MONTREAL — As Quebec’s major networks roll out their new fall lineups all eyes are on the ruthless Sunday night ratings showdown between the province’s largest private network, TVA, and pubcaster Radio-Canada.

TVA appears to want to quash its main competitor by jamming two of its most popular programs opposite the talk fest Tout le monde en parle, Radio-Canada’s top show for three straight seasons, which pulls in, on average, 1.7 million viewers per episode. (All ratings BBM 2+.)

On Sundays, TVA plans to air its hit Le Banquier, the Quebec version of Deal or No Deal, at 7 p.m. and its long-running reality dating program Occupation Double from 8-9:30 p.m. Double drew 1.7 million viewers at the peak of its popularity last fall, while Le Banquier, which is produced and hosted by Quebec media diva Julie Snyder, was the most-watched program in Quebec last year, attracting an average of two million.

‘Sunday night is the most important TV night in Quebec, and this year the networks will be head to head. But Le Banquier will be number one,’ predicts Jean-Pierre Giroux, the VP of ad firm Touché!phd. Thirty seconds of ad time on the coveted 8-10 p.m. slot costs between $15,000 and $20,000, roughly twice the normal rate, says the media buyer. Giroux believes TVA will win the battle because it has packed its Sunday night with family-oriented programs such as Le Banquier, which is preceded by kiddie talent contest L’école des fans.

Though Quebec viewers will likely do lots of channel surfing, ‘Le Banquier is a really strong locomotive to keep their audience for the entire evening,’ agrees Luc Cormier, EVP of the communications strategy firm Media Experts.

TVA’s aggressive Sunday night programming has caused a bit of an uproar in la belle province. TMOP host and coproducer Guy A. Lepage publicly accused TVA of lacking respect for Quebec viewers. At the launch of TVA’s new season, the network’s VP of programming France Lauzière laughed when queried about Lepage’s outburst. ‘We find this whole thing quite amusing. Sunday night is the biggest night for viewers. So we decided to fight back.’

Unlike the past few seasons, SRC is bringing back old favorites and continuing to build audiences for shows it launched last year, says Giroux. ‘SRC is being more prudent this year. They are going with sure bets, and the new shows they are launching feature popular personalities from the Quebec star system.’

One of those is the much-awaited 20 x 30 Les Boys from Melenny Productions, based on the hit comedy movies about a garage-league hockey team, set to air Mondays at 9 p.m.

‘Les Boys is going to be very popular. Everyone is familiar with the characters and we will have the chance to see them evolve,’ says SRC spokeswoman Guylaine O’Farrell.

Also on Monday, SRC is bringing back its hit sitcom Rumeurs at 7:30 p.m., followed by the popular téléroman L’auberge du chien noir. Despite average ratings last year, the French-language network is giving the 13-ep comedy C.A. by Novem Télévision a second try on Mondays at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night on the pubcaster remains much the same as it did last year, with the popular weekly hour-long soap Providence airing at 8 p.m. and the 13 x 60 dramatic comedy Les hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin at 9 p.m. Both are produced by Sphère Média Plus.

TVA is launching two new dramas this year, both on Wednesdays. Pixcom’s Destinées at 8 p.m. is a 26-episode drama that takes place in a plastic surgery clinic, while Duo Productions’ 10 x 60 Les soeurs Elliot at 9 p.m. follows two sisters whose father returns after vanishing 30 years earlier.

The big audience grab this fall for cable network TQS — which has a market share of roughly 12%, compared to SRC’s 15% and TVA’s 30% — is its Big Brother-style reality The Loft Story. The weekly ‘gala’ program airs Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

‘The Loft is a major program for TQS. It pulls in at least one million people every day,’ points out Giroux.