W5 and VICE Canada announced today a partnership to produce and air two documentaries in 2018 on the impact and root causes of Canada’s opioid crisis.
The partnership’s first production is a 30-minute documentary focused on Canada’s opioid crisis, looking beyond the perception of the issue as an “urban” problem and examining the toll it has taken on small-town Canada. The documentary is set to air on W5, Canada’s most-watched documentary series and North America’s longest-running investigative series, in early 2018.
“W5 is a national institution, with incredible reach across the country,” said Tom Henheffer, VICE Canada’s Director of News and Digital. “This partnership is a natural fit for us as it combines VICE’s expertise in telling the stories of those at the frontlines of Canada’s opioid crisis, with the years of experience and wide national audience that W5 brings to the table. We know this partnership will help to take VICE News, and the VICE brand to the next level in Canada.”
“W5 has spent 52 years investigating the most significant issues facing our society, and we’re very excited to further expand our journalism efforts by partnering with VICE Canada,” said Anton Koschany, Executive Producer, W5. “We’re looking forward to blending our investigative strategies to tell compelling stories, exposing both outlets to new audiences. By coupling two strong investigative organizations and the talented journalists on our respective teams, we are producing quality, timely, and valuable journalism.”
W5 and VICE have also agreed to explore other long and short-form documentary projects in 2018, with details of those productions to follow.
Earlier this year, Bell Media announced an exclusive deal with VICE Canada to air VICE NEWS TONIGHT, the 30-minute, Emmy ®-nominated news program.
