CTV leaves CBS behind on ‘The Bridge’
Sets timeslot ahead of CBS announcement
By: Etan Vlessing
Date: February 3, 2010
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
TORONTO — CTV won’t wait for CBS to set a U.S. primetime slot for “The Bridge” before it debuts the Canadian cop drama on the same airday.
The Canadian broadcaster instead hopes the homegrown cop drama gets a post-Olympics bounce after it bows on Friday nights from March 5.
CBS, which co-produces “The Bridge” with CTV, left the E1 Television scripted drama off its lineup for lack of real estate when it revealed its prime time schedule last month.
So CTV will bow “The Bridge” on Friday, March 5 at 9 p.m. with a special two-hour series premiere.
The Aaron Douglas-starrer will then move the week after to a permanent slot on Fridays at 10 p.m.
Going solo marks a major departure for CTV and other Canuck broadcasters that usually wait until a U.S. network sets an airdate.
The Canadians then follow the American lead and simulcast a series in the same time slot, replace the American feed and air their own Canadian commercials to maximize advertising revenue.
That had CTV waiting until CBS scheduled “Flashpoint,” another CBS/CTV co-production, before it simulcast the popular cop drama in the same slot.
Now “The Bridge” will go out right after CTV wraps its coverage of the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympics in late February.