FANS ACROSS CANADA AND WORLDWIDE UNITE TO CELEBRATE CANADIAN ICONS THE TRAGICALLY HIP
Last night, millions in Canada and around the world gathered around screens and radios and at hundreds of public viewing events worldwide to celebrate Canada's unofficial poet laureates, The Tragically Hip, as they brought down the house in an emotional and historic performance. According to Numeris*, the live, commercial-free broadcast of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration reached 11.7 million (2+) Canadians across all CBC television, radio and digital platforms as Gord Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay played the final date of their Man Machine Poem tour at Kingston's K-Rock Centre. The concert special was also streamed 900,000times in Canada and around the world. The nearly three-hour Saturday evening broadcast attracted an average minute audience of 4.04 million.
The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration was broadcast nationally and streamed globally live and commercial free from 8:35 pm to 11:17 pm ET on Saturday, August 20 on CBC, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio One on SiriusXM Channel 169, CBC Radio 2, CBCMusic.ca/thehip, ICIMusique.ca, CBC Music's YouTube channel and Facebook page, and the CBC Music app on iPhone, iPad and Android devices and the new Apple TV.
"It was an honour and a privilege for CBC to bring this unprecedented event to audiences across the country and around the world. This is public broadcasting at its very best," said Heather Conway, executive vice-president, English Services, CBC. "For nearly three hours on a summer Saturday night, an entire nation paused to celebrate and pay tribute together. Thank you to Gord, Paul, Rob, Gord and Johnny for an intimate and unforgettable shared experience."
The broadcast event was the result of a partnership between CBC, The Tragically Hip and Insight Productions to celebrate the band's hometown stop on their 15-date sold-out cross-Canada Man Machine Poem tour, making it available to all Canadians and audiences around the world in a live, commercial-free, all-platform broadcast.
Formed in Kingston in the mid-80s, The Tragically Hip have sold millions of records worldwide, managing to enjoy both mass popularity and critical acclaim. The group released their first album in 1987, and have since released 14 studio albums, earning two diamond certifications and 20 #1 hits. The Hip has won 14 Juno Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005. They have also received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, as well as honorary degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music and most recently Queen's University.
The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration was produced by Insight Productions in association with CBC and Man Machine Poem Touring Inc.
*Sources:
For TV - Source: Numeris TV, Saturday August 20, 2016. Based on preliminary overnight PPM data.
For Cross-Media - Source: Numeris Cross-Media, Saturday August 20, 2016
For streaming - Source: YouTube, Facebook, Adobe Analytics, Apple
(Complete audience numbers will be confirmed at a later date including +7 playback.)
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada's trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
About Insight Production Company Ltd.
Insight Productions - producers of The Amazing Race Canada, the most watched Canadian show on record - is Canada's most-established content producer. The JUNO Awards 2015, Big Brother Canada, The Amazing Race Canada, Canada's Walk of Fame, and How To Change The World were collectively nominated for 16 Canadian Screen Awards in 2016. Headed by John Brunton & Barbara Bowlby, Insight is an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming in every genre and includes in its development slate the scripted series Hardwood. John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby, and Lindsay Cox all served as executive producers on The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Wolfgang
Head of Publicity, CBC
office: 416.205.2772 mobile: 416.669.2823
e-mail: katherine.wolfgang@cbc.ca
