CBC

Upfront review: Could CBC be back? The folks at the public network were certainly talking the talk, almost gloating during their upfront, held in CBC’s Toronto HQ. They trotted out Canadian glitz with The Hour’s George Stroumboulopoulos hosting a taut, funny, 50-minute talk-show style presentation of the upcoming season, complete with appearances by homegrown stars from hits Little Mosque on the Prairie and Dragons’ Den. High marks for the presentation quality. Not so much for the boxed lunches.

Context: Last year, barely eight weeks into the job, Kirstine Layfield, ED, network programming, labeled the season ‘a transition year.’ Twelve months later it’s been crowned the ‘highest overall ratings in five years.’ Despite a recent flag raised by Canadian Media Research that questions the claim, few will argue – buoyed by Little Mosque and Test the Nation – that there has been more buzz and more higher-rated shows for the CBC in the past 12 months than in previous years.

2007/8 primetime strategy: The net is sticking with what works, only tweaking its fall sked. The focus remains on sketch comedy, factual entertainment and news, areas that traditionally do well. So there’s more of the comedy Mosque, to the tune of 20 episodes, up from eight; a dash of reality TV with No Opportunity Wasted, featuring Phil Keoghan, host of ABC’s hit reality series, Amazing Race; and Who Do You Think You Are?, which follows Canadian celebs as they uncover their family histories.

Execs are also very excited about The Tudors, a Canada-Ireland coproduction that stars young hottie Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Henry VIII, and airs on Showtime in the U.S. It was recently renewed there for a second season. It will run on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The only other new drama, Heartland, set in the Alberta Rockies, will air on Sundays at 7 p.m. Torchwood, a BBC production from the folks behind Doctor Who, runs Fridays at 9 p.m. Returning shows include Intelligence and The Hour.

Media buyer’s take: ‘It’s going be a soft season for them,’ says Atreyee Dey, group media manager at PHD. ‘They’re really pushing The Tudors. I think it will do well as it’s running on Tuesdays right after Rick Mercer and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.’ She says the net is also hoping to tap into the success of the reality genre with the Keoghan product. Ultimately, though, ‘this season is going to be consistent with last season,’ she says. ‘It’s a safe, conservative bet.’

CTV

Upfront review: Held in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the number one net’s affair was swank. Appearances by Kate Walsh (Private Practice), Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) and Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money) added to the glitter. But it was all a mere second act to M2 Universal’s Hugh Dow, MBS/The Media Company’s Helena Shelton, Mediaedge:cia’s Bruce Neve, OMD’s Kim Dougherty and Starcom MediaVest’s Valerie McMoran, who performed with contestants from season two of So You Think You Can Dance. Trust us, you had to see it to believe it. An especially big shout out to dance-off winner Neve for so admirably shaking his junk. Now, on to business.

Context: ‘We’ve been number one the past five years,’ said Ivan Fecan, president/CEO of CTVglobemedia. With returning hot properties like CSI I, II and III, Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds, CTV had few gaps to fill.

2007/8 primetime strategy: President of programming Susanne Boyce announced the net had picked up only seven new shows – the same as last year – six dramas and one comedy. Sixteen shows are returning, so the strategy is about building. Young viewers, notably males, are a key focus for the upcoming year. Securing the rights to NFL football on Sundays should help guarantee that. Gossip Girl, from the producers of The OC, also highlights the net’s plans to continue to drive viewers online with exclusive digital content. For example, its website will lead to an online world where viewers can create avatars and get fashion tips from a Gossip Girl-style team.

Media buyer’s take: ‘They didn’t have a lot of work to do,’ says Joe Haig, Toronto-based group broadcast manager at Initiative Media. Still, he notes, the net is taking risks, namely with Pushing Daisies, dubbed a forensic fairytale that feels like a comedic Twin Peaks. It ‘could be a show that gets a loyal, but not big, following,’ he predicts. Haig also notes that on Thursdays the network is shifting CSI out of simulcast from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m., to make room for Big Shots, at 10 p.m. They’re clearly optimistic about this show, dubbed Sex and the City with men, and want ‘to give it the greatest amount of reach.’

CANWEST

Upfront review: Chipper ET Canada host Cheryl Hickey was the mistress of ceremonies in a killer pair of stilettos at the CanWest presentation held at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Clocking in at about an hour and a half, it was the lengthiest of the presentations. In terms of star power, there were some Heroes (Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar), a brother (Balthazar Getty from Brothers & Sisters) and a heartthrob (Jimmy Smits broadcast from L.A., pitching his new show, Cane). American Idol host Ryan Seacrest also showed up on E! duty, as the face of the brand in the U.S.

Context: CanWest had some programming holes to fill. Shows like Vanished, Kidnapped and Six Degrees, thought to be good bets last year, failed to generate huge audiences and were canned. In April, it was announced CH would become E! in September.

2007/8 primetime strategy: ‘We’re more determined than ever to be number one,’ said Kathleen Dore, president, TV and radio, CanWest MediaWorks during the presentation. To do that, the net will use its proven properties to lead into its roster of new shows – with most debuting in the 10 p.m. timeslot. ‘Monday is the anchor for our whole week,’ said Barbara Williams, SVP, programming and production. That night’s lineup includes Prison Break, Heroes and Journeyman. ‘[Wednesdays] have been a challenging night for us in the past,’ she said, ‘but we’ve found the solution this year.’ The new Kelsey Grammer comedy, Back to You, starts off a night that includes returning Bones and a promising cop drama, Life. CanWest execs also boasted that the net will have the most simulcast hours.

Media buyer’s take: ‘Global is dominant in terms of simulcast,’ says Joe Haig, group broadcast manager, Initiative. ‘Hopefully that will translate into successes for them.’ He predicts that Cane on Tuesdays, with the Jimmy Smits factor, should do well. And although the net snagged the buzz-generating Grammer product as its Wednesday lead-in, it could remain a troubled night up against CTV’s Private Practice, the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff; Criminal Minds, which continues to increase viewership and CSI: NY. ‘The question on Wednesdays will be CSI versus [Global’s] Life, [but] that battle will be figured out quickly,’ he predicts.

The E! makeover? A good thing. ‘That station now has some identity, which it may have lacked in the past. It has a ‘specialty feel’ by the way they’re programming the off-prime and weekend shows.’ And he says shows like Kid Nation should generate cross-demo viewing. ‘I think it’s going to be a standout,’ he says of E! ‘It’s going to move from a could-buy to a should-buy.’

CHUM

Context: Buy-out aside, CHUM had a pretty good year. Ugly Betty was one of last year’s hottest new shows, and others, such as Men in Trees (a surprise hit and returning) and Jericho (cancelled, uproar, now reskedded) have done well. On June 8, the CRTC approved the bid by CTVglobemedia to acquire CHUM – save five TV stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg which were quickly snatched up by Rogers Media.

2007/8 primetime strategy: CHUM execs announced (there was no presentation) that the net picked up only six new shows for fall – with only two from the U.S. They admit to sticking with what’s worked, essentially geeks and the supernatural. ‘There seems to be a trend with a lot of the new shows this year to have nerds become heroes, which fits into our Citytv brand,’ Ellen Baine, VP programming, told strategy’s sister publication, broadcast journal Playback.

Chuck is a one-hour spy comedy about a computer geek turned secret agent, and supernatural dramedy Reaper follows a young man who must serve as bounty hunter for Satan. The remaining shows are Canadian productions, including Blood Ties, which follows a female detective who battles demons, and Terminal City, an original CHUM production that looks at how a family deals with cancer.

Media buyer’s take:’They had a fairly good year,’ says Sheila Malanchuk, OMD Vancouver’s media strategy manager, noting that the net had few holes to fill, and, given all the uncertainty, was unlikely to go on a buying spree at the upfronts. Reaper, however, could be a hit, as it’s been getting some buzz.

As for Rogers now poised to own the heart of the CHUM brand, Malanchuk is optimistic: ‘This is definitely good news for advertisers, because it brings increased competition among TV sellers. It also allows for greater synergy among Rogers’ many other media vehicles.’

But the big question remains how the tumultuous past few months will ultimately affect the CHUM brand. ‘While it is doubtful that Rogers would want to immediately change such a well- known and youthful brand,’ says Malanchuk, ‘it will likely want to bring its own identity to it.’