Rebranding a broadcaster in flux
Bell Media is rebranding its 15-year-old specialty channel MuchMore as M3 in an attempt to make it a “destination channel” for the 30-something crowd.
The revamp represents a major overhaul for the channel, which was launched by the former CHUM Television as MuchMoreMusic in 1998. It includes a new slate of first-run dramas and the addition of syndicated strip programming including The Mentalist, Anger Management and Mike & Molly.
Bell says that the rebrand will enable M3 to attract the female audiences coveted by advertisers. The channel has a 9.4 share among adults 18-49 this year, down slightly from 10.1 last season. According to CRTC statistics, national advertising revenue for MuchMore has fallen from $14.1 million in 2007 to $11.13 million last year.
CRTC stats also indicate that MuchMore’s staff count has fallen steadily, from 47 people in 2008 to 20 in 2009 and just six last year. However, Sara McLaren, Bell Media’s director of communications entertainment specialties and pay publicity, said that figure is misleading because Bell has centralized roles such as programming, communications, marketing, in-house production and promotions across all of its specialties. The actual number of people working on M3 today, she said, is actually closer to 100.
