Corus is adding to its portfolio of women’s specialty television channels (which include Cosmopolitan TV and W Network) with VIVA, targeted to Canadian women aged 40 to 64. Set to launch Nov. 3 at 6 am ET, it’s a rebranding of analog specialty channel CLT (Canadian Learning Television) and will be available in five million households.
‘We are excited about introducing Canadians to VIVA, a service that will provide boomer women with the kind of programming that reflects who they are and where they are at this time in their lives,’ says Susan Ross, EVP/GM, specialty and pay television, Corus Entertainment.
The network’s programming slate will focus on intelligent dramas, critically acclaimed films and contemporary lifestyle programming. Its lineup will feature the Canadian premiere of Lost in Austen, a four-part program about a woman obsessed with Jane Austen novels who finds herself transported to the world of Pride and Prejudice as Elizabeth Bennet’s doppelganger. The show, which won acclaim in the UK, is set to debut on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 8 pm ET.
Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis of Thelma and Louise fame, will air Monday to Thursday at 8 pm ET. As well, new Canadian original programming is in production and will join the network’s slate in early 2009.
