Did You Know?
- Astral’s French-language specialty television services broadcast more than 2,300 hours of Québec-produced programs every year.
- CANADA AM has been providing Canadians with the first news headlines of the day for the past 40 years.
- TSN produced more than 700 hours of live game coverage in the 2011-12 hockey season.
- In 2011, local morning shows called CTV MORNING LIVE were launched in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, and Vancouver, producing more than 20 hours of local programming every day.
- In 2012, Astral launched the first Canadian on-demand music streaming and music video service.
- Bell Media donates over $15 million dollars through in-kind promotional resources to local charitable and community initiatives on an annual basis.
- Bell Media invests almost $600 million each year on Canadian content, more than any other private broadcaster.
- In 2011 and 2012, Astral’s financial support of more than 600 organizations across Canada exceeded $40 million.
- Bell Media greenlit more Canadian programs in the past 18 months than CTV did in the previous three years.
- Bell Media’s DEGRASSI is the longest-running Canadian drama ever with over 400 episodes.
- Viewers watch way more Canadian content on CTV than any other channel, including CBC/SRC.
- Apple has recognized CTV News for its innovative newsgathering technology, using iPhones to capture HD video on location and send it for TV or web broadcast.
- Bell Media Radio reaches 7.8 million Canadians every week. More than 220,000 listeners are unique users online, listening to 850,000 streams per week.
- Astral-backed films and documentaries received 80 out of 94 nominations for the 2012 Genie Awards.
- Bell Media is Canada's top sports radio brand with six sports stations featuring NHL play-by-play of the Montréal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, and soon, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- MuchMusic’s original series DISBAND and DISCOVERED helped launch the careers of successful Canadian bands Stereos, These Kids Wear Crowns, and Nightbox.
- Astral’s French-language specialty channels have acquired more than 1,000 hours of Canadian independent productions, including 350 hours of documentaries.
- Every year, Bell Media Radio stations support new and emerging Canadian artists with airplay, financial assistance, promotional exposure and live concerts.
- Bell Media has increased its Canadian programming expenditure by more than $100 million, compared to what CTV spent two years earlier.
- MuchMusic proudly supports and broadcasts WE DAY, the largest youth-empowerment event of its kind.
- Bell Media is the first conventional broadcaster in Canada to offer a simulstreamed television lineup for mobile with its CTV Mobile service.
- To date, Astral’s French-language specialty channels have invested more than $40 million to support and develop Canadian programs
- The Bell Media Prime Time TV Program is recognized as an essential source of trained writers and newly developed projects for the TV marketplace.
- BACKPACKERS is Bell Media’s first broadcast-quality, stand-alone digital series, created specifically for digital platforms.
Stay Informed:
The joining of Astral and Bell Media brings together two distinctly Canadian companies – built from the ground up on Canadian soil with Canadian values, and an integral part of the communities in which they serve. And while our two companies are different in some ways, we share a common vision to deliver the best content in the world to listeners and viewers, and a shared responsibility to invest in the industry in which we operate. For generations, Canadians have opened their eyes and ears to us – from their living room TV sets and car radios, to their computer desktop and tablets. Now, we seek to join our complementary assets into a truly national, private, bilingual media group. It’s a union that promises more choice, more competition, and more innovation. Canadians deserve it.
Astral is one of the country’s leading media companies, reaching Canadians through a combination of highly targeted media properties in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media, through its facilities in Montréal, Toronto, and a number of cities throughout Canada.
Astral is among the leading providers of pay and specialty television in both official languages in Canada. Our high-quality programming and our commitment to innovation drive our success in television.
With our superior-quality programming, Astral's pay television networks give access to first-rate Canadian original content, critically-acclaimed HBO and Showtime series, hit movies, as well as special events, variety shows, and programming that's tailored to the whole family.
Astral's specialty channels offer Canadians a wide variety of shows – sometimes informative, funny or moving but always entertaining, many of which are original Canadian productions. In fact, each of our specialty channels is full of local flavour. No matter what the subject, our programs are in tune with Canadians’ lives.
Astral Radio operates licensed radio stations in nearly 50 local communities across Canada. Astral stations include some of the radio industry's most dynamic, highly-recognized and respected brands and are strongly committed to maintaining close ties with listeners and the communities – big or small – in which they operate.
Astral Out-of-Home is one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with more than 9,500 faces located in the largest markets in Québec, Ontario and British Columbia.
Promoting Canadian culture is an integral part of Astral’s activities and makes us one of the largest supporters of film, television, and music in the country. Astral’s contribution to culture is also reflected in the key role culture plays in the content and the visibility given to organizations from the cultural industry across its media platforms.Astral is also committed to contributing to the causes of several organizations across Canada by leveraging its various television, radio, and web platforms, as well as its out-of-home advertising structures. Whether through visibility on its advertising faces, or donations and sponsorships, Astral helps numerous organizations raise their brand equity and awareness among citizens about important social issues.
Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company and a leader in television, radio, and digital content. With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media entertains, informs, and inspires Canadians.
Bell Media’s conventional television operations began in 1961, when an informal group of eight Canadian independent affiliated stations began network operations across Canada as the CTV Television Network. Now, Bell Media’s CTV network is comprised of 28 conventional stations, serving local communities from Victoria B.C. to Halifax, N.S.
Through its two conventional networks, CTV and CTV Two, and its specialty channels, such as TSN, Discovery Channel, RDS, The Comedy Network, MuchMusic, SPACE, Bravo, E!, MTV, CTV News Channel, and BNN – Business News Network, Bell Media is a leader in the creation, promotion, and broadcast of original Canadian content. Bell Media can be credited in leading the resurgence of successful, Canadian programming that is seen at home and around the world, from DEGRASSI and CORNER GAS to FLASHPOINT, THE LISTENER, and SAVING HOPE. And through our productions such as the MUCHMUSIC VIDEO AWARDS, THE JUNO AWARDS, and ETALK, Bell Media provides a platform and showcase for Canadian talent across the country.
Bell Media Radio has long been established as one of Canada’s leading radio groups, operating local stations in large and small communities across the country. Bell Media Radio has a strong reputation of providing exemplary service to the diverse communities in which they operate. In addition to music, news, weather, and sports, listeners also tune in for information on local politics, events, entertainment, and community issues. Bell Media Radio includes the country’s most dynamic, popular, and respected brands and is a leader in innovative programming.
Bell Media’s local television and radio stations are deeply rooted in the communities we serve, addressing the issues that matter most to our audiences. Our local television and radio stations share the unique stories of the diverse communities we represent, weaving together the strong cultural fabric of our country. Each year, Bell Media proudly donates tens of millions of dollars of airtime to the commendable efforts of many cultural and non-profit organizations in communities across the country, from the United Way to local Pride celebrations. From raising awareness through on-air dialogue to local fundraising, Bell Media is an integral part of the communities in which it operates.
Bell Media is also a leader in digital platforms and technological innovation. Canadians continue to choose Bell Media as their online network destination of choice for news, sports, and entertainment. Featuring dynamic, interactive content and the best delivery infrastructure in the country, Bell Media Digital’s multimedia platforms include online video, websites, user-generated content sites, mobile content, and video on demand. In fact, Bell Media was the first broadcaster in Canada to offer a simulstream conventional television lineup for mobile with the launch of CTV Mobile. Bell Media Digital represents dozens of websites and is also home to Sympatico.ca, one of Canada’s leading general-interest portals, reaching on average more than 10 million unique visitors every month.
