Episode 45:Listen or download hereor subscribevia iTunesor with any other program via theTV, Eh? feed
Our guest today is the lovely and funny Deb McGrath of the upcoming Single White Spenny as well as Little Mosque on the Prairie.
First, Anthony and Diane talk about news from the upfronts, including new series Bomb Girls, Canada’s Got Talent, Secret Millionaire Canada, and The Quon Dynasty, and that A Channel is being rebranded as CTV Two. In fact, nearly all the new Canadian shows are reality series, making this HuffPo Canada article even more ridiculous.
Since summer is the season for stuffing schedules with Canadian content, premiering soon are Dan For Mayor (June 5), Almost Heroes and Single White Spenny (June 5), and Comedy Network announces their summer slate, with Picnicface, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, and more.
Diane’s cut cable so we talk about her experiences and, related, how the CRTC is reviewing Netflix and other “over-the-top†services that may or may not be broadcasters.
Your hosts
- Anthony Marco can be found at anthonymarco.com, and on Twitter here and here.
- Diane Wild can be found here at TV, eh? and on Twitter here and here.
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I agree, 3D is useless — now, can I get my NFB 3D glasses? :-)
I am wondering if the two of you will be making a joint submission to the CRTC. I will be doing so. I think they need to hear from consumers/taxpayers/etc.
And I’ll repeat: NetFlix isn’t broadcasting any more than Walmart and Futureshop are broadcasting. While retail can compete with broadcasting, it is inappropriate to consider NetFlix to be a broadcaster (and under CanCon, pay into LPIF, etc) but not Walmart or Futureshop.
I know it will get me into the same trouble as Dean Del Mastro found himself in, but I agree that Canada should get out of the broadcasting business. That comment is as much about the subsidies to Bell/Rogers/Shaw (and the networks they own) as it is about the CBC, which people invalidly believe is the only broadcaster our government subsidises/protects.
I strongly support tax money going to content creation, and I support pro-audience regulations to ensure unfettered communication between creators and audiences (IE: pro-competition to ensure consumer choice, UBB, etc), but think the intermediaries should fend for themselves in a much less government protected marketplace.
I’m sick of the government stepping in to protect Bell/Rogers/Shaw against consumers who want to legally access content without any of those old-economy companies being in the way. I’m also sick of people pretending that doing so is somehow “capitalist” or other such nonsense.
The problem with Netflix vs the retail stores is that Netflix seems to be attempting to compete with the broadcast/cable nets by securing exclusive distribution rights to American content. As well as floating the idea of financing its own original series.
If they do either of those things, then they’ve stepped over the line from the retail side to the ‘casting side. Until that happens, though, I don’t think they should be treated the same as broadcasters.
That’s where it gets muddy – it already is happening. They were apparently at least trying to secure the streaming Canadian rights to US series in competition with broadcasters, and in the US they’re creating their own series. Before all that I said definitely not broadcasters. Now I’m not sure, though I still don’t think the CRTC interference will lead to anything good.
Thank you for championing scripted content once again!!