‘The Social’ Is Daytime’s Latest Talk Option

PPI Releasing is selling first-run panel talk show The Social to broadcast TV stations starting this week for fall 2014. The show debuted in September on Canadian channel CTV. The live, one-hour daytime talk show is co-hosted by four young, multi-ethnic women led by news anchor Melissa Grelo.

It is being sold on a cash-plus-barter basis.

“This is an incredibly well-crafted series that’s produced to a high gloss,” says Ritch Colbert, cofounder of PPI Releasing. “It has a dedicated studio with a beautiful set and a live audience.”

CTV is producing 200 original episodes of the show each year. On the show, the co-hosts talk about entertainment news, gossip, lifestyle tips and they have celebrity guests.

“They will do deep dives into pop culture and other issues relevant to women in daytime,” Colbert says. “They have a very strong digital component that allows viewers to engage with them on a 24-hour basis.”

Grelo leads the discussion, much as Barbara Walters does on ABC’s The View.

Cynthia Loyst is the show’s sex expert. Traci Melchor is a longtime entertainment reporter and a journalist who writes for magazines including Essence and Elle.

“Lainey Lui is a gossip blogger with 70,000 Twitter followers,” Colbert says. “She is well known on both sides of the border. All these women are well known or have notoriety in the blogosphere.”

There is sometimes a guest co-host, like actress Jessica Alba last week.

“CTV is the dominant network [in Canada], so they have great bookings,” Colbert says. “Toronto is one of those cities like New York and L.A. that you have to go to if you have a movie or a book out.”