From the great (greening) north, and our BTL compadre on the ground there, Scott Lehane, comes this report on how American-based networks are plugging the strike-spawned “content holes” on their schedules. And this, after the news that NBC/Universal/GE was buying a large stake in India-based NDTV. Content, thy name is “outsourcing!”:

Strike-beleaguered CBS picking up CTV made-in-Canada drama

By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - American broadcaster CBS, apparently looking for options amid a prolonged Hollywood screenwriters strike, has picked up an original CTV show to be broadcast later this year in the United States.

“Flashpoint,” a police drama with the working title “Sniper,” is currently in pre-production. CTV says it will become the first Canadian series since “Due South” to air on both American and Canadian network TV.

CBS has picked up 13 episodes of the one-hour drama series, which was green-lit by CTV in December. Production begins in Toronto in April.

The show will star Enrico Colantoni of “Veronica Mars” fame, Hugh Dillon, the former punk rocker-turned-actor who starred in the gritty “Durham County” and David Paekau of CTV’s “Whistler.”

They play cops on a highly skilled tactical team.

“Today’s announcement is a significant achievement for CTV’s development team and Canada’s independent production community,” CTV’s Susanne Boyce said in a statement.