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Straight Up & Down
+ Tiger Woods’ much-hyped return to golf after a five-month absence in the wake of a bizarre car accident/sex scandal delivered solid audiences for TSN and Global. TSN’s first-round coverage on April 8 nabbed an average 742,000 viewers, marking a 63% increase over last year. Coverage on Global was up 60% versus last year, with the third round generating one million viewers, up to 1.7 million for the final round on April 11. (All numbers 2+ and based on PPM data.)
Half Staff
Eva Markvoort, the young woman whose fight with cystic fibrosis was recounted in the doc 65_RedRoses, succumbed to the illness late last month. She was 25. Markvoort, a University of Victoria student and former Miss New Westminster, chronicled her struggles with the disease in a blog before becoming the toast of the festival circuit last year on the strength of the film from directors Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji and Force Four Entertainment
Discovery eyes new channels, more online
Discovery Channel Canada is set to introduce new channels and move shows onto other platforms more easily under a new 10-year agreement between its parent CTVgm and Discovery Communications in the U.S. The deal extends the 15-year-old joint venture into 2019 and gives CTVgm access to as many as 14 other Discovery brands, with the option of launching new channels in Canada or rebranding its current services.
Euro-Canuck lab coming to Toronto
Looking to boost coproductions between Canada and Europe, the Toronto International Film Festival will host the new Producers Lab Toronto this fall. The three-day event, a collaboration with European Film Promotion and the Ontario Media Development Corporation, will join select producers from Canada and Europe in a series of pitching sessions, roundtable meetings and case studies to exchange ideas and discuss potential future copro projects.
Companies must stay Canadian, says CRTC chief
Ottawa needs to encourage competition among broadcast and telecom companies without allowing Canadian companies to fall under foreign control, according to the head of the CRTC.
Funding cuts could jeopardize CBC primetime
CBC says its primetime shows may be in jeopardy following a $12.6 million drop in funding from the Canada Media Fund, which came into effect on April 1. The pubcaster’s envelope for the upcoming broadcast year totals $96.5 million, down from the roughly $109 million it received last year from the former Canadian Television Fund. That’s despite the fact that the total amount of money available has increased by $40 million to $350 million.
Montreal bounces back
The service sector is booming in Quebec this year, with production spending already at $210 million, nearly double what it was for the entire year in 2009, says the province’s film commissioner Hans Fraikin.
New hockey highs for CBC, TSN
CBC and TSN had a friend this year in BBM’s Personal People Meters, which helped grow audiences to new heights over the NHL’s 2009/10 regular season.
Brits, Americans lead Rockies
The U.K. and the U.S. lead the race into this year’s Rockie Awards, followed closely by Canada on the strength of programs including Little Mosque on the Prairie, Til Debt Do Us Part and several pilots.
In Production Listings
Following is a coast-to-coast listing of productions currently shooting in Canada.
Rutger Hauer shooting Shotgun
Feature version of mock exploitation trailer starts work in Nova Scotia — with Dutch star playing well-armed hobo
Adam Kane directing Haven
Suspense drama goes to camera as Syfy, Showcase set dates for July
Crocs tops at Sprockets
German feature heads home with two wins, including audience choice prize
History keeps on truckin’
Ice Road Truckers hangs on to its half-million viewers through third season
The definitive CDN broadcast and production resource.Over 5,000 company listings!
