History Unveils Patriotic Slate Of New, Original Canada 150 Programming From In-depth Documentaries To Awe-inspiring Digital Shorts
April 3, 2017
HISTORY UNVEILS PATRIOTIC SLATE OF NEW, ORIGINAL CANADA 150 PROGRAMMING FROM IN-DEPTH DOCUMENTARIES TO AWE-INSPIRING DIGITAL SHORTS
Thank You, Canada Explores the Greatest, Game-Changing Canadian Innovations and Contributions in a Powerful Series of Digital-First Shorts Rolling Out Now through Canada Day on HISTORY.ca/150
Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers Takes Viewers to Vimy Ridge on the 100th Anniversary of the Monumental Battle in the Emotionally-Gripping Documentary Premiering April 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Three-Part Original Documentary Series The World Without Canada Imagines the Global Impact of Life Without Canadian Influence and Inventions, Beginning May 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Toronto, Canada – HISTORY, the #1 Specialty Entertainment Network amongst Canadians*, announced today an original slate of Canada 150 programming featuring the digital-first series Thank You Canada, the emotionally-gripping 90-minute special Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers, and the inquisitive three-part documentary series, The World Without Canada. With 150 years of historical events and iconic individuals to commemorate, HISTORY is taking viewers on an enlightening journey to salute the cultural kaleidoscope that is Canada.
“We’re honoured to join in the national celebration of Canada’s milestone anniversary with this homegrown collection of poignant and compelling content,” says Daniel Eves, SVP of Kids and General Entertainment, Corus Entertainment. “These stories weave together the rich fabric of our country and HISTORY is proud to spotlight the contributions, achievements, and influence of Canadians over the last 150 years.”
HISTORY’s dive in to Canada’s past kicks off today with the launch of Thank You, Canada, a shareable series of digital shorts showcasing the incredible impact of Canadian innovations both here and around the world. From the goalie mask to maple syrup, the snowmobile and the foghorn, Canada’s rich history of game-changing inventions, innovations, and contributions will be featured on a new digital hub, HISTORY.ca/150, where users can watch, like, and share each video. New Thank You, Canada videos will roll out weekly with the full series culminating on July 1, 2017 with videos also airing on HISTORY. The Thank You, Canada videos were produced by Alibi Entertainment Inc. in association with Corus Entertainment. Please click HERE to view the Thank You, Canada promo.
Then, on the day of 100th anniversary of the historic Battle of Vimy Ridge, the original 90-minute documentary Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers (Sunday, April 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT) follows Norm Christie, one of the world’s leading experts in identifying missing allied soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, and his team as they embark on an extraordinary investigation – to locate the bodies of 44 missing Canadian soldiers. The soldiers are believed to be buried in an old German mine crater (known as Crater CA40) beneath a farmer’s field in northern France that is currently slated for industrial development. Determining the exact location of Crater CA40 must be done soon, but the task of excavating CA40 will be dangerous as the ground is full of unexploded bombs, explosive shells, and chemical weapons. Joined by a team of geophysicists, bomb disposal experts, and the families of the lost soldiers, Christie is determined to find the missing men and give them the proper commemoration they deserve. Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers is produced by Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. in association with Corus Entertainment. Norm Christie and Peter Williamson serve as Executive Producers. Please click HERE to view the trailer of the documentary and click HERE to view the Thank You, Canada video dedicated to Vimy Ridge.
The Canada 150 celebration continues with the three-part documentary The World Without Canada, airing on Wednesday, May 31, Thursday, June 1, and Friday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (3×60). This original documentary explores Canada’s significant impact on the modern world by imagining the realities and repercussions if those contributions never existed. The series speculates on the global impact of a world without Canada and the catastrophic consequences that would unfold. Delivered as a collection of thematic stories based on Canada’s natural resources, technological innovations, medical breakthroughs, humanitarian efforts, and more, the series focuses on Canadian contributions and identity from an informative, dramatic, and celebratory perspective. The World Without Canada is produced by Cream Productions Inc. in association with Corus Entertainment. Please click HERE to view the teaser.
Searching For Vimy’s Lost Soldiers, The World Without Canada and Thank You, Canada were produced with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund.
On Saturday, July 1, HISTORY will air a special Canada Day lineup featuring encore presentations of Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers, The World Without Canada and additional commemorative content including Explosion 1812, Dieppe Uncovered, War Story, and many more. Please visit HISTORY.ca for the full programming schedule.
The new documentaries will be available the day after broadcast on HISTORY.ca and the HISTORY GO app along with related programming. Additional documentaries and curated collections of programming from the expansive HISTORY library is available on the HISTORY Vault app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Corus Entertainment celebrates Canada’s 150th anniversary throughout 2017 with a variety of inspired content across its platforms. The wealth of multiplatform content ranges from: new series and specials featuring iconic Canadian stories, inventions, foods and architecture; historical documentaries; special news and radio coverage; user generated digital initiatives, and engaging kids’ content including a new picture book to educate young Canadians about our country. More information on Corus’ Canada’s 150th anniversary inspired content to come.
Source: Numeris TV Meter – Total Canada Winter/Spring 17 (1/2/17-3/12/17) – M-Su 2a-2a – confirmed data, excludes sports networks.
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About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children’s book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic Channel, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.
For more information please contact:
April Lim
Publicity Coordinator
Corus Entertainment
416.860.4216
april.lim@corusent.com
Laura Berkenblit
Senior Publicist
Corus Entertainment
416.860.4225
laura.berkenblit@corusent.com
Michelle McTeague
Publicity Manager
Corus Entertainment
416.860.4226
Michelle.mcteague@corusent.com
