The CBC has signed a six-year exclusive broadcast deal with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to air the Juno Awards.

The broadcast rights had been with CTV for the past 16 years, and culminated with the 2017 awards, broadcast live from Ottawa on April 2.

According to overnight ratings, 1.2 million Canadians watched this year’s show live, and another 278,000 watched the repeat at midnight (EST), according to Numeris numbers from Bell Media.

The 2018 Juno Awards will be broadcast live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Sunday March 25, 2018. Juno Week celebrations will run from March 19 through March 25.

In a statement announcing the deal, Heather Conway, executive vice-president of CBC English Services, said the pubcaster will invest in new music programming initiatives. She also referenced the CBC’s broadcast of the Tragically Hip’s concert last August – which 11.7 million Canadians tuned into – as a way that it has connected Canadians through music.

In addition to broadcasting the Junos, the CBC will also add new music programming and special events to its lineup throughout the year, and cover a more diverse range of genres and musicians. More details on programming will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Sponsors of the 2017 Juno Awards included Via Rail, TD, Google Play Music and Casper.

Image: The Arkells performing at the 2017 Juno Awards