The current pandemic poses a huge challenge in television production delays and has left many questions up in the air in terms of what the fall programming season would look like in Quebec.

With the Fall buying season fast approaching, our recent conversations with the broadcasters have made us proud in how their innovation and creativity allowed them to put together strong schedules considering these unusual circumstances.

With a schedule that typically consists of cultural and variety series combined with previously produced programming, strategy and innovation that includes adapting certain program concepts to allow for production, viewers will see a schedule with over 85% of its regular primetime programming this fall on Radio-Canada. In addition to our favourite culture/variety and information programming such as Tout le monde en parle, En direct de l’univers and Découverte, viewers will be able to tune some of their favourite dramas this fall, such as Un autre histoire, 5e Rang, Trop (previously aired on Tou.TV extra) and new drama Fragile (also previously aired on Tou.TV extra). In the works pending certain approvals are also District 31, Toute la vie and new program Les Mecs.

TVA has taken a different approach and is presenting us with a schedule that consists of a mix of variety programming, American acquisitions, Illico series and a few reruns of our past favourites. New original productions to the schedule will be a talk show animated by Patrick Huard, Le Tour,  a Quebec adaptation of The Recording Studio and Bijoux de familles hosted by Charles Lafortune. Viewers will be happy to catch the last 5 episodes of  La Voix that were not able to air in the spring, but they will need to wait until 2021 for Revolution which was originally slotted to air this fall.

With the CRTC transaction to Bell being approved, we still have little information on V Télé but we do know that Occupation Double is scheduled to be back this fall with a Gala in sight for end of September. The destination still to be determined.

Télé-Québec is looking strong this Fall with 95% of their schedule confirmed; consisting of many returning programs in which they are confident to be able to wrap up production on.

Specialty networks are looking promising with schedules that consist of new original programming, returning original programming, new seasons of current American acquisitions and new American acquisitions.

Overall, we are seeing what looks to be a promising Fall season. Our anticipation is that it will be a busy Fall season where we will see returning clients who had shifted their marketing budgets from the spring period, resulting in strong pressure on the inventory. Clients who want to be active should move forward in a timely fashion in order to secure their position in the marketplace.