CTV has acquired the first two seasons of the critically lauded series Mad Men. The deal, announced Thursday, gives the net bragging rights as the first conventional broadcaster to nab the controversial show. Mad Men premiered on AMC last July.

The premiere date and timeslot for season one are to be announced later. However, CTV has confirmed that the series, a Golden Globe nominee for best drama, will be part of its 2008 mid-season lineup.

Advertisers are likely to be enthusiastic about getting a piece of the action says Hugh Dow, president of Toronto-based M2Universal. ‘Mad Men certainly comes to CTV with no shortage of industry accolades. The series appears capable of attracting a curious audience and will inevitably have a following from our ‘innovative yet ruthless profession,” he quips — referring to the feisty tone of the series, which is set in a cutthroat New York ad agency in the early ’60s.

CTV’s broadcast rights extend to its specialty channels. As well, the net has sewn up broadband and VOD rights for season two, which has yet to be produced.

‘It’s fitting that this acquisition comes just days after CTV broadcast the series finale of The Sopranos, which we first brought to conventional television in 2000,’ said Susanne Boyce, CTV’s president, creative, content and channels, in a statement. ‘With creator Matt Weiner, there’s a real pedigree evident in Mad Men that originates directly from The Sopranos. Weiner’s years on [that series] has manifested in the experience he brings to this next, great, big buzz show.’

Adds Dow: ‘It will be very interesting to see where and how CTV plan to launch and promote the series. Remember how effectively the network used The Sopranos against the Olympics?’

From Media in Canada