Located in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough, a major water main break on René-Lévesque Boulevard and de Lorimier Avenue on Aug. 16, 2024 sent a deluge of water into homes and business in the area, including Bell Media’s offices where CTV, RDS, Noovo, Rouge FM (CITE-FM), Energie (CKMF-FM), CJAD, CHOM, Virgin Radio (CJFM-FM) and TSN Radio (CKGM-FM) were impacted as control panels and other equipment were destroyed.

A little more than a year later, CTV is introducing its new virtual studio environment, following the debut of a similar set that went into use last year by Bell Media French-language news channel, Noovo Info. 

The virtual studio environment includes multiple modular screens to accommodate high-quality news graphics, video footage, and live interviews. 

“This innovative new virtual reality studio not only delivers a visually striking news environment for our viewers, it also allows us to tell stories in dynamic new ways,” said Jean-Philippe Pineault, General Manager, Quebec News, Bell Media. “Building on the success following Noovo Info’s transition to a virtual set, and thanks to the technological advances offered by this state-of-the-art studio, we will continue to evolve our newscasts for years to come.” 

The new set will be used during CTV News at 5 with anchor Maya Johnson; CTV News at 6 with anchor Mutsumi Takahashi; and CTV News at 11:30 with anchor Caroline Van Vlaardingen, as well as the 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. weekend newscasts. 

The post CTV Montreal unveils new virtual studio following devastating flooding appeared first on Broadcast Dialogue.

The renewal builds on a decade of collaboration, following iHeartRadio Canada’s launch in 2016, with the streaming app growing to include more than 360 licensed Canadian radio stations across 170 markets.

As part of the partnership extension, Bell Media will represent iHeartRadio’s extensive podcast portfolio in Canada to advertisers.

“The creation of iHeartRadio Canada has been instrumental in evolving the digital audio landscape in Canada, greatly expanding the choice of incredible content available to listeners,” said Dave Daigle, VP, Local TV, Radio, and Bell Media Studios. “The renewal of this successful partnership ensures iHeartRadio Canada continues to deliver exceptional content and innovative listening experiences to our audiences, further solidifying our position as a leader in the Canadian media industry.” 

“This renewed agreement with Bell Media reflects our shared commitment to delivering the best in audio entertainment to Canadian listeners and advertisers,” added Michael Biondo, President of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, iHeartMedia. “In the years to come, we’ll continue expanding iHeartRadio Canada with innovative features, exclusive content, and unique opportunities for brands to connect and engage with audiences across the country.” 

Bell says the extended partnership also means continued support for iHeartRadio-branded live music and entertainment events in Canada.

The app has also rolled out a slate of enhanced features as of this week, including: Presets, inspired by the car radio dashboard, allow listeners to save up to 15 of their favourite radio stations, playlists, podcasts, and artist radio stations; Scan Button, a  new way for listeners to discover new stations, by scanning and sampling radio stations, or filtering by city or genre; Live Radio Dial, enabling listeners to explore the best live stations across the country; What’s Trending Rankers, a discovery feature that allows listeners to see what’s trending in the current moment across Top Podcasts, Top Playlists, and Top Artist Radio stations; and Lyrics, offering lyrics for the song currently playing on live radio, as well as for tracks on artist radio stations and playlists. 

The post Bell Media and iHeartRadio announce partnership extension appeared first on Broadcast Dialogue.

The new TSN Shop delivers a curated shopping experience for TSN viewers through Shopsense AI’s shoppable TV technology, beginning tonight during the CFL on TSN’s Friday Night Football. The network says the TSN Shop will expand into additional sport properties over the coming year, offering unique opportunities for brands to connect directly to fans.

“With the expansion of our Shopsense AI partnership to include TSN, we’re continuing to redefine how viewers interact with Bell Media content,” said Matt McGowan, Senior Vice-President, Business Solutions, in an announcement. “This new collaboration allows sports fans to enjoy an interactive viewing experience, while we’re able to provide Bell Media clients with customized opportunities that connect them directly with TSN audiences.” 

“With the launch of the innovative new TSN Shop, we’re giving Canadian sports fans a unique and exciting way to connect with their favourite teams and TSN personalities,” added Shawn Redmond, VP, Bell Media Sports. “This new partnership makes the TSN Shop the prime online destination for brands looking to reach fans across the country, debuting tonight in the CFL ON TSN, and soon expanding to include many more of the marquee sports properties that live on Canada’s Sports Leader.” 

Bell Media previously announced the partnership in December, marking Shopsense’s first expansion outside of the U.S. and the first integration of its Commerce OS into Canadian entertainment programming. It debuted on CTV’s The Good Stuff with Mary Berg and ETALK, offering host- and celebrity-inspired fashion and home décor, among other products.

Bell says the expansion furthers its plans to scale shoppability across its content library, including award shows, scripted dramas, and unscripted programs, “paving the way for immersive, interactive television experiences.” 

The post Bell Media expands Shopsense AI partnership to TSN appeared first on Broadcast Dialogue.