Bell Media Acquires Iconic Sketch Comedy Series SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Set to Debut in Simulcast on Crave and CTV this Fall

– The celebrated late-night comedy showcase streams live on Crave through the live CTV channel –

– SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is the #1 non-scripted series among Adults 18-49 in Canada* –

TORONTO, April 13, 2026 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today that, following a deal with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution, it will bring SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE to Canadian audiences this fall, with its 52^nd season airing in simulcast exclusively on CTV and streaming live on Crave.

"Crave and CTV are proud to be the new home of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in Canada," said Justin Stockman, VP, Global Content, Bell Media. "A proven hit for over 50 years, the series has always been at the vanguard of pop culture, setting the tone for modern humour. We will be enjoying alongside viewers when the new season premieres on Crave and CTV."

Beginning this Fall, new episodes of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE will also be available to stream on demand next day on Crave, and join Crave's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Collection, a library of legendary SNL episodes from past seasons.

Crave also recently announced the acquisition of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE UK, the newly unveiled British adaptation of the late-night franchise, which debuted in Canada exclusively on Crave on Saturday, March 21. 

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.

Sarah Weaver, Director of Content, Acquisitions & Sales for Bell Media, negotiated the deal with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution. With the acquisition of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Crave continues to expand its offering with some of the most sought-after and talked-about content from around the world. From premium originals to globally celebrated franchises, Crave remains focused on delivering bold, must-watch programming that reflects the breadth of modern entertainment and reinforces its position as Canada's destination for standout storytelling.

*Source: Numeris, Total Canada, FWS 24-25 (Sept 9 2024 - May 18 2025), Exclude all Sports and Scripted series

About Bell Media
Bell Media is Canada's leading media and entertainment company with a portfolio of assets in premium video, audio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. This includes leading Canadian-owned streamer, Crave; Canada's most-watched television network, CTV; a powerful suite of specialty channels; the most-trusted news brands, CTV News and Noovo Info; Canada's cross-platform sports leaders, TSN and RDS; leading out-of-home advertising network, Astral; Québec's fast-growing conventional French-language network, Noovo; the country's leading audio app, iHeartRadio Canada; and a range of award-winning original productions, brands, and services. Bell Media is majority owner of global content distributor, Sphere Abacus, and is partner in Sphere Media, Blink49 Studios, Montréal's Grande Studios, and Dome Productions, one of North America's leading production facilities providers. 

Bell Media delivers end-to-end advertising through the Bell Marketing Platform, powered by Bell First Party Data, helping brands plan smarter, activate seamlessly, and measure campaigns to drive real business outcomes at scale. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company.¹ Learn more at BellMedia.ca. 

¹ Based on total revenue and total combined customer connections. 

About NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is responsible for the licensing and distribution of NBCUniversal's film and TV content to paid and free services across all linear and streaming platforms in the U.S., Canada and in over 200 territories internationally. NBCUniversal's content portfolio includes a vast and diverse library of more than 6,500 feature films and 170,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, kids, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Sky Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, NBC Late Night properties, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures Content Group, Telemundo, and more, as well as locally produced content from around the world. Global TV Distribution is a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.

SOURCE Bell Media

For more information: Nicolle Stranges, [email protected]