NBA Finals see decline in the U.S., but sets records in Canada

Toronto Raptors clinch title, but ratings down as expected south of the 49th parallel T Dog Media nearly hits viewership projection on target The Toronto Raptors clinched their first NBA title last week, but for ABC and ESPN, they weren’t exactly celebrating. But in Canada, Bell and Rogers were popping champagne corks and partying with the Raptors. Nielsen ratings show […]

‘Family Feud’s” Canadian expansion

Classic game show to get Canadian version. But I have news about James Holzhauer! (keep reading below; does contains spoilers.) Question: What American game show in getting its own version in another country? Show me Canada! Good answer. Fremantle Media and the CBC announced Wednesday it is launching a new prime-time version of Family Feud north of the border this […]

"Teenager" whips "Gossip Girl"

Does TV Week still think Gossip Girl is a hot show? Well, here’s an even hotter show. ABC Family’s Secret Diary Of An American Teenager blew Gossip Girl out of the water last night in total viewers (4.5 vs. 2.2 million), in adults 18-34 (by 50%), adults 18-49 (by 43%) and viewers 12-34 (by 123%). It was the second half […]

Rogers to bid for more U.S. shows?

Will Rogers bid on more U.S. shows? That’s the question many media watchers are asking now that Canadian cable giant Rogers Communications has bought the five CityTV stations from CTVglobemedia, thanks to a forced divestiture by the CRTC after CTV bought Chum, Ltd, the former owners of CityTV. Rogers is buying CityTV formatted stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and […]

End of an era in Toronto

(Editor’s Note: Thanks to the anonymous poster who pointed out the incorrect date I wrote regarding the sign-on date on CITY-TV in Toronto. I wrote 1979. D’oh! The correct date was 1972. The post has since been corrected. If anyone spots an incorrect item, let me know by posting in the comments section, and I’ll correct it as soon as […]

CRTC approves CTV-CHUM marriage

Canada’s version of the FCC, the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, approved the merger between CTV Globemedia and CHUM, Ltd. However, the comission did not approve thhe transdfer of five television stations – in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, given the fact that CTV already owns a television station in each market. Hadn’t it done so, it would have […]