CTV’s ETALK AT THE OSCARS Delivers a Canadian Perspective on Hollywood’s Biggest Night, February 28 on CTV

TORONTO (February 22, 2016) – Awards season continues on CTV with Hollywood’s most prestigious and glamourous night as CTV announced today broadcast details for the most-watched entertainment event broadcast in Canada for the past six consecutive years, THE OSCARS^®, airing live Sunday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on CTV and CTV GO (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Hollywood’s biggest night starts with Canada’s own live red carpet special, ETALK AT THE OSCARS, launching Oscar Sunday live across the country at 6:30 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT / 5:30 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. AT) and leading into OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on CTV and CTV GO (check local listings). CTV’s ETALK AT THE OSCARS is the only Canadian entertainment news outlet broadcasting live from the Oscar red carpet as Anchor Ben Mulroney provides a Canadian perspective, while ETALK Co-Anchor Danielle Graham, and ETALK and THE SOCIAL’s Lainey Lui report from the exclusive balcony position for a birds-eye view of Oscar’s red carpet. Last year, ETALK AT THE OSCARS delivered its largest audience on record with 1.4 million viewers on CTV, the highest audience ever for an entertainment news program in Canada. “CTV is once again pulling out all the stops for Hollywood’s biggest night of the year,” said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV. “THE OSCARS is a not-to-be-missed television event and CTV is proud to offer Canadians comprehensive digital coverage available online at CTV.ca and Canada’s only live red carpet show.” Leading up to Oscar Sunday (Feb. 28), CTV’s ETALK is Canada’s #1 source for Oscar news, and for the second year in a row, ETALK is taking a starring role as presenting sponsor of An Evening with Canada’s Stars celebration in association with Telefilm Canada, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles. A celebration of Canadian excellence in the entertainment industry, the third annual An Evening with Canada’s Stars, presented by CTV’s ETALK, will take place Feb. 25 at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Invitees include Canadian Academy Awards nominees, select Canadian Screen Awards nominees and other high-profile Canadian talent including Jacob Tremblay. Plus, Adam Beach, Lyriq Bent, and Emmanuelle Chriqui will join event host and ETALK anchor Ben Mulroney on stage to pay tribute to this year’s nominees. “It is all about celebrating homegrown success this year with ETALK’s presentation of the third annual An Evening with Canada Stars party in L.A. and Canada’s official red carpet special ETALK AT THE OSCARS,” said Nanci MacLean, Vice-President, Bell Media Production. “ETALK celebrates Canadian talent all year long, and it’s a privilege for the team to deliver our audience a Canadian perspective on Hollywood’s biggest night.” CTV’s live broadcast of THE OSCARS is complemented by extensive digital coverage on CTV.ca. CTV.ca will house various clips from THE OSCARS ceremony and red carpet specials, as well as behind-the-scenes clips from backstage, the winner’s walk, press cam, the “thank you cam,” which captures candid moments only available in Canada, and new this year, clips from the audience. Plus, CTV.ca is home to photo galleries of the broadcast show, red carpet – featuring the hottest looks of the evening, after parties, and more. Leading up to Oscar Sunday, CTV.ca and etalk.ca/Oscars will also feature extended ETALK interviews online with select OSCAR nominees, including Brie Larson, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Matt Damon, and Christian Bale. Click here for 10 fast facts about this year’s Oscar nominees and make your Oscar predictions before the big night with CTV’s printable 2016 Oscar ballot available for download on CTV.ca. In what can be considered a blockbuster year for Canada at THE OSCARS, this year’s nominations are packed with Canucks vying for gold – from Best Pictures (Room, Brooklyn) to Best Original Song (The Weeknd’s “Earned It”) and Best Supporting Actress (Rachel McAdams). In celebration of the multiple Canadians up for Academy Awards^® this year, the most recognized trophy in the world – the official Oscar Statuette – is heading north on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 to Bell Media Headquarters in Toronto, where he will make a number of appearances on Canadian TV, including CP24 BREAKFAST, CTV’s THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, ETALK, and THE SOCIAL before he heads back to Hollywood. Below are some fun facts about Oscar:

• $400 – The approximate amount one Oscar statue is worth. (Source: TIME)
• 2,947 – The total number of awards made since The Academy first awarded Oscars in 1929, 87 years ago. (Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 34 – The Oscar statuette stands 34 centimetres tall and weighs a surprisingly heavy 3.5 kgs (8.5 pounds). (Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 24 – Oscar has a 24-karat gold plating on the surface of the award. (Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 21 – The approximate amount of days it takes to manufacture 50 Oscar statuettes, which is the number awarded each year. (Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 5 – The Oscar statuette stands on a film reel which features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. (Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

OSCAR Programming on CTV, CTV Two  and CTV GO: ETALK Weeknights at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO; 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two and CTV GO Beginning Thursday, Feb. 25 (7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two), ETALK brings viewers exclusive party coverage from An Evening with Canada’s Stars party. Then, on Friday, Feb. 26 (7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV), the ETALK team, including Ben Mulroney, Danielle Graham, and Lainey Lui, report on location from outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to bring viewers pre-award show highlights and behind-the-scenes coverage as crews continuously setup for Hollywood’s biggest night. ETALK’s ULTIMATE OSCAR GUIDE: 2016 – NEW SPECIAL Sat., Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO; 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two and CTV GO Featuring ETALK Anchor Ben Mulroney, Co-Anchor Danielle Graham, Senior Correspondent Lainey Lui, Senior Reporter Devon Soltendieck, Reporter Liz Trinnear, and Executive Producer/Co-Creator Morley Nirenberg, ETALK’s annual one-hour special ETALK’s ULTIMATE OSCAR GUIDE: 2016 dissects the top categories and stories during this year’s Oscar race, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s chances at Oscar gold, Jacob Tremblay’s award season run, and this year’s historic showing for Canada at THE OSCARS. Last year’s edition of the annual special is currently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in the Best Talk Show Program or Series category. ETALK AT THE OSCARS – LIVE RED CARPET SPECIAL Sun., Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET on CTV and CTV GO On Oscar night, Canada’s official live red carpet special, the 13^th annual ETALK AT THE OSCARS, offers all the glamour from the red carpet with ETALK Anchor Ben Mulroney chatting with the hottest stars and delivering celebrity interviews, while ETALK Co-Anchor Danielle Graham and ETALK and THE SOCIAL’s Lainey Lui are positioned on the balcony, delivering a first-hand look on all the fashions of the night. Red carpet coverage begins on CTV Ontario at 6:30 p.m. ET, CTV Atlantic at 7 p.m. AT, CTV Vancouver at 3 p.m. PT, CTV Alberta at 4 p.m. MT, and CTV Winnipeg and Saskatchewan at 5:30 p.m. CT (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). The red carpet special also airs on CTV Two at 6:30 p.m. ET (Toronto); 6 p.m. ET (Ottawa); 3 p.m. PT (Vancouver); 7 p.m. AT (Atlantic); and 4 p.m. MT (Alberta). During the red carpet show, ETALK will be live tweeting using #etalkRedCarpet. Fans can also follow @etalkCTV on Twitter and Instagram, Facebook.com/etalkCTV and Snapchat (etalk_CTV) for daily Oscar updates. OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET Sun., Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on CTV and CTV GO (check local listings) The exclusive, lead-in to the live broadcast of THE OSCARS, OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET showcases the nominees, presenters, and performers arriving on the ABC red carpet. THE OSCARS Sun., Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on CTV and CTV GO Hosted by Chris Rock, the multi-hyphenate artist and filmmaker for the second time, THE 88^th OSCARS^® air live across the country from the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood and Highland Center^® in Hollywood. Confirmed presenters to date include Canadians Jacob Tremblay, Ryan Gosling, and The Weeknd along with Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Byung-hun Lee, Charlize Theron, Jared Leto, Jason Segel, J.K. Simmons, Julianne Moore, Kerry Washington, Kevin Hart, Lady Gaga, Margot Robbie, Olivia Munn, Pharrell Williams, Priyanka Chopra, Quincy Jones, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Smith, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Whoopi Goldberg. Chris Rock counts down some witty reasons to watch the award show broadcast here. ETALK Mon., Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO and 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two One of ETALK’s most-watched broadcasts of the year, Canada’s #1 entertainment team, reporting on location in L.A., provides viewers with exclusive Oscar coverage of the most buzzed-about after parties – including Elton John’s annual post-Oscar bash, the Governor’s Ball, and Vanity Fair party, plus ETALK reveals candid moments that occurred backstage during the awards ceremony and exclusive red carpet highlights not seen during Sunday night’s live broadcast.