Most Successful Season Ever Capped With International Feature

Following on the heels of Degrassi's Feb. 14/05 Season 4 Finale, the six-page feature documented the accomplishments of the series as it prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary as a franchise. The New York Times Magazine also noted the surging popularity of the Canadian program since its debut on the The N, Degrassi's teen-centric U.S. broadcaster.

In Canada, the popularity of the series was seen each week when more than 600,000 viewers made a date with Degrassi every Monday night. In fact, the series finished as Canada's most-watched homegrown drama for Teens (T12-17) and Adults (A18-34, A18-49 and A25-54), (Source: BBM) making CTV's 22-episode Season 4 the most successful ever for the series when measuring audience along with domestic and international acclaim. On the heels of this success, CTV recently announced that the series has been re-ordered for its 25th anniversary season as a franchise.

**Media Note** - High-resolution photography for Degrassi can be found online at www.ctvmedia.ca.

This year Degrassi broke new ground on a number of fronts. As indicated in the New York Times article, the show has become a cult hit in the U.S. launching to an 80 per cent larger audience this year vs. Season Three. In Canada, Degrassi continued to break new ground, recording its highest single-episode audience ever, traveling across North America on a whirlwind promotional mall tour, attracting big-name guest stars, earning a Gemini Award win for Best Youth Series and garnering international media attention along the way.

The section below highlights the year that was for Degrassi:

The Highest-Rated Episode Ever
In October, CTV aired a shocking school shooting episode to an all-time high audience of 930,000 viewers (2+, Source: BBM). The episode, which prompted the Canadian Press to refer to Degrassi as "… a show that makes The O.C. look like Saved By The Bell", saw a chronically-bullied student go on a shooting rampage at Degrassi. The shooting ended with one student critically injured, the shooter dead and a community in shock. It was the first time a series regular (the shooter) was killed at the hands of violence.

International Media Recognition
Brave storylines like the school shooting helped bring the show into the spotlight in the U.S. as well, where the series airs to record audiences on cable channel The N. Degrassi has been featured this season on the pages of such notable publications as the New York Times, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly and Teen People Magazine.

- "Cult drama 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' is more than just a show, it's real-life teenage angst" – Chicago Sun Times

- "If a teen series is well done … teens will watch, and that's true of Degrassi" – San Francisco Chronicle

- "'Degrassi' De Bomb with a New Gen" – New York Post

A North American Mall Tour
Several members of the cast spent the summer and fall hitting North America malls of in a 12-stop U.S. and four-stop Canadian mall tour in support of the show. Thousands of screaming fans drove for miles to catch a glimpse of their favourite teen idols.

Celebrity Guest Stars
Degrassi has attracted some U.S. star-power as well. After two decades of public endorsement of the franchise, filmmaker Kevin Smith fulfilled his self-proclaimed longtime fantasy of starring on the show, opposite his favourite Degrassi leading lady, Caitlin Ryan, played by Stacie Mistysyn. The three-part story arc, also featuring Jason Mewes and Alanis Morissette, aired following a successful multi-city Canadian press tour with Smith.

Best Series at the Gemini Awards
In December, Degrassi took home two prizes from The 2004 Gemini Awards. The show was named Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series, and received a second award for Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (Philip Earnshaw). Degrassi was also named Best Children's series at the DGC Awards.

Degrassi: The Next Generation is produced by Epitome Pictures in association with CTV. The series was co-created by Linda Schuyler, Co-Producer of the original Degrassi series, and Yan Moore. Schuyler, Stephen Stohn and Aaron Martin serve as Executive Producers. Shernold Edwards is the CTV production executive working with the series. Bill Mustos is Senior Vice-President, Dramatic Programming for CTV. Susanne Boyce is President of CTV Programming and Chair of the Media Group.

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