Remember when Avis challenged Hertz in car rentals by saying, “We’re second. So we try harder”?
Well Kirstine Stewart, EVP of CBC’s English services also knows the limitations of her business, pitting a public broadcaster against market leader CTV and its American-heavy prime-time schedule.
“We are in second place and that is the most we can ever dream of or hope for,” Stewart told Playback Daily on Wednesday as she unveiled the CBC’s fall 2011 schedule.
Her network’s consistent ratings for homegrown shows likeRick Mercer ReportandDragons’ Denhas allowed the CBC to vault over Global Television and Citytv in the Canadian broadcast league table, according to BBM Canada data.
Still, Stewart knows the laws of diminishing returns when it comes to matching CTV’sAmerican Idolwith CBC’sBattle of the Blades, orDesperate HousewiveswithHeartland.
“At some point we aren’t going to compete with the American blockbusters, but the fact that we have the Canadian programming we have and that it beats the American shows is a vote of confidence for the makers of Canadian programming that people are actually watching it,” she argued.
New to the CBC this fall is the sitcomMichael: Tuesdays & Thursdays, to air Wednesdays at 9 p.m., to be followed by the TV version ofThe Debaters, which originated on CBC Radio.
The CBC is also airing Starz’sCamelot, from the creative team that brought the pubcasterThe Tudors, on Tuesdays at 9 p.m., and the music competition seriesCover Me Canadawill run Sunday nights at 9 p.m.
The CBC is also airing two episodes ofCoronation Streetnightly from 6:30 p.m. to help Canadians catch up on the British soap, a move that sendsWheel of Fortunefrom 7 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
And returning CBC series this fall includesHeartland,InSecurity,The Republic of Doyle,Being Erica,Rick Mercer Report,The Nature of ThingsandDoc Zone.
