process of applying to the CRTC for permission to broadcast Canadian-produced sports-related drama programs and movies, looking for a deal similar to the one the regulator made with TSN last year.