A consumer is about to turn on their television. Canada's broadcasting landscape shifted in 2014 when Rogers snapped up the rights to NHL hockey for the next dozen years.
In the hunt for the next big hit, Canadian networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars on programming every year. The broadcasting landscape shifted in 2014 when Rogers snapped up the rights to NHL hockey for the next dozen years.
Here's what TV execs are placing their bets this season:
Sally Catto
General manager of programming, CBC Television
This year's challenge
How to stand out in a "fragmented" broadcast world full of choices from outside of Canada.
What they are betting on
"A renewed focus on serialized dramas like Strange Empire. It's a new Alberta-based border western that puts women front and centre."
Best career buy
"Heartland was a wonderful call for us." Its audience has solidified over seven seasons.
The show that disappointed
Intelligence, a Vancouver-based crime drama that "was ahead of its time, perhaps."
Phil King
Head of CTV sports and entertainment programming, Bell Media
This year's challenge
Marketing will have to find a way to let viewers know about scheduling changes for the Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy and the Amazing Race.
What they are betting on
"Superhero and comic-based series like Gotham, the Flash and Marvel's Agent Carter. We're also betting on Shonda Rhimes's How to Get Away with Murder."
Best career buy
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "popped into the top five year one," a spot that usually takes years to achieve.
The show that disappointed
The midseason comedy Surviving Jack. "We all liked it but it lasted only eight episodes. It came and went in the blink of an eye."
Hayden Mindell
VP of TV programming and content, Rogers Media
This year's challenge
How to accommodate the new stable of NHL hockey. But "I'm not complaining about having to program the most coveted content in Canada."
What they are betting on
NHL hockey. Otherwise, "we're really excited about the new comedy series, Black-ish," which is "the best complement to Modern Family I've ever seen."
Best career buy
2 Broke Girls. With three seasons under its belt, the sitcom "was a big hit for us from night one."
The show that disappointed
Friends with Better Lives, starring James Van Der Beek. "It did well in Canada and we would have liked to see it come back."
Barb Williams
Senior VP of content, Shaw Media
This year's challenge
How to measure audiences as viewers shift to on-demand and online platforms. It's "the biggest obstacle but also the biggest opportunity, if we can nail it."
What they are betting on
Dramas, notably the "big, serialized, single-arc stories" like Gracepoint, a remake of Britain's Broadchurch that "fits the bill for what viewers are enjoying these days."
Best career buy
Bones, the comedic crime drama now heading into its 10th season, is a real "workhorse on the schedule."
The show that disappointed
"Oh, there's so many. But the frustrating ones are the smart, deserving shows that die, like Prime Suspect."
James Bradshaw