New Canadian Series Motive Debuts with 1.23 Million Viewers

^[1]It was another touchdown for CTV ^[1]‘s original programming slate on Sunday night as, despite an 11p.m. ET start time, 1.23 million viewers tuned in for the post-Super Bowl premiere of its new original drama series Motive ^[2]. The debut becomes the #1 Canadian series premiere of the 2012/13 broadcast year. With 4.2 million viewers tuning in to some or all of the new Canadian crime drama, Motive tackled its competition by more than doubling Elementary’s audience head-to-head (548,000; Global), and kicked off its debut season as the most-watched program of the night, next to the Super Bowl. Following a massive promotion and publicity campaign, Motive held steady throughout the delayed broadcast and scored big among both men and women, with a 6.5 rating for M18-34 in Toronto and a 5.2 rating for F18-34 in Vancouver. ^[3]

An encore presentation of last night’s premiere episode aired last night at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two, and it will air again on Saturday, Feb 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV in addition to the CTV Mobile channel. Motive is also currently available on demand across CTV’s digital platforms: CTV.ca, the CTV App, and through video on demand partners.

Next week, Motive settles into its regular time slot with an all-new episode, entitled “Crimes of Passion” (Sunday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV). When a teenaged girl is killed in a hit-and-run accident, the first clues point Detectives Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and Vega (Louis Ferreira) toward the girl’s disgruntled ex-boyfriend. Passion is a strong enough motive for murder, but Angie believes the boyfriend is innocent. She takes a different tack, which reveals a connection between the victim and an eminent prosecutor in the midst of a mayoral campaign. Turns out that passion may well be the motive, and the underpinning of a secret double life.

Motive is produced by Foundation Features ^[4] and Lark Productions ^[5] in association with Bell Media. The series is shot in the Metro Vancouver area, and is set in Vancouver.