Bell


Canada’s Bell Media cuts jobs & TV output blaming ‘unsupportive’ government

Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) is slashing almost 10% of its workforce, with TV output and radio stations among affected areas. BCE’s subsidiary Bell Media said the cuts would affect its news programming output, with weekday offerings at noon on CTV stations ending in all states, except in Toronto. Early and late evening newscasts are also […]

Writer’s room: Franck Philippon

Mirage is the story of the destiny of an ordinary woman, Claire, who is thrust into the dangerous world of espionage and has to take control of her fate. Our first writing challenge was to combine the plot of a spy thriller with the emotional ingredients of a family drama. Finding the balance between these […]

CTV scoops LA Screenings series

CTV has picked up several of the Hollywood studios new season shows that launched at the LA Screenings. The broadcaster has taken linear rights and SVOD in many cases, meaning series can also go out on CraveTV. Announcing its new season slate, the Bell-owned free TV net revealed it has acquired Sony Pictures Television’s crime/legal […]

CTV buys The X Files

Canadian broadcaster CTV has bought the new X-Files series. The reboot of the classic show will go out on CTV’s air, starting in late January. It will also be on the CTV Go catch-up service and will then be added to the line-up on the CraveTV streaming service, which like CTV, is owned and operated […]

Bell giving Greenpeace doc multiplatform launch

Canadian media giant Bell is launching feature doc How to Change the World across pay TV, SVOD and free-TV, starting early next month. The doc follows the story of Greenpeace, and the multiplatform launch will be timed to coincide with a United Nations climate conference in Paris. The film will debut on HBO Canada, a […]

Smart move by Canada’s Crave SVOD

Canadian SVOD service CraveTV has launched on connected TVs. The service, which is owned by telco Bell, was previously available over the top and via Chromecast and Apple TV, but not via smart TV apps. It will now launch on Samsung connected sets. CraveTV has deals with HBO and Showtime among others. It has almost […]

Gusto adds spice to foodie market

“There is no owners manual that comes with a broadcast license,” says Knight Enterprises’ Chris Knight about his fledgling food channel Gusto. Still less than 18 months old, it has cornered the classic food TV market and having moved into originals, was at MIPTV with two series, A is for Apple (below) and One World […]

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, […]

Canadian Netflix rival snags Amazon originals

Canadian SVOD service Shomi has acquired exclusive local rights to a raft of Amazon’s original programming. Shomi launched last year and is going up against Netflix and Latte in an increasingly competitive Canadian streaming market. It has now added to its exclusive line-up with several of Amazon Studios original series, which go out on its […]

Canadian Netflix rival taps into The Wire

Canadian OTT service CraveTV has acquired all seasons of The Wire and will launch remastered episodes of the classic HBO series. Recently-launched CraveTV has been on a buying spree to bulk up its catalogue, and The Wire is the latest in a long line of recent TV series acquisitions. In Canada it has exclusive rights […]