MuchMusic rolls out the red carpet for 2005 MMVAs
When the 2005 MuchMusic Video Awards hits the air live on Sunday, June 19, the network is pulling out all the stops to celebrate its 16th anniversary. In addition to the awards broadcast, which begins at 9 p.m. on MuchMusic (as well as several other CHUM stations), MuchMusic and Star! will be showing a red carpet arrivals special beginning at 7:30. The event will also be broadcast in HD with 5.1 surround sound. Performers, presenters and guests and related contest details will be announced soon.
Global heads into The Office
The Office, a docu-reality parody on office politics, premieres on Thursday, March 24 at 9:30 p.m. on Global. The half-hour comedy, based on the hit BBC series of the same name, centers around the workers at a paper supply company in Scranton, PA and stars Daily Show regular Steve Carell (also of Anchorman) as regional manager Michael Scott. After its debut, The Office will move to its regular timeslot on Tuesdays, at 9:30 on CH.
Celebs try to ‘flop the nuts’ for charity
World Poker Tour: Hollywood Home Game is the latest incarnation of televised Texas Hold ‘Em, premiering Sunday, April 3 at 4 p.m. on Citytv. WPT:HHG will add a Millioniare-esque twist with celebrity contestants being allowed to use a ‘lifeline’ to call upon two professional poker players for advice. Among the celebrities whose busy acting schedules somehow left them available to participate in the show were Fred Savage, Lou Diamond Phillips, Chuck Woolery and William Shatner. The show joins World Series Of Poker, Celebrity Poker Showdown, US Poker Championship, Poker Stars Invitational Tournament, and the original World Poker Tour in the not-so-exclusive Texas Hold ‘Em genre.
VMDC elects new executive team
The Vancouver Media Director’s Council has announced their newly elected executive team for the 2005 & 2006 term. Lisa Dillon, media director at i2i Advertising and Marketing will take on the role of president of the VMDC with Frank Mesich, president of Mesich Media Advertising acting as the council’s VP. Teresa Guarascio, media director at The Media Company, Vancouver has been appointed as treasurer and Fiona Rigby, media director at Mercer Advertising rounds out the team as secretary. The council’s members all have over 15 years of experience devoted exclusively to the media profession.
Cable Up 2005: A Summit on the State of the Cable Industry
April 15, 2005
Metropolitan Pavilion
NYC
http://www.cableupconference.com
The program covers key topics that confront media decision makers like programming, ad sales, technology, and research. It includes a presentation by Nielsen Media Research on advertising trends, audience data, trends by demos, digital cable and network programming genres.
PMB Factoid
Ontario residents are 68% more likely to have air conditioning at home
Corrections
In Tuesday’s issue of MIC, we regrettably omitted the fact that Regenesis is a Movie Central series as well as a TMN series.
Want to see your media brilliance showcased in strategy?
Got a stellar media plan? Here’s your chance to get the word out: strategy magazine will showcase the-best-of-the-best Canadian media plans in its April issue.
With R.O.I. and accountability topping the list of Things That Keep Us Up At Night, building better metric devices into campaigns is top of mind for all parties. In its Media Deconstructed special report, strategy will showcase the media plans that exemplify what success in this quest looks like. For consideration, your submission must be relatively recent (the last six months) and you must provide evidence of successfully delivering great ROI. We pick the best to showcase. We’re looking for examples in a variety of media (TV, radio, interactive, multiple media, etc.). Please send submissions in basic case study format to nwilliams@brunico.com by this Friday, March 11, 2005 at 5 p.m.
Nets place orders for Canadian series
The hunt is on to find the next Corner Gas, and the Canadian networks have made their picks for the 2005-2006 season. While CTV has ordered 70 hours of Canadian content including three new scripted series, CBC has increased it domestic load by more than 30% to over 125 hours. Global has two new series debuting in 2005 and is set to add their recently acquired TMN series to the sked in the fall. It’s too early to know for sure what will hit and what will miss, but here’s the gist of what’s on tap for next season.
Under-30s Web site promotes voting for Elections BC
Elections BC is using a Web site that targets 19-29s to promote voting among that age group. Clubvibes.com is an online ‘nightclub’ community that encompasses everything from an online magazine and club listings for 240 cities worldwide to a dating site and discussion forum. Gary Milne, the new president/GM of Vancouver-based parent company Club Vibes Media International, has been charged with growing the online media company.
BBM Top 20
For a list of the top 20 TV shows for the week of Feb. 28 to Mar. 6, according to BBM, click the links below:
National Top 20
Ontario Top 20
Quebec Top 20
Toronto Top 20
Vancouver Top 20
National Bank, Tennis Canada form love match
National Bank will be the presenting sponsor of the Rogers Cup men’s and women’s tennis championships in Montreal until 2009. The financial institution will also back a full slate of events in the area to encourage up-and-comers. ‘We are particularly proud that National Bank has chosen to support the development of Quebec athletes on a year-round basis,’ said Jack Graham, board chair of Tennis Canada in a release. More than 165,000 fans are expected to attend the week-long Rogers Cup August 6-14.
Mall inks innovative sponsorship deal
Visa Canada and the Toronto Star are the first to tap into an innovative sponsorship arrangement with Vaughan Mills shopping centre, just north of Toronto. The centre is divided into six ‘neighbourhoods’ and the two companies are each official sponsor of one of them: Visa has Fashion while the Star chose Small Towns. The shopping centre is seeking four more sponsors for the remaining neighbourhoods.
The program allows advertisers to choose the section that best fits their target market. The upscale stores in Fashion fit well with Visa, while the Star felt the local retailers in Small Towns would best appeal to its readers. Both get a captive audience by offering high visibility signage placement and promotions. Visa will be leveraging its sponsorship through a contest running at Vaughan Mills from March 12 to April 10. ‘Spin to Win’ will feature prizes and discounts for participants who spin the prize wheel.
BBM Media Snapshot: Playboy readers in Canada
Playboy is read by nearly half a million – mostly male – Canadians each month
– 475,000 Canadians read a Playboy magazine in the past month.
– Playboy readers are young, 53% of them are between the ages of 18 to 34 years old.
– They are overwhelmingly male – 79%.
– 40% have a yearly household income of $60,000 or more.
– Playboy is most popular in the Prairie region where 3% read the publication in the past month. Other regions are average in readership, except Quebec which has few Playboy readers.
– Aside from Playboy, the top four magazine choices by genre of this group are: entertainment and music (68% reading in past month), men’s magazines (56%), sports and recreation (50%), and news and current affairs (44%)
– Playboy readers are three times as likely as the average Canadian to drive a pickup truck.
– In terms of yesterday exposure, the top four media choices for Playboy readers are: TV (97%), radio (91%), daily papers (62%) and the Internet (61%).
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’03 / Spring ’04
The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 55,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Canada. For more information contact Craig Dorning of BBM Canada: cdorning@bbm.ca.
Rogers adds Treehouse On-Demand to the menu
Treehouse TV, the specialty network for preschoolers aged six and under, is now available as part of Rogers Cable’s On-Demand services.
Parents can pick and choose from a roster top-rated shows for tots such as Nelvana’s Max & Ruby, Timothy Goes to School, Little Bear, Babar, The Berenstain Bears and Corduroy Bear. Because preschoolers like to watch their favourite shows again and again, they can play, pause, stop, forward or replay the program as often as they want using the remote control.
