All Entertainment stories

Cancellation-fest

Arts and culture festivals could sadly be following the woolly mammoth trajectory — once prominent across Canada, but slowly on their way to extinction. 

Driving the news: The shockingly sudden cancellation of this year’s Just for Laughs comedy festivals in Montréal and Toronto has brought to light the dire state of the business of festivals in Canada. Everything from music fests to theatre fests are struggling.

Investments that (literally) perform

Here's one way to really make your TFSA returns sing: Invest in Beyoncé’s next hit song. 

Driving the news: If you’re looking to brag about owning 0.01% of “Single Ladies” at your next dinner party, a startup called JKBX has launched a digital marketplace that will let you buy shares in popular songs from artists including Taylor Swift and Major Lazer.

It’s pricier than ever to have fun, just ask Raptors fans

It’s getting more and more expensive to see sweaty men jump really high these days. 

Driving the news: The average price for season tickets to the Toronto Raptors will be ~4% higher on average next season.

Adam Seaborn on the business of sports streaming

 On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Adam Seaborn of Playmaker Capital to talk about what the streaming era means for the sports media industry. 

Is the World Cup good for Canada’s economy?

Like us after putting down a non-refundable deposit to book the perfect venue for a birthday party, Vancouver and Toronto are hoping that playing host will be worth it.  

Driving the news: In 2026, Vancouver and Toronto will host seven and six FIFA World Cup matches, respectively. Neither city has given an updated cost estimate since 2022, so now attention has turned to figuring out how much hosting will cost, and whether it’s worth it.

Leafs captain tries to skate around taxes

Professional athletes, they’re just like you and me: They eat, they sleep, and they hate paying taxes. 

Driving the news: Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is in a heated face-off against the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The hockey star claims the tax body miscalculated what he owes on the US$15.3 million signing bonus he got when joining the Leafs in 2018.

Netflix looks to body slam its competition

Just when you thought streaming news had quieted down, something seismic happened. To misquote legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross, “Bah gawd, that’s Netflix’s music!”

What happened: Netflix inked a 10-year deal to become the official broadcaster of Monday Night Raw, paying the WWE US$500 million a year for the rights to its flagship weekly live wrestling show. The deal starts in 2025 and will cover several countries including Canada.

Scammers are picking on Canadian TV hosts

Mary Berg is many things — MasterChef Canada winner, beloved celebrity chef, host of CTV’s The Good Stuff — but now she can add “unwilling star of a crypto scam” to her resume.

What happened: All month, X users have been bombarded with ads about a fake scandal involving Berg.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is a grand disappointment

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix happens tonight on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s F1’s glitziest, costliest event of the year — it also looks destined to be its biggest disappointment. 

Driving the news: Like countless Vegas visitors, F1 owner Liberty Group miscalculated a risky bet. The company lowered its profit expectations after ticket sales severely missed expectations, despite being the most expensive of any Grand Prix race this season. 

Netflix tees off its live sports offerings

Like us signing up for beer league hockey, Netflix is dipping its toes into sports just to see how things play out.  

What happened: If you flipped on Netflix last night, you probably noticed a live broadcast of something called The Netflix Cup, the streamer’s first-ever live sporting event.