TORONTO – Canwest Broadcasting’s chief marketing officer, Walter Levitt, will be leaving the company once it is purchased by Shaw Communications.
Levitt (pictured), former head of marketing at Alliance Atlantis, came on board in 2005, about two years before Canwest purchased the former Alliance Atlantis specialty channels. He and his team raised the profile and lifted the buzz around the specialties and the main network with several innovative marketing campaigns which invariably included robust digital aspects and social media integration.
“As you know, Shaw is a Calgary-based cable and satellite company with a long-serving head of marketing. In planning the integration of the two companies, Shaw and I agreed there simply wouldn’t be an appropriate role for me in the new organization,” said Levitt’s note to coworkers and others.
In an interview with Cartt.ca, Levitt said he’s “thrilled at the opportunities that are out there,” in media, where he hopes to remain.
“From my perspective, it’s an ideal time to move on. The broadcasting business at Canwest is now firing on all cylinders. In the last several years, we have built the industry’s leading portfolio of TV and digital brands,” said Levitt. “We have reinvigorated the Global brand, regained our competitive position in the top 10 and returned the business to profitability. Our specialty channels are the most popular brands in the country and experiencing unprecedented growth in ratings and revenue. And we have grown and pioneered in the digital space, including being the first broadcaster with its entire primetime schedule available online and on VOD. And all this despite the well-publicized challenges facing our parent company.”
He will be remaining on in a consulting capacity until the end of November and can still be reached on his Canwest email address and followed on Twitter: @TVmktgGuy
– Greg O’Brien
