BY: Ashley Robinson, editor
As times have changed, so has Great Tastes of Manitoba. The Manitoba cooking show has now made the switch to a digital-first format. As of Sept. 5, 2025 Great Tastes moved from its Saturday spot on CTV to releasing weekly segments on YouTube.
“We were being asked by our commodity partners to reach younger audiences and make sure that our content was appealing to younger audiences. And it became apparent that the broadcast format wasn’t going to be the way to reach that audience,” says Donalee Jones, senior producer of Great Tastes.
According to a May 2024 Comscore CTV Intelligence survey, 88 per cent of Generation Z households and 65 per cent of millennial households are cordless and don’t have access to traditional cable television. For Great Tastes, stats like this helped push the team to make the digital-first shift.
The show now releases one new video weekly on Fridays at 1 p.m. Content ranges from five to 20 minutes in length and features recipe videos, farm tours and behind-the-scenes content. The segments are repackaged into half-hour shows that air on Rogers, WGCTV, and The Rural Channel.
The digital shift gives the Great Tastes team access to more information about their viewers. Traditional broadcast ratings have not been available since 2020, which made it difficult to track viewership information. YouTube and social media platforms provide real-time analytics, including viewer location, watch time and device usage.
The digital format offers greater flexibility for both the producers and viewers. With content now produced year-round, producers can respond to trends more quickly and deliver timely, engaging stories all year long.
“This is much more interactive and engaging for the audience. They get to ask questions. They get to be a part of the discussion, instead of being a passive viewer on broadcast,” Jones adds.
The YouTube series is also introducing a new cast of local hosts. The new cast includes Chef Gordon Bailey, a renowned restaurateur and respected culinary instructor; Chef Anna Hymers, a Red Seal chef and research technician at RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen; Chef George Hudson, sous chef at Oxbow Natural Wine Bar and Restaurant; and Laura Cook, a home cook and food blogger from rural Manitoba.
“In previous years, the commodities would send a guest expert, and they would cook alongside (Dez Daniels) in our kitchen. This is kind of the double-edged sword of it. We all loved Dez, and we are sad not to have her a part of this season,” Jones explains.
Because of that kind of one-on-one YouTube platform, we really just needed cooks. We needed chefs and home cooks that could present and so we have hired four professional chefs and food lovers to present the bulk of the content, regardless of which commodity.”
Since launching the new format, feedback from sponsors and viewers has been positive to date, with increased engagement and views.
Great Tastes can be streamed on demand on the @GreatTastesTV YouTube channel.