ABC Spark Free Preview available to Rogers Customers until February 4

A chance to get hooked on the most buzzed about series Switched at Birth and Bunheads               

TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - To give more Canadian viewers a taste of the hit series Switched at Birth, Bunheads, and The Lying Game, Corus Entertainment's ABC Spark, will be available on free preview to all Rogers Digital Cable customers until February 4. ABC Spark, the destination for millennial viewers, is based on the highly successful U.S. brand ABC Family. The channel is newly available to Rogers customers on channels 69 and 214. The free preview coincides with the recent launch of ABC Spark's winter schedule as well as the new Rogers feed, making the channel available in 35 per cent more households including the Toronto market.

"Our customers have an appetite for fresh new programming and expect a broad range of premium channels from Rogers available on the device of their choice," said David Purdy, Senior Vice-President, Content, Rogers Communications. "Canadians are enthusiastic about ABC Spark and we are thrilled to offer our customers access to the channel's original Disney produced content in free preview."

The winter slate and the free preview will be supported by an extensive national eight-week marketing campaign that includes 30-second television spots, radio and online advertising as well as subway ads and mall posters in Toronto.  ABC Spark will also receive extensive exposure across Corus specialty channels and websites. The launch of ABC Spark on Rogers is a part of a multi-year, multi-channel renewal agreement with Corus Entertainment. Rogers Digital Cable customers have access to premium content from Corus including ABC Spark, Treehouse, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), W Network and YTV;  available on demand, online, mobile, tablets and game consoles.

"There has been a great deal of excitement around the launch of ABC Spark and the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, making it the #1 digital channel in Canada (12-34)," said Maria Hale, Vice President, Television, Head of Digital and Content Distribution, Corus Entertainment. "We are pleased that ABC Spark's popular programs are now available and under free preview to Rogers customers."

Series and Episode Synopses

Switched at Birth - Season 2
Mondays at 8 p.m.
The fallout from the baby switch trial continues. After the verdict against the hospital makes Angelo (Gilles Marini) a millionaire, he stuns the families with lavish gifts. But suspicions about Angelo's behavior continue when a pregnant woman shows up claiming that he is the father. John (D.W. Moffett) and Kathryn (Lea Thompson) consider a run for public office. Meanwhile, Bay (Vanessa Marano) must face the Student Honor Board when she is accused of cheating, and Daphne's (Katie Leclerc) distraction with Chef Jeff gets her in trouble.

Episode: The Awakening Conscience airs Monday, January 14 at 8 p.m.
Bay convinces John and Kathryn to let her attend Carlton's pilot program for siblings of deaf students. Toby starts dating Nikki, but distances himself from her when Emmett shows him a scandalous photo of her online. 

Episode: Duel of Two Women airs Monday, January 21 at 8 p.m.
Kathryn possibly hurts John's campaign during a radio interview, while Melody forces the students to go on a retreat to help bridge the divide between them. 

Episode: Dressing for the Charade airs Monday, January 28 at 8 p.m.
Bay struggles to adapt to her changing relationship with Angelo, while Daphne sees a different side to Travis and considers taking their relationship to another level.

Episode: The Acquired Inability to Escape airs Monday, February 4 at 8 p.m.
Daphne feels awkward around Travis, while Kathryn offers to work at Carlton in an attempt to get closer to Bay. 

Bunheads - Winter Season 
Mondays at 9 p.m.
Michelle (Sutton Foster) has returned to Las Vegas and is working as a magician's assistant. It's been several months since the Nutcracker fiasco, where Michelle accidently maced the young performers of Paradise Dance Academy. Now she's crashing on her friend's couch and working as a dancer for a small-time magician in Henderson, NV. Meanwhile in Paradise, the dance studio is closed down, leaving the students to keep busy on their own. Ginny has taken over her mother's real estate business; Melanie has been caring for her grandpa, and Boo is pulling her hair out taking care of her little brother while her pregnant mother is on bed rest. After a summer at Joffrey, Sasha returns but refuses to head back home, instead hiding out with friends. 

Episode: Channing Tatum is a Fine Actor airs Monday, January 14 at 9 p.m.
Michelle is back in Paradise and a financially troubled Truly moves in with her, which leads to chaos. Meanwhile, it's the first day of school for the girls and they become captivated with a pair of exotic new students. 

Episode: I'll Be Your Meyer Lansky airs Monday, January 21 at 9 p.m.
Michelle and Fanny need to find a way to make money seeing as they have no income. The girls continue to be mystified by the alluring new students while Sasha deals with the decision to move from Paradise. 

Episode: The Astronaut and the Ballerina airs Monday, January 28 at 9 p.m.
Michelle's brother pays a visit, while Melanie ventures into the world of roller derby.

Episode: Take the Vicuna airs Monday, February 4 at 9 p.m.
Michelle and her brother take a road trip that leads to an unexpected encounter, while Sasha has a party. 

The Lying Game - Season 2
Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
The lies continue in season 2. Alec is in jail following his arrest for Derek's murder, but he still manages to unnerve Emma (Alexandra Chando), who is desperate for answers. Rebecca and Sutton's mother-daughter bonding consists of formulating their plans for the Mercer family, which contradicts Emma and Laurel's plan to reunite Ted and Kristin. Meanwhile, Mads goes looking for trouble, and meets a mysterious new guy in town. 

Episode: Cheat, Play, Love airs Tuesday, January 15 at 9 p.m.
Rebecca throws Jordan a party and has him invite Laurel's band to play so that she has an excuse to see Ted. Ethan turns in a plagiarized paper to avoid flunking out of school, but upsets Emma. 

Episode: Advantage Sutton airs Tuesday, January 22 at 9 p.m.
The twins play a tennis match to see who will control Sutton's life, while evidence is found that gets Alec released. 

Episode: A Kiss Before Lying airs Tuesday, January 29 at 9 p.m.
Sutton is back in her old life, Rebecca and Alec take a tense honeymoon to the cabin, and Emma makes the decision to go to L.A. and be with Thayer. 

Episode: Much Ado About Everything airs Tuesday, February 5 at 9 p.m.
While trying to discover Sutton's secret Laurel winds up in the hospital, which brings Emma back to town. 

Melissa & Joey - Season 1 Repeats
Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Melissa & Joey is a hit comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. Melissa Joan Hart portrays Mel, the grown-up former wild child of a political family who is now a local politician herself. When her sister ends up in prison and brother-in-law flees after a scandal hits, Mel must take responsibility for her teenaged niece, Lennox, and adolescent nephew, Ryder. Spread too thin to manage by herself, help comes in the unlikely form of Joe (Lawrence) who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes the family's "manny." 

Baby Daddy - Season 1 Repeats
Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.
A half-hour original comedy series about Ben, a young man in his 20s, played by Vancouver actor Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY) who becomes a surprise dad to a baby girl when she is left on his doorstep by an ex-girlfriend. Ben decides to raise the baby with the help of his mother Bonnie (Melissa Peterman), his brother Danny (Derek Theler), his best buddy Tucker (Tahj Mowry) and his female friend Riley (Chelsea Kane), who his harbouring a secret crush on him.

Other popular series returning to the channel at a later date include The Secret Life of the American Teenager (starring Golden Globe^® nominee Shailene Woodley and Molly Ringwald) and Make It or Break It (starring Candace Cameron Bure). 

ABC Spark is available in Canada through a license agreement between Corus Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group. Built on the foundation of the successful U.S. brand ABC Family, ABC Spark is a multiplatform offering featuring original series and movies, as well as general entertainment programming. The 24-hour channel has the same values, look, tone, essence and feel of ABC Family in the U.S.   www.abcspark.ca

About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter - @ABCSparkCanada
Facebook - Facebook.com/ABCSparkCanada

For high-resolution images, please visit http://mediacentre.corusent.com. 

Follow Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR

SOURCE: Corus Entertainment Inc.

For further information:

For more information, images or screeners, please contact:

Netta Rondinelli                                                    
416-479-6443                                                    
[e-mail]

Kate Calder

416-479-6319

[e-mail]