Entertainment Tonight Canada to end after 18 seasons

Canadian media company Corus Entertainment has announced it is ending flagship entertainment program Entertainment Tonight (ET) Canada after 18 seasons.

"The costs of producing a daily entertainment newsmagazine show in a challenging advertising environment have led to this decision," read a statement posted on the company's website on Wednesday.

"We recognize the impact this decision has on the dedicated team who have worked on the show and we thank them for their meaningful contributions over the years."

The show's final episode will air on Oct. 6, with reruns airing in the same time slot on Global TV until Oct. 31, a Corus spokesperson told CBC News.

The cancellation won't impact Corus's obligation to produce Canadian content under the rules set out by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the spokesperson said.

ET Canada's website and social media platforms will also be shut down. The spokesperson declined to comment on how many people had been laid off as a result, but said the program's hosts were impacted.

The network said it has no plans for another entertainment news show.

An hour-long, magazine-style show that focused on entertainment, celebrity, film and TV news, ET Canada began airing in 2005 on Global TV, which is owned by Corus Entertainment.

The program has been hosted by Canadian media personality Cheryl Hickey since its launch, with regular appearances by entertainment reporters, including Sangita Patel — a co-host since 2022 — plus Carlos Bustamante, Keshia Chanté and Morgan Hoffman.

The cancellation leaves ETalk, CTV's weeknight show, as Canada's lone major entertainment news program.

Andrea Grau, founder and CEO of entertainment publicity firm Touchwood PR, said ET Canada offered a Canadian perspective that made it stand out in the U.S.-dominated entertainment landscape.

"There was this great Entertainment Tonight brand that was going on in the U.S. — we all watched. And the idea of a Canadian arm of it was very special because it could give a different slant," she said.

ET Canada's demise comes during a major shift in the industry, she said, as publicists struggle to find entertainment outlets that can shine a spotlight on emerging Canadian artists and projects.

"Even though we share a language with the U.S. and we share pop culture, we are still Canadian and we have a different perspective," Grau said, noting that ET Canada's hosts were a mainstay on the U.S. press circuit.

"You see those relationships that have been built over the years of having Sangita [Patel] standing on a red carpet interviewing someone, or Cheryl Hickey interviewing someone. They're recognizable to [celebrities] after all of these years, too," she said. "They've created such a strong brand."