From Ian Bailey of The Globe and Mail:
Link: Heritage Minister says she will not reverse Cancon rules for TV industry
Federal Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada’s TV production sector, alarmed at new CRTC regulations that reduce the need to hire Canadians to obtain funding, should not count on her for any immediate help to reverse the situation. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Today, shomi announced the streaming service will be shutting down operations as of November 30, 2016.
“We’re really grateful to Canadians who enthusiastically invited us into their living rooms and took us with them on their phones, tablets and laptops,†said David Asch, Senior Vice President and General Manager, shomi.
“The business climate and online video marketplace have changed markedly in the last few years. Combined with the fact that the business is more challenging to operate than we expected, we’ve decided to wind down our operations,†Asch said. “We’re proud of the great service we created and the role we played in the evolution of Canada’s video landscape.â€
Current shomi members can keep streaming and binge-watching their favourite shows and movies online, via their Shaw or Rogers set-top box, on select tablets, mobile devices, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Apple TV, Chromecast, and PS4 until November 30, 2016.
From a media release:
CBC has commissioned 21 THUNDER, a new original eight episode, one-hour drama series from PMA Productions and Generic Productions. Set in Montreal, the series takes viewers into the fiercely competitive and high-stakes world of an under-21 soccer academy, following the players and coaches who risk it all for a shot at the pros. Production started in late August in Montreal and will continue until November 15, with the series set to premiere in summer 2017 on CBC.
In the cutthroat world of pro soccer, a club lives and dies by the stars on its under-21 team. They are the future and lifeblood of any franchise, but most will never make it. 21 THUNDER is the story of the Montreal Thunder U21 team, following the team’s star players on and off the field. A story of love, crime, race, sex and athletic glory, at its core the series is about how a group of players and coaches unite as family in the whirlwind of life, one step away from the pros.
Helping to coach the team are Christy Cook (Stephanie Bennett, The Romeo Section, Descendants), an Olympic soccer hero forced on the team for PR reasons; and Davey Gunn (former Scottish footballer Ryan Pierce, who played as Ryan O’Leary), an international soccer superstar who is on the run from both the paparazzi and his past. The team consists of striker and former gang-member Nolan Gallard (RJ Fetherstonhaugh, Wayward Pines); Ivory Coast midfielder Junior Lolo (Emmanuel Kabongo, Hemlock Grove), a brilliant new arrival; and team captain, goalie and academic prodigy Alex el Haddadi (Andres Joseph, The Flash). Together they strive under notorious coach Albert Rocas (Conrad Pla, 19-2) to win games for the club, and a future for themselves.
Commissioned by CBC, 21 THUNDER is produced by PMA Productions and Generic Productions, and executive produced by Kenneth Hirsch (Extraordinary Canadians, Outbreak: Anatomy of a Plague), Michael Levine (Republic of Doyle), Adrian Wills (The Surrogacy Trap, All Together Now), Riley Adams (Crossing the Rubicon: The Journey, Flashpoint) and Malcolm MacRury (Republic of Doyle, Saving Hope), who also serves as showrunner. Riley Adams is co-creator along with Kenneth Hirsch and Adrian Wills.
From Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail:
Link: Tatiana Maslany is Exhibit A in the case against CRTC’s new content rules
If Orphan Black had been launched under this new rule, chances are that the promising young Canadian would not have been cast; the producers would have figured that a recognizable American actor would help sell their show abroad or the networks would have figured that an American would help sell it to audiences. Yet another Hollywood star would have shone more or less brightly in the firmament and one Canadian career might never have been launched. Continue reading.
From CBC News:
While Canadian TV shows such as Orphan Black are breaking records and winning awards, changes to TV funding have Canadian creators fuming.
