[CANWEST COMPANY LOGO]

                                  NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
May 16, 2006

                           SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS AT
                         CANWEST'S AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONS
                    Eye awarded Manchester Airport concession
                   TEN secures long term FOX programming deal

WINNIPEG - CanWest Global Communications Corp. announced today that Eye Corp., a
subsidiary of The TEN Group pty Limited (TEN), which owns CanWest's Australian
television and out-of-home advertising operations, has been awarded a multi-year
contract by Britain's second largest airport operator, the Manchester Airports
Group Plc (MAG), to manage the advertising concessions at the Manchester,
Nottingham East Midlands and Humberside Airports, commencing June 1, 2006. MAG's
airports serve approximately 30 million passengers annually. Eye will provide
sales and marketing services for all static, digital and ambient advertising
displays in all of the airport terminals.

Nick Falloon, TEN's Executive Chairman, said "This is a significant moment in
Eye's continued growth that will form the cornerstone of our future European
operations. With the addition of the Manchester Airport Group, Eye's airport
division - Eye Fly - will now comprise 19 airports and serve some 200 million
passenger movements annually."

Tom Strike, President, CanWest MediaWorks International, said "This further
solidifies Eye's position as one of the leading airport advertising providers in
the world. It now represents major international airports in Australia,
Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. Having a presence in
the United Kingdom will provide Eye Corp. with a working base from which to
launch itself further into European markets. With Eye having won three
significant concessions since the start of the 2006 fiscal year, Changi Airport,
the New South Wales Roads & Traffic Authority, and now the Manchester Airport
Group, Eye is paving the way for continued growth in fiscal 2007."

TEN also announced that Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has
awarded long term future Australian television rights to TEN Television Network
and pay television operator FOXTEL commencing in July 2007. This agreement marks
the first time a major US studio has apportioned first-run television rights
across free-to-air and subscription-based television in Australia. The
multi-year agreement will deliver a long term supply of programming consistent
with TEN's core demographic of adults 16-39.

CanWest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwestglobal.com), an international
media company listed on the TSX (CGS and CGS.A) and NYSE (CWG), is Canada's




largest media company. CanWest is Canada's largest publisher of daily
newspapers, and owns, operates and/or holds substantial interests in free-to-air
and subscription-based television networks, out-of-home advertising, web sites,
and radio stations and networks in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland,
Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.



For further information contact:
Geoffrey Elliot
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Tel: (204) 956-2025
Fax: (204) 947-9841