Premiering with two back-to-back episodes Discovery Channel’s Ultimate Survival: Everest follows the trials and triumphs of a climbing team set out to conquer the highest mountain in the world. This six-part series airing on Sunday November 18 (at 8 p.m.) is an in-depth look at not only the mountain but the individuals climbing it. The remaining four episodes air nightly Monday, November 15 to Thursday, November 18 (8 p.m.). To countdown to the launch of the new series, Discovery will show a one-hour special Expedition Everest: The Journey Begins on Sunday, November 14 ( 7 p.m.).
And on CTV Travel channel, the net will be highlighting alpine adventure with Mountain Madness Week airing Monday, November 15 to Friday, November 19 at 9 p.m.

On November 9, the Life Network debuts Crash Test Dummy, a new reality series that substitutes mothers with a childless man or woman. Produced by Vancouver based Paperny Films, the half-hour show replaces mom with a relative, friend or neighbour chosen by hosts Charlie Lubiniecki and Dagmar Midcap. For 48-hours, the substitute must cook, clean and tend to the children while dealing with unexpected challenges and demands.

The debut of The Money Show, CBC Newsworld’s personal finance show, originally scheduled as a six-part series to begin airing Sunday, November 7 has been changed to airing only two episodes – Wednesday, November 17 and November 24 at 8 p.m.

The annual Country Music Association Awards show will be coming to Canada in a live simulcast on Tuesday, November 9 at 8 p.m. (on CMT). Before the awards go live, CMT will be airing a special one-hour interview with Shania Twain at 7 p.m.

St. John’s-based Pope Productions and Toronto’s Shaftesbury Films are now shooting a new half-hour comedy series for Family Channel. Production of 13 eps of Life With Derek wraps Dec. 1.
The series is about two brothers, aged 10 and 15, battling for power after their father remarries, forcing them, their young sister and two teen stepsisters to form an instant family.

Above and Beyond, a $9-million CBC miniseries, will start shooting in the new year. Originally intended to be six hours, the story about one of Canada’s unsung contributions to World War II has been revamped as a four-hour mini. The story focuses on Newfoundland’s Gander Airport, then the largest airfield in the world, and the ‘suicide missions’ that left there to bring much-needed bombers and fighters to Great Britain across the stormy North Atlantic. Copro partners are Pope Productions and Shaftesbury Films.
In addition, CBC is backing the series Atlantic Sound, eight one-hours, which draw on the striking similarities between Newfoundland and Ireland. The dramatic series is about a small radio station in an island community and will start shooting at the end of 2005. Pope is producing with Ireland-based Grand Pictures. Pope’s daytime soap-opera pitch Changing Tides has also been selected as one of 12 finalists in CBC’s countrywide competition. Changing Tides is about a Toronto business that comes to rural Newfoundland set on making big profits.

Le Réseau des sports (RDS) is launching a new all sports news and information service Le Réseau Info-Sports (RIS), tonight at 7 p.m. RIS will broadcast sports news bulletins in 30-minute loops that are updated continuously and coverage will include international, national and regional professional and amateur sports. Luc Bellemare, Yannick Bouchard, Stéphane Langdeau and Patrick Mahoney will be the featured anchors on this new sports news service.

New research from Decima’s The Digital Domain: Tracking the Growth and Development of the Canadian Digital TV Distribution Market found the number of Canadian households subscribing to digital TV services has bypassed the four million mark in the second quarter of 2004. In households that subscribe to a TV service, roughly four in 10 now receive a digital TV service (digital cable or satellite TV) in comparison to analog cable.
The report also found that Canada’s TV service providers added roughly the same net digital TV subscribers in Q2 of 2004 compared to the same period last year and the number of Canadian households increased their digital TV subscription services by an estimated 3% (or 110,526) in Q2 (February/March 2004 to May/June 2004), compared to an estimated 3 % (or 113,429) the previous year (February/March 2003 to May/June 2003).

CBC’s premiere episode of The Greatest Canadian, which counts down the 50 top greatest Canadians, grabbed an audience of 1.115 million viewers across Canada on Sunday night. The series continued on Monday night (at 8 p.m.) with their first one-hour documentary episode feature of Tommy Douglas, presented by advocate George Stroumboulopoulos.
http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/

Advertising: Product Placement Moves to Cartoons (New York Times, October 21). In another conquest for product placement, a new Comedy Central cartoon for adults joins the trend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/21/business/media/21adco.html

CBC’s 2004 Canadian Urban Music Awards has nabbed Honda as their key sponsor for the program, which is co-hosted by Master T and Jully Black with feature performances by urban artists including Jacksoul and Keshia Chante on Thursday, October 28 at 8 p.m.
As part of their sponsorship deal, Honda’s logo is featured on billboards in the broadcast as well as brand-sell spots. Ad space remains available in this hip program – geared to the 18-24 urban (or wannabe) demographic.