Nearly Half a Million Canadians Watched the Epic Season 5 Premiere

HISTORY's One-Hour Special, Vikings: The Saga of Lagertha, Follows as the #2 Entertainment Specialty Series of the Night

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TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2017 /CNW/ - HISTORY^®'s Emmy Award-winning original series Vikings staked its claim Wednesday night with a gripping Season 5 premiere watched by nearly half a million Canadians*, reigning as the #1 entertainment specialty series of the night against all key adult demos*.

As Ivar the Boneless asserted his leadership over the Great Heathen Army, and as Lagertha continued her reign as Queen of Kattegat, Season 5 kicked off with a bounty of startling alliances and unbelievable betrayals as the Vikings fight to rule the world. And as the Vikings fight to rule, Vikings the series continues to lead Canadian specialty programming, claiming top spot last night in multiple key demos including A25-54, A18-34, and A18-49.

Vikings continued its domination with the one-hour original special, Vikings: The Saga of Lagertha, ranking as the #2 entertainment specialty program of the night against key adult demos (A25-54 and A18-49)*. Viewers were also treated to ET Canada's exclusive behind-the-scenes special, Vikings: A New World, which premiered on Global and featured candid cast interviews, never-before-seen footage, and an up-close-and-personal look at Vikings both on screen and off.

Additional Vikings data highlights include:

• Vikings Season 5 premiere marked HISTORY's biggest day in primetime this fall against all key demos**.
• The Season 5 premiere grew its overnight audience by 10% amongst Adults 25-54 compared to last fall's Season 4B premiere*.
• The series hashtag (#Vikings) was used more than 35,000 times in North America on Instagram and Twitter***.

In the next episode of Vikings, airing Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HISTORY, celebrations are cut short in the aftermath of the battle at York. Ragnar Lothbrok's sons are pitted against each other as tensions reach an all-time high and each is forced to choose a side. Following next week's new episode of Vikings, HISTORY presents the highly-anticipated series premiere of new scripted drama Knightfall, premiering December 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Catch up on full episodes On Demand, on HISTORY.ca, and on the HISTORY GO App. Visit etcanada.com to watch Vikings: A New World and for exclusive cast clips and interviews.

Sources:

*Numeris PPM Data. November 29/17 – overnight data vs. November 30/16 & February 1/17 – overnight data, 3+ airings. Total Canada/AMA(000).A18-34, A18-49, A25-54 unless otherwise specified. CDN COM SPEC DIG ENG. Excludes Sports

**Numeris PPM Data. FL17 STD (Aug 28/17-Nov 29/17) - live+same day playback. Total Canada/A25-54, A18-49, A18-34 AMA(000). Mon-Su 8p-11p. History.

***Brandwatch

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About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children's book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.

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