Toronto, ON (December 9, 2004) - Canada's summertime obsession is back - and bigger than ever.

Judges return, Ben is back, as producers plan expanded audition tour for 2005

As revealed by Kalan Porter last night on etalk Daily, CTV will begin production in the New Year on a blockbuster third season of the show viewers can't get enough of: Canadian Idol. And with an expanded audition tour for Season Three, Canadian Idol will travel to previously untapped cities and provinces in the search for Canada's next undiscovered singing sensation. Canadian Idol is based on FremantleMedia and 19TV's smash-hit international format Idols.

**Media Note** High-resolution images from Canadian Idol are available at www.idolpix.ca.

CTV and producing partners Insight Productions are currently finalizing details for a national audition tour to begin in February, 2005. Last season's nine-city audition tour will be expanded to include even more stops and will travel to new areas of the country. Details will be announced soon.

Musical magistrates Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner are back to judge the thousands of Idol hopefuls expected to try out from coast to coast. Series host Ben Mulroney and comedic correspondent Jon Dore also return to join them on the cross-country adventure.

"Canadian Idol is unique because it connects viewers from every part of the nation and from all walks of life," said Susanne Boyce, CTV's President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group. "Whether you are watching on one coast or the other, Canadian Idol captivates Canadians because it reflects the intrinsic flavour of our country."

Viewers flocked to Season Two of Canadian Idol, propelling the series beyond the already phenomenal success of Season One. By the end of Season Two, ratings had increased by 14 per cent. The series finished with an average audience of 2.2 million, with over four million viewers watching when Kalan Porter was crowned the new Canadian Idol on Sept. 16.* Indeed, by the end of the 34-episode run, Canadian Idol had been viewed by over 17 million Canadians, representing 64 per cent of the English population. And with 32 million votes cast, voting exploded by 57 percent in the second season, including an extraordinary 3.6 million votes received after the final showdown between Porter and Theresa Sokyrka.

Numbers aside, the second season of Canadian Idol hit its stride as what the Toronto Star calls a "cultural juggernaut." Recognized as one of the most innovative Idols formats in the world, Canadian Idol continued to surprise viewers with its unique Canadian approach. When Canadian Idol competitors accompanied themselves on instruments for Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy, they achieved a world first for Idols formats around the globe.

The second season kicked off February 13 in Ottawa and took producers across the country this winter and spring on a nine-city tour to Montreal, Halifax, St. John's, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver. In May, 155 "gold ticket" winners from across the country journeyed to Toronto with the hope of making it to the coveted "Top 32." In June, the Top 32 took to the stage and viewers took to the phones, reducing the 32 semi-finalists to a diverse group of 10 competitors. As the show progressed through the summer, these 10, formerly unknown, amateur singers would become household names. In the end, an 18-year-old ranch hand from Medicine Hat, Alberta would triumph as Canada's second Canadian Idol.

Porter went on to release Awake in a Dream, the ballad that has become eight times platinum and remained on the top of Canada's Single's Chart for over two months. It was the biggest-selling single debut ever for a Canadian artist. His debut full-length CD, 219 Days, debuted at Number Four on Nielsen's SoundScan chart last week - one of the busiest release weeks of the year - just behind U2, Shania Twain and Eminem. It remains at Number Four for the second week in a row. Porter is currently rehearsing for a cross-country tour to begin in February, 2005.

CTV will re-broadcast the two-hour season finale of Canadian Idol on New Year's Day, Saturday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Canadian Idol is produced in association with CTV by Insight Productions, along with Atlantic Canada-based Rink Rat Productions and Alberta-based Aquila Productions. John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby are Executive Producers. Mark Lysakowski is Supervising Producer. Senior Producer is Sue Brophey. Ed Robinson is Senior Vice-President, Comedy, Variety and Talk, CTV Inc. Rick Lewchuk is Senior Vice-President, Program Planning and Promotion, CTV Inc. Susanne Boyce is CTV President of Programming and Chair of the Media Group.

FremantleMedia is one of the largest international creators and producers of programme brands in the world, with leading prime time drama, serial drama, entertainment and factual entertainment programming in over 40 territories. FremantleMedia has production offices in over 20 countries worldwide, providing local sales and production support for its international TV brands such as Idols and the world's longest running game show, The Price is Right. The company's licensing operation, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, exploits FremantleMedia's many strong brands across multiple off-screen platforms including merchandising campaigns, interactive and wireless support, home entertainment and music publishing. Fremantle International Distribution, the company's international distribution division licenses over 19,000 hours of programming to 150 countries worldwide. FremantleMedia is the content arm of the RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company. For further information please see FremantleMedia's website www.fremantlemedia.com.

CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca.

Visit the Canadian Idol Web site at www.idol.ctv.ca.

* BBM confirms that in the final 30 minutes of broadcast, Canadian Idol was viewed by 4.198 million (AMA, 2+).

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