Canadians Choose CTV's ETALK as their #1 Source for Coverage of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival®

- ETALK is #1 for eighth straight year, besting ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT CANADA by at least double digit margins among total viewers and all key adult demos -

- ETALK claims seven out of seven nights during Festival and a 64% advantage against ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT CANADA with total viewers -

- 5.5 million viewers tune in to ETALK's coverage, in whole or in part, for the duration of the Festival -         

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TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2012 /CNW/ - While the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival^®  organizers rolled out red carpets, ETALK raised the bar and delivered the best of the fest: for the eighth year in a row, Canadians have chosen CTV's ETALK as their #1 Canadian source for exclusive all- access coverage of the Festival.

Averaging 538,000 viewers for each night of Festival coverage, ETALK out-performed ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT CANADA (328,000) by at least double digit margins in total viewers (+64%) and all key demos: A18-34 (+123%), A18-49 (+68%), and A25-54 (+69%). Over the course of the Festival ETALK was the Canadian destination for seven out seven nights against ETC and also outperformed ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT (482,000) by 12%.

ETALK was the only entertainment show to demonstrate growth with its Festival coverage over last year, up 3% with total viewers versus 2011, compared to ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT (-8%) and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT CANADA (-2%).  ETALK also saw considerable increases this year in the key F18-34 (+14%) and F18-49 (+11%) demos.

At 7 p.m. in the key market of Toronto, the Festival's backyard and Canada's largest television market, ETALK led its head-to-head competition ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT six out of seven nights in total viewers throughout the Festival. ETALK also bested ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT over seven nights in the key A18-34 (+111%), A18-49 (+33%), and A25-54 (+70%) demos.

All in all, a total of 5.5 million viewers watched ETALK's coverage, in whole or in part, during the course of the Festival on CTV.

**Media Note** Photography for ETALK is available online at BellMediaPR.ca

"One of the strengths of our brand has always been to give viewers the very best access and coverage of the world's greatest entertainment events," said Morley Nirenberg, Director of Production/Executive Producer, ETALK. "And what better way to kick off our eleventh season than right around the corner from our ETALK headquarters, delivering exclusive Festival coverage on all platforms to Canadians across the country."

As the country's most-watched, most-trusted, and longest-running source for entertainment news, ETALK anchors Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim, along with reporters Lainey, Traci Melchor, Danielle McGimsie, and Jessi Cruickshank had the Festival completely covered - reporting from various celebrity hotspots across Toronto. As the Official Media Sponsor of the Roy Thomson Hall Gala Red Carpets, ETALK produced 20 live red carpet shows, delivering interviews with mega-stars in attendance to viewers across Canada and film-goers at Roy Thomson Hall. ETALK's trusted team also covered the most sought-after parties and brought viewers the most extensive and up-to-the-minute coverage of the Festival. From Ryan Gosling and Johnny Depp to Kate Hudson, Kristen Stewart, and Selena Gomez, ETALK talked to the biggest stars. The show also captured one-on-one interviews with Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Winona Ryder, Zac Efron, Greg Kinnear, and OSCAR^®-winner Octavia Spencer in the ETALK interview lounge at Toronto's Intercontinental Hotel.

ETALK airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on CTV and 6 p.m. ET on E! (visit CTV.ca and eonline.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Viewers can also catch up on highlights of ETALK following the television broadcast on CTV's digital platforms, including CTV.ca and Sympatico.ca.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@etalkCTV
Ben Mulroney - @BenMulroney1976
Tanya Kim - @Tanya_Kim
Danielle McGimsie - @MissDMcG
Traci Melchor - @stayfabulous
Lainey - @LaineyGossip
Jessi Cruickshank - @JESSIMTV

Facebook:
facebook.com/ctv
facebook.com/etalkctv

About ETALK
Hosted by Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim, ETALK is the most-watched Canadian entertainment newsmagazine. From the Oscars^® and the Emmys^® to the JUNO Awards, ETALK is front-and-centre, delivering up-to-the-minute news in film, television, music and more. Celebrating both home-grown talent and international stars, ETALK became Canada's first daily Canadian entertainment newsmagazine when it launched in 2002. ETALK airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings) on CTV and at 6 p.m. ET on E!.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada's most-watched television network. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca.

Source: BBM Canada (September 6-14, 2012), based on preliminary overnight data compared to the same data in 2011 (September 8-16).
*Source: Omniture

SOURCE: CTV

Matthew Almeida, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.2629 or [email protected]  
Jacqui VanSickle, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.5091 or [email protected] 
Allie Page, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.4596 or [email protected]