All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.

Link: CRTC Just Plain Wrong On New Canadian Content Regulations

From James Bawden:

CRTC Just Plain Wrong On New Canadian Content Regulations
I’m convinced the only regulation the CRTC should insist on is a demand from all private networks that they spend as much on Canadian programming as they spend in L.A. snatching up all the U.S. series.

Last year that figure was almost $700 million –I would be surprised if the private networks spent a third as much on Canadian shows. Continue reading.

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Link: CRTC’s new plans: Quality over quantity? Good luck with that

From John Doyle of The Globe & Mail:

CRTC’s new plans: Quality over quantity? Good luck with that
If there’s a sinking feeling in some quarters of the Canadian TV racket following the announced CRTC regulatory changes, that’s wrong. The challenge presented is to be better, not entitled.

Excuse my rant but vast fortunes have been made in the sweatshop environment of Canadian content made for broadcasters, particularly specialty channels, who have been obliged to air locally made content. An easy dollar for producers and many of those involved. Continue reading.

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Link: Canadian producers ‘excited, but nervous’ over CRTC’s new CanCon move

From Teddy Wilson of the National Post:

Canadian producers ‘excited, but nervous’ over CRTC’s new CanCon move
Thursday’s Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announcement saw the relaxation of Canadian content regulation on the small screen. While CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais delivered the news with great optimism a speech in Ottawa, industry insiders are apprehensive.

“I’m excited, but nervous at the same time,” said Barry Avrich, a film producer and CEO of Melbar Entertainment Group. Continue reading.

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CRTC “Let’s Talk TV” – The Way Forward?

From a media release:

Earlier today CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais spoke to the Canadian Club of Ottawa about the future of the Canadian television industry. The decision, titled “The Way Forward – Creating Compelling and Diverse Canadian Programming,” is the second of several decisions stemming from the CRTC’s “Let’s Talk TV” initiative, begun in 2013.

The decision is complex, and its many implications will become clearer in the coming weeks and months. At this juncture, a positive is that a cornerstone of the Canadian programming support framework — expenditure requirements for “programs of national interest” (PNI), which include drama and documentary programming — is being maintained.

Recognition of the screenwriter was evidenced through a new Canadian certification process for two “pilot projects” of certain live-action drama/comedy productions. One is based on the adaptation of best-selling, Canadian-authored novels, and one involves shows budgeted at over $2 million/hour. In both cases, a Canadian screenwriter will be required. Nonetheless, the WGC was surprised that the certification process, and the undermining of the terms of trade agreement for producers and broadcasters, were part of this announcement. Both decisions were made without notice or meaningful discussion in the preceding hearing.

Less unexpected, but also of concern, is what Chairman Blais has referred to as a “quality over quantity” approach, underscored in today’s decision. The WGC maintains that quantity and quality are linked concepts, as there is no one recipe to create a hit show, and creating fewer shows may serve to reduce the chances of a single show’s success.

Of greatest concern in today’s decision is the continuation of a two-tier broadcasting model, with “over-the-top” services like Netflix, CraveTV and shomi remaining almost entirely outside of the regulatory sphere. As Chairman Blais said today, Canada’s regulatory regime must be forward-looking, and Canadian content still requires support to survive and thrive. If more and more viewing migrates to unlicensed platforms, and those services have no requirements to make Canadian shows, the WGC questions how such an approach is sustainable in the medium to long term.

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CRTC announces measures to support the creation of content made by Canadians for Canadian and global audiences

From a press release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced significant changes to ensure Canada’s television system adapts to an audiovisual environment that is in profound evolution. This is the third in a series of announcements related to Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians, and the changes focus on the creation of content made by Canadians for both Canadian and global audiences.

Canadian television supports a thriving industry that employs nearly 60,000 people and invests over $4 billion each year in the creation of content made by Canadians. The television system, however, is undergoing a fundamental shift brought on by broadband Internet and wireless networks. Increasingly, Canadians are bypassing the traditional curators of content, the broadcasters, and watching programs in new ways: on their mobile devices, by binge-viewing multiple episodes of a TV series in one sitting and by accessing vast online libraries of content from around the world. In this age of abundance, the viewer is in control.

To foster the continued success of Canada’s creative talent, the CRTC is removing barriers that stand in the way of innovation and reinventing its approach to content made by Canadians. These measures will ensure the creation and promotion of compelling and high-quality content that audiences in Canada and abroad want to watch.

Promoting and discovering content

For Canadian-made productions to succeed in a sea of digital content, they must be well-promoted and easily discovered by viewers, both within Canada and abroad.

As such, the CRTC will host a Discoverability Summit in the fall of 2015. This Summit will bring together innovators and thought-leaders from the public and private sectors to explore how technology can be used to help viewers find programs made by Canadians. Further details on this summit will be released at a later date.

The CRTC is also providing more flexibility to broadcasters, so that they can better promote original Canadian television programs.

Creating Canadian-made content for global audiences

The CRTC is also launching two pilot projects that provide a more flexible and forward-looking approach to the production and financing of Canadian programs. Under these pilot projects, live-action drama and comedy series that either have a budget of at least $2 million per hour or are based on best-selling novels written by Canadian authors will be considered as being Canadian productions, provided certain additional criteria are met.

These changes are intended to support a production sector that has the financial capacity to develop scripts and concepts, as well as to create and market big-budget productions that can attract global audiences.

The CRTC is calling on other policy makers and funding agencies to follow suit for the benefit of the television system and Canadians. For instance, existing funding models could be updated to provide incentives for international co-productions and co-ventures, promotion and international distribution opportunities, and the creation of online content.

Removing barriers to innovation

The CRTC is confident that content made by Canadians can compete with the best in the world. Certain protections are no longer needed in a world of abundance and choice, and where many Canadians no longer watch shows according to a broadcaster’s schedules. The future of television lies in Canadians’ proven ability to create compelling, high-quality content.

As such, the CRTC is reducing the quotas setting out the amount of Canadian programs that local television stations and specialty channels must broadcast. At the same time, the CRTC is ensuring that the majority of these stations and channels reinvest a portion of their revenues into the creation of content made by Canadians. For certain types of programs, such as drama and documentaries, broadcasters will continue to invest at least 75% of these funds on content created by independent producers.

To foster a more open and competitive market, the CRTC is also eliminating rules under which specialty channels, such as HGTV Canada and MusiquePlus, can only broadcast certain types of programs. As a result, existing channels will be able to acquire or produce shows that better respond to their audiences’ interests and needs. Moreover, new specialty services will be able to enter the Canadian marketplace and compete with existing channels. Both existing and new channels will need to be innovative and creative to succeed.

Finally, the CRTC is allowing video-on-demand services to offer exclusive content to cable and satellite subscribers, as long as they are available to all Canadians over the Internet without a television subscription. This will enable Canadian services to compete on a more equal footing with online video services.

About Let’s Talk TV

In 2013, the CRTC launched Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians on the future of their television system and how it can adapt to evolving technologies and viewing habits. The CRTC received more than 13,000 comments from Canadians during the conversation’s various phases.

Today’s announcement is the third in a series of decisions that will set out a new forward-looking framework that will guide the television system in the coming years. The CRTC previously announced decisions relating to cable and satellite companies’ 30-day cancellation policies, local television and simultaneous substitution.

Quick Facts

  • The CRTC is taking steps to ensure Canada’s television system adapts to an audiovisual environment that is in profound evolution.
  • The CRTC will host a Discoverability Summit in the fall of 2015 to explore how technology can be used to help viewers find content made by Canadians in the digital environment.
  • The CRTC is experimenting with two pilot projects that will allow greater flexibility in the funding of Canadian programs.
  • The CRTC is confident that content made by Canadians can successfully compete with the best in the world and that certain regulatory protections are no longer needed.
  • The CRTC is allowing video-on-demand services to offer exclusive content to cable and satellite subscribers, as long as they are available to all Canadians over the Internet.

To foster a more open and competitive market, the CRTC is also eliminating rules under which specialty channels, such as HGTV Canada and MusiquePlus, can only broadcast certain types of programs. As a result, existing channels will be able to acquire or produce shows that better respond to their audiences’ interests and needs. Moreover, new specialty services will be able to enter the Canadian marketplace and compete with existing channels. Both existing and new channels will need to be innovative and creative to succeed.

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