Mike Cosentino


Banijay Rights sends USA’s Temptation Island up north

Banijay Rights has sold its US reboot of Temptation Island into Canada’s Bell Media. USA Network’s 11-episode revival of the classic format is to air on broadcaster CTV, E! and SVOD service Crave. Produced by Banijay Studios North America, the new series is to premiere on the American cable channel later this month. Temptation Island […]

Cosentino rises as Bell reshuffles top team

Canadian media giant has placed Mike Cosentino in charge of English-language programming and SVOD service CraveTV as part of a wider reshuffle. Bell has promoted Cosentino (pictured), production chief Nanci MacLean and TSN president Stewart Johnston to new positions after Stuart Garvie moved to become CEO of GroupM Canada. The changes come six months after […]

Young Sheldon finds home on CTV

Young Sheldon is among a number of new US broadcast shows that Canadian broadcaster CTV has acquired for its 2017/18 season schedule. The Big Bang Theory single cam spin-off (pictured) has gone to the Bell Media-owned network along with comedies My, Myself & I; The Mayor; and the Roseanne reboot. CTV has also acquired the […]

Canada’s CraveTV orders OTT original

CraveTV has ordered What Would Sal Do?, a slacker comedy about a guy who discovers he is the second coming. The 8x30mins comedy will be written by Andrew De Angelis (Orphan Black) and is the Canadian OTT service’s third Canada-originated original. It hails from New Metric Media, which made LetterKenny, CraveTV’s first ever original, and […]

Bell restructures TV as Vivolo exits

Canadian telco Bell has restructured the exec team at TV operations in the wake of Domenic Vivolo leaving the business. Vivolo (left) leaves at the end of the week to ‘pursue other opportunities’. As president, content sales, marketing and digital products, he has overseen programme sales and marketing across Bell’s bouquet of cable nets, its […]

CTV reveals Screenings acquisitions

Canada’s CTV has acquired eight new series that launched internationally last week at the LA Screenings. The Canuck network bought Designated Survivor and Conviction from Entertainment One Television; This is Us and The Exorcist from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, Notorious from Sony Pictures Television; American Housewife from Disney Media Distribution; and Time After Time […]

SVOD service Crave orders first original series

Canadian SVOD service Crave has ordered Letterkenny, an original half-hour comedy based upon the shortform digital series Letterkenny Problems. Crave is owned by Canadian telco Bell and will make Letterkenny with Bell’s specialty channel The Comedy Network. The six-part series and shorts were created by Jared Keeso, star of Bravo series 19-2. New Metric Media, […]

Bell undercuts Netflix with CraveTV

Canadian telco and TV firm Bell is undercutting Netflix with its C$4 (US$3.52) a month OTT service, CraveTV. The service, previously known as ‘Project Latte’ (because, Bell says, the monthly fee is the same price as a latte), will roll out next Thursday (December 11) and cost half as much as its major rivals, Netflix […]

Canada’s Bell latest to take on Netflix with Latte

Canadian telco and broadcaster Bell will launch a TV streaming service with content from HBO and several Hollywood studios. The service does not have a name, but is code-named Project Latte, and said it will differentiate itself from services such as Shomi by offering exclusive fare. Shomi is the Netflix rival announced by Bell rivals […]

CTV buys ABC version of The Taste

CTV has acquired The Taste, the cooking competition format fronted by Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain. The Canadian free-to-air broadcaster has bought the US version of the format, which is on US network ABC. “The Taste is a great twist on the traditional culinary series.” Said Mike Cosentino, senior VP, programming, CTV Networks, Bell Media. […]