CTV’s Heroic 2014/2015 Schedule: The Power of Comedy, Proven Hits, and Premium Storytelling

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TORONTO (June 5, 2014) – CTV unveiled today a powerful 2014/15 primetime schedule featuring a peerless mix of returning Top 20 hits and television’s most-promising new programs, immediately strengthening Canada’s most-watched network. Delivering the most reliable television schedule available in North America, CTV has maximized scheduling opportunities, made strategic timeslot moves, and introduced key new series on four out of seven nights and in all timeslots. In addition to its previously announced new acquisitions of nine new dramas and two new comedies, CTV also revealed today it has secured two more instant hits for its fall schedule: America’s #1 new comedy, THE MILLERS, and Sunday-night success story RESURRECTION. In total, CTV’s fall schedule features 19 hours of primetime simulcast programming weekly, more than any other Canadian network. CTV’s 2014/15 schedule – featuring six new dramas and two new comedies premiering this fall – will be presented by Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming, at the #CTVUpfront presentation today in Toronto.

Remarked King: “Some networks program to women, others to men. We’re not the home of comedy, nor the home of drama. CTV is the home of hit television, delivering mass audiences every night of the week, in every timeslot, in every genre. It’s the result of programming diversity, scheduling balance, and staying ahead of trends, all which are represented in our new schedule.”

The new series complement Canada’s most-successful original production slate for network television, announced today, including the #1 Canadian drama SAVING HOPE. The hit original series returns this fall for Season 3 with an abridged, five-episode arc on Thursdays at 9 p.m. following GREY’S ANATOMY. Culminating with a cliffhanger finale this fall, 13 additional episodes will air mid-season, on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Canadian success stories MASTERCHEF CANADA, MOTIVE, and the #1 Canadian sitcom SPUN OUT, which was renewed for a second season today, also return with new episodes in 2014/15 on CTV.

Superhuman Family Hour

CTV’s new schedule features a progression from broad-based, co-viewing programming every night at 8 p.m. – including the network’s slate of superhero series, as well as THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE AMAZING RACE, and ONCE UPON A TIME – and ending with the network’s lineup of top-rated, high-quality 10 p.m. dramas. Last season, CTV won the 10 p.m. hour on six out of seven nights.

Timeslot Sharing with Short-Order Series

CTV will also introduce in 2014/15 a collection of limited-run event series with reduced episode orders, and pair them with other series in the same timeslot. Programmed for continuity, the strategy delivers appointment television with more fresh content and less repeats:

Tuesdays at 9 p.m.: MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D./AGENT CARTER/S.H.I.E.L.D.

Wednesdays at 10 p.m.      GREY’S ANATOMY / SAVING HOPE / GREY’S ANATOMY

Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.:       TWO AND A HALF MEN / THE ODD COUPLE

Thursdays at 10 p.m.:          HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER / SECRETS & LIES

Sundays at 9 p.m.:               RESURRECTION / AMERICAN CRIME

Sundays at 10 p.m.:             CSI / CSI: CYBER

Additional Scheduling Changes:

The Power of Heroes

Expanding on a trend that began two seasons ago with ARROW, CTV will capitalize on the huge interest in superhero TV and movies in 2014/15, providing built-in audiences and broad-based appeal:

• Co-viewing opportunities abound when CTV’s superhero slate launches primetime at 8 p.m. three nights a week: Mondays with GOTHAM, Tuesdays with THE FLASH, and Wednesdays with ARROW.
• CTV will position the new Batman backstory series GOTHAM, airing Mondays at 8 p.m., with an incredible launch pad: for the first five weeks, GOTHAM will benefit from the lead-in audience of all-new episodes of THE BIG BANG THEORY at 7:30 p.m.
• Similar in tone and leading into CASTLE on Monday nights is new drama FOREVER at 9 p.m., centering on a medical examiner with his own super power: immortality.
• Borne from the same creative team, new drama THE FLASH was introduced in an episode of ARROW last season, creating future cross-over storyline opportunities between the two series.
• Canada’s #1 new series and the first new series in a decade to rank in the Top 4 programs overall among key demos, MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is back for Season 2 on Tuesdays. Then, in mid-season, the action-packed Captain America spin-off MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER takes over the 9 p.m. timeslot with Hayley Atwell resuming her role as secret agent Peggy Carter.

The Power of Comedy
CTV delivers the only two-hour simulcast comedy block in Canada with its unbeatable new Thursday night comedy lineup:

• The sophomore season of America’s #1 new comedy* THE MILLERS (8:30 p.m.) is scheduled between ratings powerhouse THE BIG BANG THEORY (8 p.m.) and the can’t-miss, final season of Canada’s #2 comedy, TWO AND A HALF MEN (9 p.m.).
• Then, one of the funniest new comedies for fall, THE McCARTHYS, bookends the block at 9:30 p.m.
• CTV is now home to three of the Top 4 returning new comedies this year (THE MILLERS, THE GOLDBERGS, and SPUN OUT).
• CTV’s highly-successful COMEDY NIGHT ON CTV Saturday-night comedy block returns with THE BIG BANG THEORY, ANGER MANAGEMENT, MIKE & MOLLY, and SPUN OUT.

The Power of Proven Hits

Demonstrating the depth of its schedule, CTV will return a Top 10 series every single night of the week from Monday – Sunday for A25-54:

• As a result of the new Thursday comedy block, Canada’s #1 returning drama GREY’S ANATOMY moves to Wednesdays at 10 p.m., following Top 5 hit CRIMINAL MINDS.
• THE AMAZING RACE moves to Fridays at 8 p.m., providing a huge lead-in to Friday’s dramas and allowing ONCE UPON A TIME to air for the first time in simulcast, Sundays at 8 p.m.
• Mid-season hit RESURRECTION, which went on to become the #2 new drama in America this year, joins the CTV schedule for its sophomore season, Sundays at 9 p.m.
• Perennial Top 10 hit CSI moves to Sundays at 10 p.m., before ceding its timeslot to its latest franchise spinoff, CSI: CYBER, in mid-season.
• As well, for the first time ever, the 4 p.m. Sunday NFL package comes to CTV this fall, following a multi-year broadcast extension that will see more NFL games on more Bell Media channels and platforms than ever before.

The Power of Storytelling

The quality storytelling most often attributed to premium cable comes to CTV with two new series, along with the latest appointment series from hit-maker Shonda Rhimes:

• From the creator of GREY’S ANATOMY and featuring Oscar® and Golden Globe®-nominee Viola Davis, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER tops off TV’s biggest night, Thursdays at 10 p.m., and shares its timeslot with another event series, SECRETS AND LIES, premiering in mid-season.
• Gritty, emotional, and powerful, AMERICAN CRIME joins the CTV Sunday night schedule in mid-season. The passion project from the recent Oscar-winning producer and writer of 12 Years a Slave, John Ridley, takes over the 9 p.m. timeslot from RESURRECTION.

The Power of CTV Two

CTV Two packs its own power, as it heads into another solid season of dynamic programming featuring 12 hours of primetime simulcasts of new and returning hits across the week:

• Competition series thrive on CTV Two with DANCING WITH THE STARS on Sundays and THE VOICE on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Joining the CTV Two lineup this fall, THE GOLDBERGS is paired with ANGER MANAGEMENT for a Tuesday-night comedy block.
• The new Debra Messing-led family drama THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) leads into long-time hit LAW & ORDER: SVU at 9 p.m.
• Cult classics and fan favourites rule Thursdays with VAMPIRE DIARIES at 8 p.m. and REIGN at 9 p.m., both in simulcast.
• Two simulcast competition series headline Fridays, with one of the top new programs of the season – MASTERCHEF JUNIOR – at 8 p.m. paired with SHARK TANK at 9 p.m.

The Power of Big Events

CTV also remains the home of television’s biggest event programming in 2014/15, including Canada’s most-watched television broadcasts THE 87^th ACADEMY AWARDS^®, SUPER BOWL XLIX, THE 72^nd ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE^® AWARDS, THE 66^th PRIMETIME EMMY^® AWARDS, THE 2014 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS, THE 2015 JUNO AWARDS, and more.

The fall schedule announcement comes as CTV confirms for the 13th straight year its position as Canada’s #1 network with total viewers and in the key A25-54 demo. With the core September 2013 – May 2014 television now at a close, CTV delivered four of Canada’s Top 5 new programs, and was home to more Top 10, 20, and 30 programs than all other networks combined, BBM Canada data confirms.

All times ET. New programs are BOLD. (S) = Simulcast

MONDAYS

7 p.m.             ETALK

7:30 p.m.        THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8 p.m.             GOTHAM (S)

9 p.m.             FOREVER

10 p.m.           CASTLE (S)

TUESDAYS

7 p.m.             ETALK

7:30 p.m.        THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8 p.m.             THE FLASH (S)

9 p.m.             MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (S) **New Timeslot**

10 p.m.           PERSON OF INTEREST (S)

WEDNESDAYS

7 p.m.             ETALK

7:30 p.m.        THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8 p.m.             ARROW (S)

9 p.m.             CRIMINAL MINDS (S)

10 p.m.           GREY’S ANATOMY **New Timeslot**

THURSDAYS

7 p.m.            ETALK

7:30 p.m.        THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8:30 p.m.       THE MILLERS (S)

9 p.m.             TWO AND A HALF MEN (S) **New Timeslot**

9:30 p.m.       THE McCARTHYS (S)

10 p.m.           HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (S)

FRIDAYS

7 p.m.            ETALK

7:30 p.m.        THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

8 p.m.             THE AMAZING RACE (S) **New Timeslot**

9 p.m.             GRIMM (S)

10 p.m.           BLUE BLOODS (S)

SATURDAYS

7 p.m.             W5

8 p.m.             COMEDY NIGHT ON CTV

SUNDAYS

1 p.m.             NFL (S)

4 p.m.             NFL (S)

7:30 p.m.        CTV EVENING NEWS **New Timeslot**

8 p.m.             ONCE UPON A TIME (S) **New Timeslot**

9 p.m.             RESURRECTION (S)

10 p.m.           CSI (S) **New Timeslot**

WEEKDAYS

9 a.m.             LIVE! WITH KELLY AND MICHAEL(S)

10 a.m.           THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW

11 a.m.           THE VIEW (S)

12 noon         CTV NEWS AT NOON

1 p.m.             THE SOCIAL

2 p.m.             THE DR. OZ SHOW

3 p.m.             DR. PHIL (S)

4 p.m.             THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW (S)

5-6 p.m.          HOT IN CLEVELAND

WEEKNIGHTS

12 midnight   THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

12:30 a.m.      LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MYERS (S)

1:30 a.m.        CONAN

THE CTV TWO FALL 2014 PRIME TIME SCHEDULE

All times ET. New programs are BOLD. (S) = Simulcast; (R) = Repeat

MONDAYS

7 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        ETALK

8 p.m.             THE VOICE (S)

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE AND MOLLY

TUESDAYS

7 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        ETALK

8 p.m.             THE VOICE (S)

9 p.m.             THE GOLDBERGS **New Timeslot**

9:30 p.m.        ANGER MANAGEMENT

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE AND MOLLY

WEDNESDAYS

7 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        ETALK

8 p.m.             THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA (S)

9 p.m.             LAW & ORDER: SVU (S)

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE AND MOLLY

THURSDAYS 

7 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        ETALK

8 p.m.             VAMPIRE DIARIES (S)

9 p.m.             REIGN (S)

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE AND MOLLY

FRIDAYS

7 p.m.             THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        ETALK

8 p.m.             MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (S)

9 p.m.             SHARK TANK (S)

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE AND MOLLY

SATURDAYS

7 p.m.            THE LISTENER (R)

8 p.m.             FLASHPOINT (R)

9 p.m.             MOTIVE (R)

10 p.m.           W5 (R)

SUNDAYS

7p.m.              THE BIG BANG THEORY (S)

7:30 p.m.        Comedies

8 p.m.             DANCING WITH THE STARS **New Timeslot**

10 p.m.           ANGER MANAGEMENT

10:30 p.m.      MIKE & MOLLY

WEEKNIGHTS

11:30 p.m.      THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON (S)

About CTV

CTV is Canada’s #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada’s most-watched television network for the past 13 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network’s website at CTV.ca.

– CTV –

Source: BBM Canada, Sept 23, 2013 – May 18, 2014 (Weeks 5-38, final data). Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 are based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.

*Nielsen Media Research, 9/23/2013-5/21, 2014, Live+7, Primetime Ranking

For more information:

Scott Henderson, Vice-President, Communications, Bell Media, 416.384.5305, scott.henderson@bellmedia.ca

Renée Dupuis, Director, Communications, CTV Networks, 416.384.3154, renee.dupuis@bellmedia.ca