Why we're all watching MCTV

CTV NEWS RELEASE

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Soaring Criminal Minds completes Top 5 sweep for CTV's unstoppable Fall 2006 season

CTV finishing with Canada's Top 5 programs, eight of the top 10 and 16 of the top 20

Line-up poised for more growth with January debut of American Idol

TORONTO - Buoyed by television's fastest growing prime-time series, the CTV line-up now boasts a clean sweep of Canada's Top 5 programs, up two from September when CTV swept the Top 3 programs to start the Fall season.

Climbing into the Top 5 is second-year smash hit Criminal Minds, which is riding a ratings rocket for CTV, the latest success story in a season-long list of success stories for Canada's leading broadcaster.

With the 2006 Fall Season winding down, CTV is set to finish the campaign with eight of Canada's Top 10 programs and 16 of the Top 20 (up from 14 in Fall 2005).

The remarkable story of audience growth and momentum continues for CTV, which delivered as advertised, a veteran, hit-laden lineup backed by an unbeatable promotional strategy in September.

The schedule is poised for even more growth with the impending January debut of another television giant: American Idol.

Today, a Canada-wide ratings snapshot reflecting more than 40 markets confirms that CTV is television's No.1 destination for water-cooler programming; delivering mass viewership and more adult 18-49 viewers than any other broadcaster.

Highlights from CTV's 2006 Fall season

- Canada's No.1 program: CSI, with 3.3 million viewers per episode

- CTV with eight of Canada's Top 10 programs and 16 of the Top 20 (see Top 20 below)

- a clean sweep of Canada's Top 5 programs, including all three CSI series

- Canada's fastest growing series, Criminal Minds, debuted at No.10, now ranked No.5 and charting more than 100 percednt audience growth when compared to last year's performance,

- CTV with No.1 programs five nights per week

- Canada's only Canadian scripted program in the Top 20: Corner Gas

- Canada's most-watched Canadian entertainment news program: etalk

- Canada's No.1 national news division, including the most watched national newscast, CTV National News,

- the only local newscast to crack the Top 20: CTV Evening News at No.12

- Canada's only broadband network streaming full-length U.S network dramas and a full slate of Canadian hits: The CTV Broadband Network (at ctv.ca)

CTV's unstoppable Fall season includes strength across all genres, and strength across the week.

In fact, CTV wins six of seven nights every week, delivering more mass audience and more Adult 18-49 viewers than any other broadcaster.

Night-by-night prime-time breakdown

- Mon: CTV averaging 1.52M viewers, 43 percent more than Global

- Tues: CTV averaging 1.21M viewers, 19 percent more than Global

- Wed: CTV averaging 1.86M viewers, 242 percent more than Global

- Thurs: CTV averaging 2.3M viewers, 71 percent more than Global

- Fri: CTV averaging 1.31M viewers, 53 percet more than Global

- Sat: CTV averaging 700,000 viewers, second to CBC and 255 percent more than Global

- Sun: CTV averaging 1.86M viewers, 120 percent more than Global

Source: BBM Nielsen (Sept. 18 - Nov. 26, 2006)

Canadians continued to make CTV News, Canada's most watched news division and CTV National News the most watched national newscast.

Averaging 930,000 viewers seven days per week, it's nine percent better than Global National and delivers
63 percent more viewers than CBC.

Canadians also choose CTV News for special event and breaking news coverage as evidenced Saturday during the Liberal Leadership convention: CTV News delivered 340,000 viewers during the emerging national news story, 82 percent more than tuned into coverage on Global (and 400 percent more viewers in Ontario).

Source: BBM-Nielsen (Aug. 28 - Nov. 26, and Sat., Dec 2, 2006)

And with a proudly Canadian focus, CTV's etalk continues to set the industry bar.

Canada's first daily entertainment news show remains Canada's most watched and most influential, with 12 percent more viewers than ET Canada.

With the most resources and backed by Canada's biggest entertainment newsroom, etalk delivers more exclusives, more set visits, more red carpet access and more feature interviews with Canadian artists than any competitor.

This season's winning trend began in the Fall when etalk charted the most viewers to its comprehensive coverage of The Toronto International Film Festival.

Source: BBM-Nielsen (Aug. 28 - Nov. 19, 2006)

The Top 20 programs in Canada

1. C.S.I. (CTV) - 3,310,000 viewers
2. C.S.I. MIAMI (CTV) - 2,486,000 viewers
3. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (CTV) - 2,461,000 viewers
4. C.S.I. NEW YORK (CTV) - 2,455,000 viewers
5. CRIMINAL MINDS (CTV) - 2,298,000 viewers
6. E.R. (CTV) - 2,216,000 viewers
7. SURVIVOR COOK ISL - 2,159,000 viewers
8. HOUSE - 2,137,000 viewers
9. AMAZING RACE 10 (CTV) - 2,034,000 viewers
10. LAW AND ORDER:SVU (CTV) - 1,979,000 viewers
11. GREY'S ANATOMY (CTV) - 1,901,000 viewers
12. CTV EVENING NEWS (CTV) - 1,562,000 viewers
13. PRISON BREAK - 1,490,000 viewers
14. GHOST WHISPERER (CTV) - 1,458,000 viewers
14. DANCING W/STARS PERF (CTV) - 1,458,000 viewers
16. LAW AND ORDER (CTV) - 1,436,000 viewers
17. CORNER GAS (CTV) - 1,418,000 viewers
18. DANCING W/STARS RESULTS (CTV) - 1,384,000 viewers
19. COLD CASE (CTV) - 1,360,000 viewers
20. H.N.I.C. - 1,310,000 viewers

The 2006 Fall season (Sept. 18 - Dec. 3, 2006), Source: BBM-Nielsen

CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming.

It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing.

CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 16 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN.

CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company.

More information about CTV may be found on the company website at CTV.ca

Source: All audience data courtesy BBM Nielsen Media Research

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