Mr. Randy Lennox reports

READY FOR LIFTOFF ON JANUARY 10! ALL-NEW THE LAUNCH SEASON 1 TRAILER NOW AVAILABLE EXPANSIVELY ACROSS CTV DIGITAL AND TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

BCE Inc.'s CTV revealed today across its expansive footprint of flagship social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and on-line at its website an exclusive sneak peek 90-second trailer, as well as a 60-second Instagram version, showcasing footage of CTV's all-new original music series and international TV format The Launch. The sizzling teaser was unveiled by The Launch series co-creator and record mogul Scott Borchetta alongside mentor and multiplatinum solo artist and recording star Fergie in front of a soldout audience at Toronto's Air Canada Centre during the taping of the IHeartRadio Jingle Ball North on Saturday. The inaugural episode and world premiere of The Launch are set to premiere Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 9 p.m. Eastrn Time/8 p.m. Mountain Time on CTV and CTV Go, and will air in supersimulcast on CTV Two and Much. The Launch is also set to air in French on VRAK day and date with CTV.

CTV also announced today ETalk Presents: The Launch, an exclusive behind-the-scenes first look at CTV's all-new music series in advance of The Launch premiere on CTV, airing Monday, Jan. 1, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. Hosted by ETalk's Ben Mulroney and Liz Trinnear, ETalk Presents: The Launch takes viewers behind the scenes of the production, which was taped in Toronto this past fall. The special provides an exclusive opportunity for viewers to meet the panel of internationally renowned music industry legends and the 30 artists showcased in Season 1, with a glance at the monumental journey of launching a new artist and creating an original song week after week.

Media note

Download artwork and access full bios for The Launch mentors and artists at the Bell Media PR website.

Following the previously announced broadcast details for Episode 1 headlined by international musical icon Shania Twain and award-winning producer/songwriter busbee, a staggering roster of musical A listers join Borchetta as mentors in additional episodes of the series. All are paired with groups of five previously announced emerging artists per episode as follows:

OneRepublic frontman and acclaimed producer/songwriter Ryan Tedder and Grammy award-winner and co-founder of country-pop duo Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles, are on hand to mentor:

• Basil Phoenix: The R&B (rhythem and blues) and hip-hop artist from The Pas, Man., started writing songs and instrumental beats as a teen and has since amassed a strong following on Instagram.
• Divine Lightbody: The R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop and reggae singer, and multiinstrumentalist from Brampton, Ont., has received more than 14,000 hits just months after launching her YouTube channel.
• Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine: The "x" in their name is pronounced "and," but it also represents the multiplying effect the instrumentalist/composer Mr. Woods and lyricist/vocalist Mr. Fine have on one another.
• JP Maurice: Vancouver's pop/rock/alt-country artist's first EP (extended play) Girls sweeps from cinematic pop-noir into slinky neo soul with powerfully emotive vocals.
• Liteyears: The high-energy, alt-pop group of four meshes programmed electronic loops, ethereal keyboards and melodic guitar counterpoint with organic instrumentation for a unique and refreshing sound.

Rock icon and founding member of legendary rock band Motley Crue Nikki Sixx and Dann Huff (the producer behind more than 50 No. 1 hit records) mentor:

• Amy Bishop: She is a bluesy, pop-rock vocalist from Calgary, whose spectacular performances to date include collaborations with Moby, April Wine, Farmer's Daughter and Chris Cummings.
• Chad Price: The soul, folk and R&B artist from London, Ont., earned a reputation as an artist to watch while playing hundreds of shows since 2011, and has shared the stage with the likes of Ben Harper, the Strumbellas, Walk off the Earth, Lights and many more.
• Dylan Menzie: From Belle River, PEI, the indie, folk, pop and rock artist with a sprawling vocal range released his debut EP Heather Avenue in 2013, earning multiple award nominations, before going on to open for artists City and Colour and Ron Sexsmith.
• Sons of Daughters: The Vancouver-born, Nashville-based duo Chrystal Leigh and Jimmy Thow have collaborated with numerous Grammy-nominated songwriters, and have recorded a six-track debut EP entitled Pick Your Poison.
• The Static Shift: Bursting onto the local Calgary scene at the ages of 14, the rock, blues and alternative group was the youngest band to ever headline the Blues Can. Now with more than 130 live performances under their belt and multiple award wins, the Static Shift has shared the stage with Trooper, Colin James, the Sheepdogs and more.

Grammy award-winning, multiplatinum solo artist and recording star Fergie and Canada's own Stephan Moccio, the music mastermind behind massive, inescapable hits like the quintuple-platinum Wrecking Ball, join forces to mentor:

• Ezra Jordan: The Toronto artist blends the genres of R&B and alt-pop with his keyboard-oriented approach to songwriting to create a style that is soulful, refreshing and authentic.
• Faiza: The Toronto-based R&B/hip-hop singer/songwriter released her first EP in 2014, garnering positive buzz from Toronto's underground music scene for her seductive vocals and 90s-reminiscent vibe.
• Jaryd Stanley: From Rothesay, N.B., the acoustic guitar-playing singer-songwriter mixes elements of rock, hip-hop, soul, pop, dance and folk into his songs. He earned fan favourite status for CBC's 2017 National Searchlight songwriting competition, and was named the 2017 grand prize winner of Canada's Walk of Fame Emerging Artists music mentorship program.
• Poesy: Writing her first song at the age of nine, the Ancaster-born alternative/indie artist and piano player finds inspiration in literature, 1970s rock, thrift stores and bus rides, to create the narratives present in her songwriting.
• Sariyah Hines: The London, Ont., soul singer was named 2015 youth grand champion of CNE's Rising Star, and is a multimedallist for Team Canada at the 2016 World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Grammy-nominated best new artist of the year Julia Michaels (Issues) and the in-demand songwriter behind chart-topping hits for artists including Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, along with Grammy-nominated record producer Ian Kirkpatrick responsible for multiplatinum hit songs from Jason Derulo, Nick Jonas and many more, mentor aspiring artists:

• James Marshal: The Acton, Ont., singer/songwriter expresses his adventurous soul through his unique blend of pop, blues and rock-infused music.
• Jayd Ink: The Toronto independent R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop and reggae artist has been headlining shows in Toronto since the release of her first EP Invitation Only in 2015, and has performed in Japan alongside K.Camp, DJ Whoo Kid and Silento.
• Nicky MacKenzie: Singing before she could even talk, the R&B, jazz, alternative and pop vocalist from Salt Spring Island, B.C., plays several instruments including piano, guitar and harp.
• Noelle Maracle: From Tyendinaga, Ont., she won YTV's Virtual Next Star singing contest at the age of eight and presented Justin Bieber with his first platinum award in Toronto that same year. Her YouTube channel currently has 27 million views and more than 92,000 subscribers.
• Zack Lane: The Moncton-born pop, pop-rock and folk-pop multiple-award-winning Canadian songwriter, performer and recording artist has shared the stage with artists including Jann Arden, Jeff Cook and the iconic group Alabama.

Culture Club alumnus and Grammy award-winner Boy George; Grammy-nominated best new artist of the year, international pop sensation and Canadian singer/songwriter Alessia Cara; and Canadian producer extraordinaire Stephan Moccio team up to mentor artists:

• Elequen: The exuberant singer-songwriter from Forest, Ont., began her career in entertainment as a model. Her passion for performing arts garnered her modelling campaigns and acting roles for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Canada's Wonderland and Imax.
• Ethan Young: The Toronto R&B and pop artist's love for performance and songwriting began at a very young age, and he has been featured on three Mini Pop Kid albums that were sold in retail stores internationally.
• Grace Bakker: Inspired by artists like Amy Winehouse, City and Colour, and Matt Maeson, the indie artist began singing at a young age and is self-taught on guitar.
• Raymond Salgado: The pop/R&B, classical and musical theatre artist is a veteran of competitions, festivals and concerts, and has been the representative for Provincial Performing Arts of British Columbia for the last six years, winning the senior classical at Provincials 2016.
• Victoria Azevedo: Beginning her singing career at the age of 10, the Toronto-based pop/R&B artist made a name for herself after winning several local singing contests, becoming a member of acclaimed singing group Mini Pop Kids, recording three albums and touring nationwide, and selling out stadiums across Canada.

Bio pages showcasing all of the artists are available on CTV's dedicated artist pages at CTV's website.

Debuting a new and unique format documenting an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to break a new artist and bring a song to life, in each close-ended, hour-long episode of The Launch, five unsigned emerging artists audition for the opportunity to record and perform a new original song written by a world-famous songwriter/producer and mentored by a panel of internationally renowned music industry legends. The mentors then decide which version of the song will be released across the country immediately following the broadcast of the episode each week.

Additional announcements will be made in coming weeks regarding additional content being created to enhance The Launch viewer experience.

Hand picked from more than 10,000 emerging performers, the artists were selected to be on The Launch following an international casting call and completion of an extensive A&R (artists and repertoire) and review process. Contending for the opportunity of a lifetime -- to record and perform a new original song written by a world-famous songwriter/producer and mentored by a panel of internationally renowned music industry legends -- the selected artists face the life-altering prospect of being catapulted from discovery to stardom in just 48 hours.

The Launch was put into development in January, 2016. The series was co-developed by and is produced by Bell Media in association with Mr. Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group, Paul Franklin of Eureka (Masterchef, The Biggest Loser), in partnership with John Brunton and Lindsay Cox of Insight Productions (The Amazing Race Canada, Canadian Idol, The Juno Awards).

The Launch is executive produced by Scott Borchetta, Randy Lennox and John Brunton; Paul Franklin and Lindsay Cox are showrunners and executive producers; executive producers for Bell Media are Robin Johnston and Corrie Coe, who is also senior vice-president, original programming, Bell Media. Pat DiVittorio is vice-president, CTV and specialty programming, Mike Cosentino is president, content and programming, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is president, Bell Media.

About CTV

CTV is Canadais No. 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 16 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, Canada's largest communications company.