CTV series Amazing Race Canada.
Bell Media has announced a “multi-faceted” partnership with United Artists Media Group (a newly created joint venture between MGM, reality TV king Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Hearst Entertainment) and Omnicom Canada’s Highway Entertainment to create new TV formats and content for Canadian and international audiences.
The company said Wednesday that pilots for several new formats are currently in development and pre-production at Bell Media, whose CTV network has previously adapted several hit shows for the Canadian market, including The Amazing Race Canada, Canadian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance Canada and MasterChef Canada.
“With enormous pedigree and an incredible track record for hit format creation, we look forward to not only developing content for our own market, but internationally as well,” said Phil King, president of CTV, sports and entertainment programming at Bell Media, in a release.
Scott Cru, executive vice-president, international strategy and business development for United Artists Media Group, called CTV and Omnicom “important strategic partners” for the company. “CTV’s desire to produce more original content and Highway Entertainment’s ability to come in with funding is something we are really excited about,” he said.
“Highway Entertainment is in the business of funding great programming,” said Highway Entertainment president and CEO Adam Ivers, a former programming executive with Canwest (now Shaw Media), who was named president of Highway Entertainment in 2011.
“Doing so with creative forces like Mark Burnett and Bell Media reinforces the strength of our model and the true spirit of partnership at a time when our industry is looking to innovate,” said Ivers.
Established in 1996, Highway Entertainment specializes in program distribution, production and funding as well as branded content creation. Its programs are designed to complement the efforts of its sister Omnicom media units OMD and PHD.
