Based in Toronto, COSMEDIA.INC is a boutique media company operating in the Sports & Entertainment sector across three key verticals, Distribution, Production and Consulting. We partner with broadcasters, studios, producers, streamers, distributors as well as Industry and Government stakeholders to deliver best-in-class service. The Company provides expertise in FAST, SVOD, AVOD, Network & Cable programming and strategy and has considerable expertise in content acquisition, content licensing and production.
The company is led by Canadian media industry veteran Mike Cosentino who launched COSMEDIA.INC in Spring 2021 leveraging a 30-year career in Canada’s sports and entertainment sector, including the previous 25 years with CTV/Crave/Bell Media.
In the Distribution vertical, Cosentino works as both distributor and sales agent representing independent producers, studios and some of the World’s foremost entertainment brands. Past and present partners include A+E Media Group, Shout! Studios, Quiver Entertainment, Talpa, AfterShock Media, Incendo, Serendipity, Allen Media Group, RCN and more. On their behalf, he has licensed Pay 1 Movies, premium documentaries, and unscripted and scripted series to the Canadian major, regional and independent broadcasters, and streaming platforms in English and French, including Paramount+, Netflix, Prime Video, CTV, Crave, CORUS, Rogers Sportsnet, Citytv, CBC, CBC Gem, Hollywood Suite, CHCH, Groupe TVA, Club Illico, SRC and more.
In 2022, COSMEDIA.INC expanded its Distribution portfolio with the launch of COSMEDIA LATAM, a Latin American distribution arm focusing on the localization and distribution of premium content into Latin America. The company partnered with Columbia-based RCN and are in market delivering premium movies dubbed in Spanish and Portuguese.
Original programming has never been more important to attract and retain subscribers. COSMEDIA.INC is positioned to be a production partner across any program, at any stage in its development. From script development to packaging to digital strategies and back-end finance partnerships, we have the expertise to elevate your content and close deals. COSMEDIA Production is backed by Cosentino’s experience. He is a 2xCSA award winning executive producer (Stronger Together, 2020, Just Like Mom and Dad, 2019). In 2021, he partnered with Reel World Management’s Roma Roth (Virgin River) and Fremantle Media on Sullivan’s Crossing (CW, CTV) where he continues to serve as Consulting Producer for the Drama. Other production partnerships include Two Wise Monkey Canada and development on the true crime event doc Catching The Killer Colonel. In addition to providing expertise to third party production partners, COSMEDIA.INC is developing a format-friendly unscripted Development Slate, featuring formats Park Ranger, Multiples, 90-Day Vegan and SuperFarm in addition to scripted movie The Prince of Taormina, and premium series FAD: The Fine Art of Deception and WW2 drama Husky 43.
Cosentino continues to leverage his expertise as a consultant across the global media landscape. Areas of expertise include, Canadian content, content catalogue acquisition, Production and Production financing, the Art of the Pitch, the rise of FAST, Output strategy, LA Screenings Intel & Strategy and more. Past and present consulting partners include Fremantle Media, Blue Ant Media, FEC Media, Reel World Management, Viaplay and more.
Mike Cosentino President & Executive Producer
Cosentino is an accomplished, senior media leader and content champion with an extensive background in programming and production across Canada’s biggest Network, Cable and Streaming brands. In Spring 2021, he leveraged his expertise and launched COSMEDIA.INC., a media and content company, focusing on Distribution, Production & Content and Consulting. The company has since partnered with some of the World’s foremost entertainment brands including Fremantle, Viaplay, Shout! Factory Studios, Incendo, Talpa Entertainment, RCN, Quiver Entertainment & Distribution, Reel World Management, Aftershock Media, Mogul Productions, Blue Ant Media, A+E Global Media and more.
Over his 25-year career at BCE’s (TSX: BCE) Bell Media (1996-2021), he was a key figure during a 20-year period of growth and unprecedented success. He led CTV to consecutive #1 rankings for 14 straight broadcast years (2007-2008 to 2020-2021), launched Crave (2014) and initiated a rebrand and digital strategy for Bell Media’s key domestic services (2018) – introducing CTV Drama, CTV Sci-Fi, CTV Comedy, CTV Life, CTV Movies and CTV Throwback, streaming live and on demand from a singular supersized CTV branded streaming service, ushering the company into a new digital era.
As President, Content and Programming (2017-2021), Cosentino led multiple teams and was responsible for the end-to-end linear & digital programming, content, production, program distribution and partnership strategies for the CTV Network and its domestic and international (Discovery Channel, E!, Comedy Central, MTV and more) channel portfolios. He led negotiation and licensing strategy for the company’s most valuable Studio partnerships including with Warner Bros Discovery, NBCU, SONY Pictures Television, Viacom/CBS, 20th Century Fox, Disney/ABC, Fremantle, Banijay, MGM, the National Football League and more; securing exclusive media rights to Canada’s single biggest properties like The Academy Awards, The Super Bowl, American Idol, The Big Bang Theory, the Star Trek Franchise, The Handmaid’s Tale, Grey’s Anatomy, The Masked Singer and more. In addition, he led the strategy and negotiations to secure overall trademark, brand and programming deals for HBO Max, The Discovery Channel, E!, Comedy Central and MTV among others. He also led the Commissioning & Production teams, Bell Media Studios and the CTV Distribution team who were responsible for the sale of its catalogue around the world. He was instrumental in greenlighting Canada’s most brand defining Original programs including international hits Letterkenny (Crave/Hulu), Transplant (CTV/NBC), Cardinal (CTV/Hulu), Children Ruin Everything (CTV/Roku) along with overseeing the teams who developed some of Canada’s most successful formats including The Amazing Race Canada and MasterChef Canada.
Cosentino’s introduction to the entertainment industry began in 1992 when, under the celebrity ownership of John Candy, Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, he worked as Director of Communications for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. Four years later, he began his broadcast career at Discovery Channel. In 1999 he was appointed Director, Communications for CTV Inc, and then Vice-President, Communications, CTVglobemedia, in 2005. In 2007, he left communications and was appointed Senior Vice-President, Program Scheduling and later, Senior Vice-President, Programming. Following CTV’s acquisition of CHUM (2007), he was named to the CTV Transition Team, instrumental in the company’s integration strategy and again, following Bell’s acquisition of CTV (2010) after which he was appointed Chair, Programming Council for Bell Media (2011).
Cosentino was a founding Board Member of the Entertainment Industry Foundation Canada and has served on the Boards at WOW! Unlimited Media and the Discovery Channel Canada.
