From C21 Media:
From a media release:
CBC Television announces returning shows for 2008/2009; network achieves record success this season
CBC Television broke viewership records with its 2007-2008 programming lineup. Our season-to-date prime-time share is 7.9, the highest in six years. In addition, Canadian content on the network has increased significantly over the last two years, with drama series increasing 68 per cent and comedy series up 41 per cent. This incredible success heralds the return of several new hit shows from this past season and returning favourites.
“This has been an outstanding year for CBC Television,” said Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV’s executive director of network programming. “These returning shows will be the cornerstone for next season. We’ll be announcing our new shows in the coming weeks.”
Canada’s favourite homegrown drama, The BORDER will be back with James McGowan reprising his role as Major Mike Kessler (right). HEARTLAND, a heart- warming family drama based on the international best-selling novels of the same name is also back after winning the hearts of Canadians. Debuting on CBC to nearly one million viewers, CBC’s hot and steamy co-production THE TUDORS returns for a second season and the drama continues with the marriage of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The charming comedy series SOPHIE, picked up by ABC Family, is also back with star-on-the-rise Natalie Brown returning as the hot-tempered, but loving single mom out to re-balance her life and priorities.
Returning comedy favourites include; RICK MERCER REPORT coming off its best year ever averaging 1 million viewers weekly, LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, AIR FARCE LIVE, JUST FOR LAUGHS, HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL and WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL.
CBC also continues its legacy of award-winning journalism and documentaries with the fifth estate, MARKETPLACE, DOC ZONE and THE NATURE OF THINGS.
Reality fans will see the return of the hit series DRAGONS’ DEN, TRIPLE SENSATION, TEST THE NATION and CANADA’S NEXT GREAT PRIME MINISTER.
THE HOUR with George Stroumboulopoulos is back with A-list interviews and his take on world events. And STEVEN AND CHRIS will continue to add a little bit of fabulous to daytime programming.
From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:
From BBM Canada:
From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:
From a media release:
The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) today presented an overview of the organization’s successes in funding popular, critically acclaimed television programming in its opening presentation at the CRTC’s public hearing on the future of the Fund.
“Canadians are watching CTF-funded programs,” said Valerie Creighton, President of the CTF. “Shows like The Rick Mercer Report and Little Mosque on the Prairie, regularly attain audiences of over one million. Les Boys, Annie et ses hommes, and Destinées all have drawn from one to one and a half million viewers. New shows, such as The Border, Sophie, Heartland, and The Guard are attracting 500,000 to 800,000 viewers. And a recently launched success story in the French market, Les Lavigueur, la vraie histoire, averaged over two million viewers in its first two episodes.”