#SPOTTED: STARS IN TORONTO FOR THE 2017/2018 ROGERS MEDIA UPFRONT

It’s one of our favourite times of the year. The Upfronts are here in Toronto this week and first to go is Rogers Media, unveiling their new 2017/2018 programming lineup.  The unveiling, presented at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, brought-in some fresh and exciting new talent to the city. Colette Watson, SVP at Rogers Media says that their line-up has “something for everyone every night of the week.”.

Highlighting the schedule are five new comedies, four new dramas, three new Canadian titles, two live musical events and one fan-favourite competition series!

Rogers Media is number one targetting the 18-49 demographic with their programming and Rogers Media remains Canada’s #1 sports brand.

BAD BLOOD, GHOSTED, LA>VEGAS, THE ORVILLE and THE RESIDENT are brand new and returning or debuting on Rogers Media are SPEECHLESS, THE BLACKLIST, DANCING WITH THE STARS and VERSAILLES.

Among the series and specials returning to Rogers Media‘s lineup are LETHAL WEAPON, HELL’S KITCHEN, THE MICK, MODERN FAMILY, THE MIDDLE, MOM, THE BACHELOR, BLACK-ISH, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, FAMILY GUY, LIFE IN PIECES, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, SCORPION and NEW GIRL.

Live Musicals RENT and A CHRISTMAS STORY also will be marquee events to air.

Stars in attendance were Manish Dayal (The Resident), Edward Weeks (LA>Vegas),  Kim Matula (LA>Vegas) and Diego Klattenhoff (The Blacklist).

See some Snaps. Hover over left and right of post to navigate slideshow!

(Swipe left) So much fun ringing in Rogers’ 2017/2018 programming line-up at the #RogersUpfronts! #DiegoKlattenhoff #KimMatula #EdWeeks #ManishDayal #DinaPugliese #RogersUpfront

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2017 at 2:06pm PDT

(Swipe left!) More #RogersUpfront fun with Rogers Media’s finest!

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2017 at 2:32pm PDT

For more on the complete 2017/2018 line-up and schedule, click here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#SPOTTED: STARS IN TORONTO FOR THE 2016 ROGERS UPFRONT

It’s that time of year again! We look forward always to the Upfronts every year and Canada’s big three Television giants: Bell Media, Corus (Shaw) and Rogers gather potential Ad Buyers to unveil a sneak peak of their upcoming television season lineups including series picked up for additional seasons and new acquisitions!

Rogers is first to roll this year and an army of talent came out today for the mega-presentation at Rogers Centre tonight which includes a reception, gala and afterparty!

Some stars were up and at it early today, appearing on City‘s Breakfast Television – which by the way, remains Canada’s top morning show by a wide margin – with Adam Wylde and Dina Pugliese, including Jay Baruchel (Toronto-made Man Seeking Woman Season 3), Adam Pally (Making History),  Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) and Damon Wayans (Lethal Weapon). All Series air this Fall on CITY, with the exception of Man Seeking Woman which is on FXX. The latter network continues to see double-digital growth and will thrive when Pick-and-Pay fully enters the cable market as an option later this year.

Many other new and returning series, specials and staples were revealed including Tom Hardy‘s Taboo, The Mick, animated-live action Son of Zorn, American Crime Story: Katrina, Hairspray (live), Rocky Horror Picture Show (filmed in Toronto) and more, proving Television v. much is alive!

See some of the stars as they quickly make their rounds today!

Baruchel

#JayBaruchel at #RogersUpfront with #ManSeekingWoman. 💑

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

Wayans

#DamonWayans at #RogersUpfront with #LethalWeapon. 🔫

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

Pally

#AdamPally (#HappyEndings, #TheMindyProject #DirtyGrandpa) at #RogersUpfront for #MakingHistory.

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

 

Forte

Funnyman #WillForte in town for #RogersUpfront. He stars in new series, #TheLastManonEarth! 👤🌍

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

#WillForte. #TheLastManonEarth #RogersUpfront 👤🌍

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

 

See our Snapchat Video of our #RogersUpfront experience!

Too much fun covering the #RogersUpfront! So many exciting new series out this Fall including #TheMick, #LethalWeapon, #MakingHistory, #SonofZorn, #TheLastManonEarth, #Taboo, #RockyHorrorPictureShow, #AmericanCrimeStoryKatrina + more. TV is not dead. 📺

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jun 6, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#FIRSTLOOK: SHOMI TO LAUNCH FOR SHAW AND ROGERS SUBSCRIBERS THIS NOVEMBER

The  buzz certainly is there for proudly-Canadian Streaming Service shomi.  A collaboration of efforts between Multimedia Giants SHAW and ROGERS, the Service will be rolled-out to the Set-Top Boxes and Streaming Devices (Apple and Android Tablets and Smartphones) this Fall, with their eyes set on the success which Key Player Netflix has achieved across homes in North America.

We and a select Group of Key Influencers in the Canadian Market, had the opportunity to hear directly from shomi‘s Marni Shulman and Marc Dinsdale who play a pivotal role in its launch at an exclusive Event at Toronto’s only five-star Hotel, The Hazelton.  We learned about the virtues of the Service, which is being touted as being “created for Entertainment Lovers, by Entertainment Lovers”.  It is the product of two things we learned: Algorithms based on Viewer habits and also the Human Touch.

The Service capitalizes on the phenomenon of Bingewatching, currently taking the World by storm, focusing on multi-season, “bingeworthy“-based Content.  Shulman says, “shomi is focusing on edgy, immersive content with deep character”.  “80% of our content is Series, 19% is Movies and the other 1% will be Concerts and original produced content.”.

That being said, shomi will be the first to stream hotly-tipped programming like NBA Star Lebron James’ BECOMING Series, a response to the lack of Sports-based programming for Kids, and also STARZ Series POWER, produced by Hip-Hop Star Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.  It also has exclusivity on FX Original Programming like Sons of Anarchy and American Horror Story, not available on other Streaming Services.

A deal also has been reached with Warner Bros., meaning that acclaimed Series like FALLING SKIES, 2 BROKE GIRLS and SHAMELESS also are not far behind.  shomi Users also will be the first to see Producer Rob Thomas’ eagerly-awaited iZOMBIE Series, described as a cross between The Walking Dead and Veronica Mars.

The biggest selling point of shomi is its ease of use.  Instead of focusing on word-based searches, Kids in particular will find simplicity  with its image and experience-based layout, while its Bookmarking Feature makes it easy to pick-up or proceed in watching programs at a later date.

The $8.99 monthly subscription rate with its first month being free should appeal to Customers who want to add and remove the feature at their own discretion and many will find relief in being able to view programming directly on their Set-Top Boxes, meaning less worries about exceeding Internet Plan Data Caps.

shomi launches this November.  Click here to learn more.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)