Makeful Returns to the Workroom with The Repair Shop Australia During the Channel’s Nationwide Free Preview Event

The series follows a skilled team of craftspeople who rescue treasured possessions and family heirlooms, returning them to their former glory

This March, Makeful’s Free Preview lineup includes Portrait Artist of the Year, Junior Baking Show and The Great British Baking Show

The Repair Shop Australia premieres February 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful during the channel’s nationwide free preview event running until April 2, 2023.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/K5u0AhEavWo

Editor's Note: The Makeful network and other premium TV networks are now streaming in free preview on most cable TV systems, including the Bell Fibe TV platform, with Standard streaming packages starting around CA$15.00/mo. -GB

(Toronto, ON - February 15, 2023) - The Repair Shop Australia, based on the hit British series The Repair Shop, opens its doors to Canadian audiences this winter on Makeful. Hosted by builder Dean Ipaviz, a dream team of experts including metal worker Majella Beck, leather craftsmen Aaron Douglas Wales, jeweler Erin Keys, furniture restorer Britta de Laat, horologist Andrew Markerink and electrical all-rounder Paul Lowe preserve cherished family heirlooms by returning them to their former glory. As the show brings past and future generations together, the emotional stories the items hold are shared charmingly with viewers. The Repair Shop Australia premieres February 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful during the channel’s eight-week nationwide free preview event, running now to April 2 across 7.7 million Canadian households.

The free preview programming line-up also includes Portrait Artist of the Year, Season 9, a fan-favourite series, showcasing 63 new artists from across the UK as they come together to compete for who has the best original celebrity portrait; Junior Baking Show, Season 5, a reality competition show in which young bakers aged 9 to 15 tackle a series of challenges involving baking cakes, biscuits, bread, and pastries; and The Great British Baking Show, Season 12, a competition series following the trials and tribulations of passionate amateur bakers whose goal is to be named the UK’s best. For Makeful’s full programming line-up, visit the website here. 

Engage with Makeful on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Free Preview Programming Highlights

Junior Baking Show, Season 5

February 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Junior Baking Show is a national baking show where 20 passionate amateur baking fans compete to be crowned the "Star Baker." Over the course of 15 episodes, the series follows the trials of the competitors, girls and boys aged 9–15 years old as they attempt to prove their baking prowess. The series is broken down into two sets of heats, featuring five episodes each and a finals week containing another five episodes.

The Great British Baking Show, Season 12

February 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Twelve new bakers make their way into a brand new bubble as The Great British Baking Show pitches the nation’s most famous tent in the grounds of Down Hall once again. Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas return to lead the latest batch of bakers through thirty brand new challenges set by Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The series kicks off with "Cake Week." In the baker’s first opportunity to impress the judges, they are challenged to produce twelve perfect mini rolls.

The Repair Shop Australia

February 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

The Repair Shop brings some of Australia's finest craftspeople under one roof. Master Builder Dean Lpaviz leads this ultimate dream team with experts in leather, jewelry, metalwork, timepieces, furniture restoration and electrics. Their skills are used to restore precious family heirlooms, resurrecting their stories and transforming memories into treasures that will endure through generations.

Portrait Artist of the Year, Season 9

March 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Presenters Joan Bakewell and Stephen Mangan return for the ninth series of Portrait Artist of The Year. Across 7 heats, 63 artists compete to create the best portrait of one of 21 celebrity sitters in just four hours. Our semi-finalists repeat the challenge painting two-time platinum British singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson, and three finalists get to paint the UK’s ex-Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Jonathan Van Tam. All in the bid for a life-changing prize: a ten-thousand-pound commission to create a portrait of the legendary British actor, comedian, broadcaster and writer, Sir Lenny Henry for the National Portrait Gallery in London. This celebration of creativity and talent takes place under the watchful eye of the judges – award-winning artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, independent curator Kathleen Soriano and art historian Kate Bryan, who must agree on the ultimate winner. So, who will it be?

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Makeful is a Blue Ant Media lifestyle specialty channel celebrating the creativity that exists within us all. Makeful’s programming combines food, design, style and DIY series, featuring passionate personalities who share their ideas and inspire audiences to bring imagination into every aspect of their lives. Makeful also unites the creative at heart with fresh and contemporary content through its digital and social platforms. BeMakeful.com

 

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Media Contacts:

Melissa Michaels

Communications Specialist

Blue Ant Media

T: 416.646.6587

E: melissa.michaels@blueantmedia.com 

Jakki Roussel

Communications Manager, Canada

Blue Ant Media

T: 905.484.1787

E: jakki.roussel@blueantmedia.com

Pluto TV Continues Its Expansion In Canada, Now Streaming Over 120 Free Channels Following New Partnership With Blue Ant Media

New Blue Ant Channels Include Homeful, HauntTV, Crimetime, and HistoryTime

TORONTO, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ -- Pluto TV, the leading FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) service and international producer, distributor and channel operator, Blue Ant Media, officially announced today they are new partners in content with four Blue Ant Media-owned channels now live on Pluto TV in Canada. The new channels include HauntTV, Crimetime, HistoryTime and Homeful, giving viewers in Canada free access to Blue Ant Media's extensive library of paranormal, true crime, home improvement, and historical events programming.

"This deal builds on Blue Ant's partnership with Pluto TV as we continue to expand our footprint and bring our popular roster of genre-based, free streaming channels to fans nationwide," said Jamie Schouela, President, Global Channels and Media, Blue Ant Media. "We've had great success launching Blue Ant's channels on Pluto TV in multiple global markets, and we're excited for Canadians to meet us on this platform."

"Blue Ant Media is a leader in producing captivating stories for audiences everywhere and we're so pleased to partner with them to bring hundreds of hours of new content and channels to Pluto TV in Canada," said Katrina Kowalski, Vice President of Content, Pluto TV and Paramount+ in Canada.

Homeful will offer Pluto TV viewers in Canada access to hundreds of hours of real estate, design and home improvement programming, including the iconic library of original series from home renovation pioneer and TV superstar, Mike Holmes. These series include Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection. HauntTV, a dedicated paranormal channel, will launch on Pluto TV with Hotel Paranormal (narrated by Dan Aykroyd), Paranormal Survivor and Ghostly Encounters. The 24/7 true crime channel, Crimetime, will feature series such as The Killer Within, How I Caught The Killer and An Unexpected Killer. Finally, HistoryTime will offer fascinating series and documentaries that give context to historical people and events, with titles such as Hitler's Gold, Fidel Castro: An Unauthorized Bio and Who Killed Gandhi?

Blue Ant Media currently has its global free streaming channels available in other Pluto TV markets; Nature Time is available in France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain; HauntTV is available in the UK; and Love Nature launched as a branded block on Pluto TV in the U.S (available in both English and Spanish audio) in 2019.

Pluto TV launched in Canada on December 1, 2022. With more than 100 channels and more than 20,000 hours of FREE content, this was the strongest launch content offering of any international market, fueled by Paramount, Corus and third-party content. Pluto TV has been embraced by Canadians. Since its launch, it was the most downloaded app on Android and among the top 5 most downloaded applications on the majority of App Stores.  Pluto TV is available for free, with no registration required. Canadian users can watch Pluto TV via web at www.pluto.tv, via the Pluto TV app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Samsung and LG devices, and via mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play. 

In Canada, Corus Entertainment Inc. is the ad representative for Pluto TV.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @plutotvca
Facebook: facebook.com/plutotvca

About Pluto TV
Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, is the leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience of 72 million monthly active users. The Emmy® award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels, in partnership with nearly 400 international media companies, offering a wide array of genres, languages and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids and much more. Pluto TV can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web and connected TV devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV's growing international footprint extends across three continents and over 30 countries and territories.

About Blue Ant Media
Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international content producer, distributor and channel operator. We own and operate numerous production companies in North America and Asia-Pacific, creating content for broadcasters and streaming platforms in multiple genres including factual entertainment, natural history, documentary and adult animation. Our distribution business, Blue Ant International, offers a substantial catalogue of content, including one of the world's largest 4K natural history offerings. Blue Ant Media operates linear and free streaming channels under several brands including Love Nature, Smithsonian Channel (Canada), BBC Earth (Canada), BBC First (Canada), HauntTV, Homeful, CrimeTime, TotalCrime and HistoryTime. Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with eight international offices in Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Washington, Mumbai and Beijing. Blueantmedia.com Twitter⼁Instagram⼁LinkedIn

SOURCE Pluto TV

For further information: Laura Heath Potter, Head of Communications, Pluto TV and Paramount+ | Canada, laura.heathpotter@paramount.com, Michelle McTeague, michelle.mcteague@corusent.com, Director, PR for so.da on behalf of Pluto TV Canada, Jakki Roussel, Communications Manager, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media, C: 905.484.1787, E: jakki.roussel@blueantmedia.com, Sarah Etherden, VP, Global Communications, Blue Ant Media, sarah.etherden@blueantmedia.com

Download Assets Here

Original Press Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/pluto-tv-continues-its-expansion-in-canada-now-streaming-over-120-free-channels-following-new-partnership-with-blue-ant-media-808137484.html

 

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Pluto TV is available on a wide range of devices, including Amazon FireTV, Amazon Firestick Lite, and more. Looking for the latest generation of Amazon Fire TV Edition TVs and devices, click here to shop Amazon today and help support @StreamOnABudget! 

Pluto TV is available for Roku. Looking for the latest generation of Roku TVs and devices? Click here to shop Amazon today and help support @StreamOnABudget!

How to Watch Frndly TV's New Additions LEGALLY in Canada (No, You Do Not Need A VPN)

Get ready for more incredible TV! New channels ION TV, ION Mystery, and GRIT TV are now available on Frndly TV! (Update: Movies! Network too!)

by Georges Brunet, Chief Editor of the @StreamOnABudget blog. (UPDATED 2/03/23)

Three new Over-The-Air type channels make their way to Frndly TV! Now you can watch ION, ION Mystery, and GRIT legall in Canada (and the rest of the world)-- and you don't even have to trick your location with a VPN! (Update: Movies! Network was added on 2/03! Full details below!)

Here's the official blog post from Frndly TV:

At Frndly TV, we always strive to provide the best entertainment options to our valued subscribers. And, after numerous requests from our customers, we are thrilled to announce the addition of three brand new channels - ION, ION Mystery, and GRIT - to our lineup!

ION is a top-rated network known for its popular dramas, comedies, and mystery shows. Fans can look forward to watching hit series like "Law & Order: SVU," "Criminal Minds," and "Chicago Fire."

ION Mystery is a mystery-focused network offering a wide selection of crime dramas, mysteries, and thrillers. With shows like "CSI: Miami," "Bones," and "Leverage," Frndly TV subscribers are sure to be entertained for hours.

GRIT is a channel that appeals to fans of classic westerns and action-packed dramas. With a mix of both modern and classic westerns like "The Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Virginian," and "Bat Masterson," GRIT offers something for everyone.

But wait, there's more! Frndly TV now offers three western channels - INSP, Cowboy Way Channel, and GRIT! So, whether you're a fan of classic westerns, modern westerns, or western-inspired dramas, Frndly TV has got you covered.

At Frndly TV, we understand that our subscribers have a wide range of entertainment needs, and we are committed to meeting those needs. That's why we are thrilled to add these three fantastic channels to our lineup, without increasing the cost of the service.

And, if you're someone who always finds themselves busy and missing your favorite shows, we've got you covered! Frndly TV's Classic and Premium subscribers can use the unlimited DVR option to record every episode and never miss a beat. No more having to choose between life's responsibilities and your favorite shows - with Frndly TV's unlimited DVR, you can have it all!

These new channels will be available starting February 2, 2023, and we can't wait for our subscribers to start watching. So, grab your popcorn, settle into your favorite spot on the couch, and get ready to be entertained!

Source: https://try.frndlytv.com/blog/frndly-tv-expands-lineup-with-addition-of-ion-ion-mystery-and-grit-channels

Also: Updated 2/03/23:

Friends and Frndly TV Fans, We Have an Announcement to Make!

The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here! We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new channel, MOVIES!

MOVIES! presents "reel variety," showcasing the best of Hollywood's golden era and beyond. From epic cinematic greats to lesser-known gems, we've got it all! We know you'll love the diverse selection of films on offer, and we can't wait to share this exciting new addition to the Frndly TV lineup with you.

Now, we know what you're thinking. "But Frndly TV, you announced this channel back in late March of 2022. What happened?" Well, the truth is, securing the rights to all the fantastic films you'll find on MOVIES! took longer than we expected. But our friends at Weigle have been working tirelessly to make this dream a reality, and we couldn't be more grateful for their efforts.

We know you've been patiently waiting for MOVIES! to launch, and we're so sorry it took longer than we anticipated. But trust us, it was worth the wait! We can't wait to share all the amazing films with you, and we hope you'll find a new favorite in our lineup.

So sit back, grab some popcorn, and get ready for a movie-watching experience like no other! MOVIES! is finally here, and we couldn't be more excited!

Stay tuned for more updates and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of film like never before!

Source: https://try.frndlytv.com/blog/frndly-tv-launches-new-channel-movies-the-ultimate-destination-for-film-lovers

All of these networks announced by Frndly in the last couple of days are very popular Over-The-Air TV channels in the US. These along with several other popular OTA networks such as MeTV, FETV, and even some terrific Cable-TV networks such as A&E, History TV and others, can now be viewed in Canada-- LEGALLY! 

You don't have to use a VPN to trick the service into thinking you're from the US, nope! All you need is an account to the free service called Stremium and a paid subscription to Frndly TV which you will link through Stremium, which will in turn act as an intermediary so you can watch Frndly outside of the US. It's all perfectly legal, I give a detailed step-by-step in my Complete Guide To Stremium (click here to read it), but in essence, here's how this works:

Canadians can still order Frndly from here: https://signup.frndlytv.com/pick-plan-1 (a Canadian credit card or a Canadian Paypal account will be just fine to use as a payment method). New users will also get a 7-day free trial upon sign-up. Plans start from US$6.99/m if you don't cancel before your free trial is over. Once you order and you try logging in to any of Frndly's standalone apps on Roku or Google TV, you're likely to encounter an error saying that the program or live stream is unavailable. This is where Sremium comes in. 

Stremium will serve as the interface for Frndly TV's live channels (and you will get a TON of extra channels as well by virtue of getting an account with Stremium) and it's completely FREE! Stremium is very easy to use, including a cable-box-like channel guide and even DVR options (for a small subscription fee starting from US$5.00/m). You can sign up for a free Stremium account here: https://stremium.firesidechat.com/register?redirect=/app, you can even use your pre-existing Google or Amazon account to login, too.

Be sure to download the Stremium app (instead of the Frndly app) on your prefered streaming devices. First, however, you will log in to your new Stremium account using your PC and click on the PROVIDERS button on the left hand side of the webpage. Then click on the + sign on the right row that shows the green Frndly TV logo. Link the service using the official Frndly TV creds you set up and you are good to go!

Once the set up and linking is done, all you need to do then is go to the Stremium app on your streaming device, click on the SETTINGS tab in the app, then click on REFRESH GUIDE, and within minutes you will see all of the Frndly TV channels displayed in the TV Guide interface of Stremium TV. Click on a channel and ENJOY!

Let me know what you think and how your experience has been using Frndly TV outside of the US through the Stremium TV service! Can't wait to read your comments! -GB.

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  The Stremium TV app is available on Amazon Fire TV Edition TV's and devices. Looking for the latest generation of Amazon Fire TV Edition TVs and devices, click here to shop Amazon today and help support @StreamOnABudget! 

  
  

  🍁 Frndly TV is now available in Canada through partnership with Stremium TV. Click here to be a new subscriber and get a 7-day free trial! 🍁 
  
  

  

  The Streamium TV app is also available on Roku. Looking for the latest generation of Roku TVs and devices? Click here to shop Amazon today and help support @StreamOnABudget!