Showcase

World Screen Weekly, October 18, 2007

LAUNCH DATE: January 1, 1995

COUNTRY: Canada

OWNERSHIP: Alliance Atlantis

DISTRIBUTION: 6.8 million subscribers via satellite and cable

DESCRIPTION: With the slogan “Television Without Borders,” Showcase offers up a slate of international comedy and dramatic programming, as well as a number of original Canadian scripted and documentary series.

EXECUTIVE VP, CONTENT, ALLIANCE ATLANTIS: Norm Bolen

SENIOR VP, CONTENT, DRAMATIC CHANNELS: John Gill

VP, CONTENT, DRAMATIC CHANNELS: Tara Ellis

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Showcase consistently ranks within the top 10 specialty channels in Canada. “We offer programming that’s different from the usual network fare—our goal is to be distinct within the Canadian broadcast landscape,” says Tara Ellis, the VP of content for dramatic channels at Alliance Atlantis. “The slogan ‘Television Without Borders’ not only addresses our slate of great international comedy and dramatic programming, but it also highlights our goal to push the boundaries of conventional television.”

Ellis says that the channel is “primarily an acquisitions channel,” but prides itself on being a “leading commissioner of scripted drama among Canadian specialty broadcasters.”

The network acquires content from U.S. cable networks such as FX, Showtime, FOX, TNT and HBO, as well as from international broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4. Ellis says Showcase also deals “with smaller distributors that offer exclusive, edgy content.”

Under Showcase’s licensing conditions, the network’s overall grid is comprised of 60 percent Canadian content, while the prime-time schedule from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. consists of 100 percent Canadian content.

According to Ellis, Showcase’s 10 p.m. lineup is performing well this fall, with series like TNT’s Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; the FX drama Rescue Me, starring Denis Leary; Showtime’s The L Word and the British drama Jekyll. The CSI franchise also fares well on Showcase, which airs the original CSI and CSI: Miami. “Our ‘Showcase at 10 p.m.’ lineup features the best international series from around the world,” notes Ellis. “Our ‘unmissable’ lineup�features edgy anti-heroes—extraordinary characters in extraordinary situations.”

The network also features a “Fridays Without Borders” strand that highlights “erotically-charged docu-series” like Webdreams, a Showcase original production, and the travel title Sin Cities.

Showcase’s original series that are top performers include comedies like Trailer Park Boys, about a group of trailer-park residents; Billable Hours, following the office lives of three lawyers; and Rent-A-Goalie.

WHAT’S NEW: The second season of the Showcase original series Rent-A-Goalie will premiere on Sunday, October 28. Another Showcase original series, Exes & Ohs, recently premiered on Thursday, October 11. In this comedy, sincere but misguided Jennifer, played by series writer and creator Michelle Paradise, embarks on a search for true love. And rounding out the lineup of original series is the fourth season of Kenny vs. Spenny, premiering Tuesday, November 6. Kenny vs. Spenny is a series about two childhood friends who battle each other every week in outrageous competitions.

In terms of acquisitions, Showcase will be featuring upcoming returning seasons of the FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and the Showtime series Weeds. In early 2008, the ITV eight-part drama The Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the FX series Damages will debut on the network.

Ellis says that Showcase is also “beefing up its web presence” with both full-episode streaming and exclusive web content of its acquisitions and original programming. The network is providing catch-up episodes of Weeds and Rescue Me, as well as web-exclusive commissioned material that includes the Billable Minutes webisodes for Billable Hours. Sneak peeks and webisodes of Kenny vs. Spenny will be available as well. Later this fall, a “lost episode” of Rent-a-Goalie will be available exclusively for online viewers.

WEBSITE: www.showcase.ca

—By Irene Lew