CTV Congratulates THE LISTENER on Five Incredible Seasons as Series Finale Confirmed to Air August 18

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1qX0qaP

TORONTO, Aug. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - CTV announced today that after five seasons and 65 episodes, the hit original drama THE LISTENER will conclude on CTV on Monday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International Channels, THE LISTENER premiered in June of 2009 on CTV.

"Thank you to Shaftesbury for delivering five straight seasons of this much loved series, and to the cast and crew for bringing its captivating stories to life," said Phil King, President - CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming. "THE LISTENER provided a wonderful narrative arc over its 65 episodes, ending its run at the top of its game with a devoted following at home and around the world. It leaves a strong legacy of which we are immensely proud, and we look forward to working with Shaftesbury in the future."

CTV is currently in development with Shaftesbury on OLD CITY HALL, a drama series based on the novels by Robert Rotenberg and set within the halls of criminal courts; and SMOKE AND MIRRORS, a drama about an illusionist returning home to Niagara Falls and using his extraordinary skills as a private detective.

"Thank you to CTV (Phil, Corrie, Mike, Trish, Tom and Rebecca) as well as our friends at Fox International Channels (Sharon and Andie) and Shine for taking this seven-year journey with us on THE LISTENER," said Christina Jennings, Chairman and CEO, Shaftesbury. "From start to finish, CTV has been a wonderful broadcast partner. Not every series achieves 65 episodes, and we couldn't have done it without our dedicated, hardworking family of cast -- led by Craig Olejnik - and crew, most recently led by Peter Mohan -- who are simply the best in the business. And, thanks of course to THE LISTENER fans - who grew over time."

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

In the final episode, an epic story that has threaded its way through all five seasons comes to a gratifying conclusion as secrets from Toby's (Craig Olejnik) past are finally brought to light. Also Michelle (Lauren Lee Smith), Toby, and Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks) find themselves in the extremely uncomfortable position of investigating their own boss. On clandestine orders from Judge Samuel Griffin (Bruce Gray) and Deputy Commissioner Earl Bamford (Brian Paul) of the IIB, the team must look into Becker's (Anthony Lemke) dealings with Curtis Maynard (Noam Jenkins), a disgraced former cop with connections to drug dealing.

THE LISTENER was green-lit by CTV in December 2007 and premiered June 3, 2009 on SPACE and CTV. The series instantly became a hit, debuting at #1 in its 10 p.m. timeslot on CTV with an audience of 1.1 million viewers, and went on to average nearly one million viewers in Canada in its first season. In the years that followed, THE LISTENER continued to connect with audiences, averaging 1.1 million viewers. THE LISTENER has been licensed in over 120 markets - including the U.S. (ION Television), U.K., Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Poland, Brazil and Turkey - and is seen in 33 languages worldwide.

THE LISTENER Season 5 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, with the series finale broadcast on Monday, Aug. 18. Viewers can catch encore episodes Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two (visit CTV.ca for local broadcast times), and Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo (visit bravo.ca for local broadcast times). The day after each episode of THE LISTENER airs on CTV, viewers can watch the full episode on CTV.ca and the CTV GO app.

The cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik as telepathic crime-solver Toby Logan; Lauren Lee Smith as Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Ennis Esmer as Toby's best friend, Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun Francks as IIB security and technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Kris Holden-Ried as Adam Reynolds, Michelle's reformed gambler husband; Melanie Scrofano as crime reporter Tia Tremblay, Toby's girlfriend; Anthony Lemke as IIB Supervising Inspector Brian Becker; and Natalie Krill as forensics technician Alex Kendrick.

THE LISTENER is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada, ION Television in the United States, Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by Shine International. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International Channels, the series is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Craig Olejnik, and Peter Mohan (LOST GIRL, THE BRIDGE), who is also showrunner. Tina Grewal (HEARTLAND) is producer. Sharon Tal Yguado is executive producer for Fox International Channels. Tom Hastings and Rebecca DiPasquale are production executives for Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production, Bell Media and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks, Bell Media. Phil King is President, President CTV Sports and Entertainment Programming. THE LISTENER is produced with the financial participation of The Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_Television
@CTV_PR
@ShaftesburyTV

THE LISTENER on Twitter:

@listenertv
Craig Olejnik: @craigolejnik
Ennis Esmer: @heyennisshutup
Lauren Lee Smith: @L_L_S
Rainbow Sun Francks: @RainbowFrancks
Anthony Lemke: @ranthonylemke
Natalie Krill: @nkrilova

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CTV.TheListener

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, MOTIVE, and THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced complementary version of the hit international series. New to CTV in 2014 are hit international format MASTERCHEF CANADA and multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, one of the most-watched new comedies of the season. Among the scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN, Bravo's most-watched new drama 19-2, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, HBO Canada's SENSITIVE SKIN, and upcoming genre series KILLJOYS. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. In 2013, Bell Media ordered 27 original Canadian series and currently has 84 projects in various stages of development.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 13 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. 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

About Shaftesbury
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an innovative creator and distributor of original content for television and digital platforms. Sold in 120 countries worldwide, Shaftesbury's programming slate includes five seasons of THE LISTENER for CTV, Fox International Channels and ION Television; eight seasons of MURDOCH MYSTERIES for CBC, UKTV and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; and the hit kids series LIFE WITH DEREK. Shaftesbury's groundbreaking digital media division, Smokebomb Entertainment, creates convergent experiences for television and original digital content including the comedy series BACKPACKERS for The CW and CTV Extend; tween series TOTALLY AMP'D and UNLIKELY HEROES for YTV.com and Hulu; and 3D sci-fi series STATE OF SYN for Hulu and Google Glass. Shaftesbury recently launched shift2, an innovative agency that creates, manages and markets digital content targeting Generation C on YouTube. Visit us online at http://shaftesbury.ca http://smokebomb.ca and http://shift2.ca.

Source: Numeris (BBM Canada), June 3, 2009 - July 20, 2014, final data.

Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.

SOURCE: CTV