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  • CTV Orders New Canadian Daytime Talk Series The Social for Fall 2013

25th March 2013

CTV Orders New Canadian Daytime Talk Series The Social for Fall 2013

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CTV Afternoons are about to get a lot more social, Canada! CTV announced today it has ordered The Social, an all-new, one-hour, daily Canadian talk series from Bell Media In-House Productions for the upcoming 2013/14 broadcast season. The original series was conceived and developed to deliver a unique Canadian voice to the CTV daytime schedule, in addition to providing custom opportunities for CTV’s advertising partners. Adding five new hours of original Canadian content each week (260 total hours/year) to CTV’s #1 daytime lineup, The Social brings a fresh perspective on the up-to-the-minute pop culture and lifestyle topics that matter most to Canadians. The Social also provides an innovative outlet for viewers who love a friendly debate through social media, e-mail, and text messaging – no topic is off limits! – as the only program of its kind on English Canadian conventional television.

Joining The Marilyn Denis Show – Canada’s most-watched original daytime series – as CTV’s second Canadian daytime program, The Social will air live weekday afternoons on CTV. The smart, bold, advertiser-friendly series will be produced before a live studio audience from Bell Media’s iconic 299 Queen West location in Toronto and executive produced by Michelle Crespi (The Marilyn Denis Show).

“We are very proud to add another Canadian series to our winning daytime lineup,” said Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports. “The Social will reflect the pulse of what Canadians are talking about on a daily basis.”

As part of today’s announcement, CTV named four of the most engaging and opinionated women on Canadian television today as co-hosts of The Social. Cast from Bell Media’s diverse original productions, The Social brings together a dynamic and influential group of co-hosts with distinct points of view: news anchor Melissa Grelo (@melissagrelo), Canada’s foremost gossip blogger Lainey Lui (@LaineyGossip ), relationship expert Cynthia Loyst (@cynthialoyst, and entertainment reporter Traci Melchor (@stayfabulous). Surprise celebrity guest co-hosts also join the panel to speak to the news or pop culture events of the day.

“With a truly vibrant cast and a top-notch production team, Bell Media In-House Productions is poised to make an impact for both viewers and advertisers with The Social,” said Rick Brace, President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production.

“Our co-hosts’ natural chemistry is clearly evident, and with their wealth of TV experience, combined with their varied expertise, conversations on The Social will be dynamic, fun, and fearless. There is really no topic this group can’t handle,” said Michelle Crespi, Executive Producer.

CTV also confirmed today that new sponsorship and brand partnership opportunities are immediately available for the original series. Whether it is product integration, customized activations, or original branded content, CTV Brand Partnerships will work with clients and their brands to offer consumers an exciting and engaging four-screen experience for The Social.

“This is exactly the type of series advertisers have been asking for,” said Mary Kreuk, Vice-President, Brand Partnerships, Bell Media. “There is a tremendous opportunity for clients to be involved in building The Social from the ground up.”

During each show, the four co-hosts ask the questions on viewers’ minds, and provide their own spin on the latest headlines and topics. The show opens with a lively round-table debate and discussion by the co-hosts of the day’s top news stories. The Social then features celebrity interviews and discussion about lifestyle topics inspired by viewers. During the live program, the panel checks in on various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. The topical feel of the show allows the co-hosts to engage with viewers through social media, e-mail, and text messaging on a real-time basis. The Social will also air live on CTV Mobile and will be available on demand on CTV.ca and TheLoop.ca.

Meet the Co-Hosts of The Social:

Melissa Grelo -Current anchor and co-host of Toronto’s CP24 Breakfast, Melissa is devoted to getting to the heart of stories that matter most to viewers. The moderator of the panel of co-hosts, Melissa is a multi-tasker with a capital “M”. Whether it’s breaking news or the latest celebrity breakup, Melissa is on top of it the minute it happens, and armed with her smartphone, shares it with her 20,000 Twitter followers.

Lainey Lui -Relocating from Vancouver to Toronto for The Social, celebrity gossip blogger, ETALK reporter, and avid pop culture consumer Lainey brings her unique spin on entertainment and applies it to all topics. With her enormously successful website LaineyGossip.com and a huge online community of nearly 70,000 Twitter followers, Lainey does what she does for one reason – to share her love of gossip with Canadians.

Cynthia Loyst -TheLoop.ca’s love and relationship expert, Cynthia is also a much sought-after certified relationship coach. As an on-air personality, Cynthia has covered everything from San Diego Comic-Con to the Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF). And as a soon-to-be mom, Cynthia will share her real and raw perspective on her most important job to date.

Traci Melchor From touring the world with Rihanna to interviewing the likes of Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney as an ETALK reporter, Traci has been an icon on the Canadian entertainment scene for more than a decade. As a single mom with two active seven-year old twins, Traci has a very candid and personal story related to every topic – and she isn’t afraid to share it.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 11:55 am and is filed under National News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
  1. Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer)
    4:56 am on March 25th, 2013

    CTV Orders New Canadian Daytime Talk Series @TheSocialCTV for Fall 2013 http://t.co/RiMfbFseOy #cancon

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