The public broadcaster told The Canadian Press on Friday that “financial constraints” had led the CBC to cancel this year's famous countdown to midnight, complete with musical performances and fireworks, since 2017.
CBC instead plans to broadcast a “Just For Laughs” gala hosted by Canadian comedian Mae Martin on Sunday nights at 11 p.m. in most markets across the country this year. The hour-long show, recorded in Montreal last summer, will not include a countdown to 2024.
The new year begins at CBC with the four-hour repeat of episodes of the comedy show “Comedy Night with Rick Mercer”.
This is a big change for the CBC, which has long been a trusted haven for viewers on this special evening. For more than twenty years, the comedians of the Royal Canadian Air Farce troupe put on a special show on New Year's Eve until it was canceled in 2019.
A CBC representative said the broadcaster began producing a live countdown special in 2017, marking a new tradition to mark Canada's 150th birthday.
The special, often hosted by Rick Mercer, traveled across Canada's time zones to showcase local artists in key cities across the country.
“Since then, this particular live format has become increasingly more expensive to produce,” CBC spokesman Kerry Kelly said in an email.