W Network

World Screen Weekly, July 3, 2008

COUNTRY: Canada

YEAR IT LAUNCHED: 2002

OWNERSHIP: Corus Entertainment

DISTRIBUTION: W Network is seen in more than 7.9 million households across Canada.

DESCRIPTION: The female-focused entertainment network caters to the interests of modern women with a mix of programs, ranging from blockbuster movies to hit drama and lifestyle series.

PRESIDENT, TELEVISION: Paul Robertson

EXECUTIVE VP & GENERAL MANAGER, LIFESTYLE,

DRAMA & MOVIES: Susan Ross

VP, PROGRAMMING: Joanna Webb

VP, MARKETING, WOMEN’S SPECIALTY TELEVISION: Shelley Findlay

DIRECTOR, PROGRAMMING: Renee Skea

DIRECTOR, ORIGINAL PRODUCTION: Vibika Bianchi

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: As the number one women’s specialty service in Canada, W Network has maintained its market-leading position by offering a well-diversified schedule, focused on programming genres that are in line with women’s lifestyle priorities, including home, design, property, food, shopping and transformation.

“The network is smart, modern, informative and lighthearted,” explains W Network’s VP of programming, Joanna Webb. The channel “reflects a mix of women’s interests, some lofty, some fun—but most of all, entertaining; it’s a place where women can kick back and laugh, learn a little and relax a lot.”

Known as the “marketing-to-women experts,” the channel keeps abreast of the changing priorities and needs of women as consumers and TV viewers with the Her Report, an ongoing online panel survey that gauges the attitudes of some 2,300 women across Canada. The 30-plus completed surveys provide W Network with insight into a variety of topics, “providing an important tool to help create an environment and a schedule that resonates with our viewers,” says Webb.

Transformation is a key theme that the channel has been building on, ranging from financial to home to personal makeover and self-esteem programming. Within the lifestyle vein, the network has developed a roster of “W Experts” who provide helpful information and tips that can be put to use to help transform the audience’s everyday lives. Mondays and Thursdays on the network, the W Experts present programming focused on the home. These include How Clean is Your House?, Kim’s Rude Awakenings, Divine Design, Take this House and Sell It!, Colour Confidential and Save Us from Our House! Tuesdays and Wednesdays feature W Experts looking at more personal transformations, with programs such as Maxed Out, Style by Jury, How to Look Good Naked, The Shopping Bags and Smart Cookies.

Also top performers on the network, U.S. dramas such as The Closer and Medium and comedies like Friends and Will & Grace provide viewers with “the kind of relaxing and entertaining programming that our audience looks for at the end of a busy day,” says Webb. The network also offers up a range of first-run movies.

Webb notes the conditions of the network’s license require that 70 percent of the programming originates in Canada, with a maximum of 22.5 percent from the U.S. and a minimum of 7.5 percent from non-North American programming. Webb adds that the network is looking to pick up some additional diet, food and nutrition-based fare, which she says would be “a good fit for our successful, annual January 1 stunt-day event, Diet D Day.”

Added-value tools and tips and advice are a main part of W Network’s online focus, providing “a deeper web connection to our experts and their subject matter.” Webb also explains that a key priority for the network is “developing a fully integrated content offering with our production slate—for all platforms.”

WHAT’S NEW: Joining the network’s lineup this summer are two new U.K. imports: Coleen’s Real Women and Open House. Coleen’s Real Women features Coleen McCloughlin on a mission to put real women into high-profile advertising and modeling jobs, while Open House is a new property program that gives tips on how to stage your home for a one-day showing.

September marks the return of W’s hit Double and Triple Flix on Saturday nights, which airs back-to-back movie favorites. Highlights on the slate include The Break-Up, American Dreamz, Music & Lyrics, Failure to Launch and The Family Stone.

New and returning series also hit the air in September. New to the network is Gok’s Clothes Show, featuring Gok Wan of the U.K.’s How to Look Good Naked giving tips on how to look fabulous without spending a fortune. The show is filmed in front of a live audience in England. Supersize vs. Superskinny is an educational program hosted by Dr. Christian Jessen that discusses diet and nutrition. Each hour-long episode features a diet swap between contributors with opposite eating habits to kick start them into adopting a more balanced approach to food. The new original series Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag features admitted kitchen rookies Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic, who also host The Shopping Bags, as they try out recipes from popular cookbooks. W’s new real-estate series Love It or List It sees homeowners working with real-estate agent David Visentin and designer Hilary Farr. While Farr tries to convince homeowners to change their home and love it, Visentin works with their budget to show them new homes that will make them list their current property.

WEBSITE: www.wnetwork.com