CTV & Harlequin Pact for TV Movies

CTV has struck up a brand and content agreement with Harlequin Studios, the newly established production unit owned by the publisher Harlequin, for a slate of TV movies based on the company’s book catalog.

The first-of-its-kind deal will see CTV commission more than 20 made-for-TV films, drawing on content from Harlequin’s best-selling catalog of more than 30,000 titles, for its newly rebranded CTV Drama channel. A Harlequin-branded program block will run on CTV Drama, bringing the Harlequin romance and mysteries to the small screen.

The first title has a planned Canadian premiere in Q4 2019 on CTV Drama as well as Bell Media’s VRAK French-language specialty channel, with more new titles debuting in 2020 and beyond.

“Harlequin movies are an ideal match for CTV Drama channel, a service which super-serves female 18-to-54 viewers with content led by powerhouse series, including Killing Eve and The Handmaid’s Tale,” said Mike Cosentino, president of content and programming at Bell Media. “Our partnership with Harlequin not only fuels our viewer’s desires for rich storytelling, but also illustrates our commitment to invest in programming that sets CTV Drama apart from the competition.”

Craig Swinwood, Harlequin’s publisher and CEO, added: “Harlequin is proud to align with CTV Drama for the launch of Harlequin Studios under the leadership of EVP Brent Lewis. We’re excited by the opportunity to bring our authors’ incredible stories to film, and entertain new viewers and existing Harlequin fans.”