Everything about Industry News, eh?

Industry News

Subscriptions to cable, IPTV and satellite declined but revenues remained steady

From a media release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission today released statistical and financial information on Canadian cable, Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and satellite companies for the year ending on August 31, 2015.

In 2015, Canadian cable, IPTV and satellite companies reported a slight decline in revenues of $11.8 million (0.1%) to $8.9 billion, while expenses increased by 1.3% to $7.2 billion.  As a result, the operating margin decreased to its lowest level in five years, but remained healthy at 19%. These companies employed 27,244 in 2015, down 6.3% from 2014.

The overall number of subscribers decreased from 11.4 million in 2014 to 11.2 million in 2015, continuing a two-year trend.  However, the average total revenue per subscriber increased from $65.25 in 2014 to $66.08 per month in 2015. IPTV companies continued to grow reporting double-digit increases in subscribers for 2015.

Spending by television service providers on the creation and production of Canadian-made content decreased by $38.1 million in 2015 to $436.9 million.  Of this amount, $219.6 million was directed to the Canada Media Fund, $64.7 million to independent funds and $152.6 million to community channels and other sources of local content.

Quick facts

  • In 2015, cable and IPTV companies reported revenues of $6.6 billion from programming services. This total represents an increase of 1.7 % from $6.5 billion in 2014.
  • Satellite companies’ revenues decreased by 5.2% from $2.4 billion in 2014 to $2.3 billion in 2015.
  • The number of Canadian households that subscribed to a cable or IPTV company increased from 0.3% to 8.9 million.
  • The number of Canadian households that subscribed to a satellite company’s television service decreased by 7.2% from 2.6 million to 2.4 million.
  • The operating margin for cable and IPTV companies increased from 15.8% in 2014 to 16.1% in 2015.  The operating margin for the satellite companies decreased from 32% in 2014 to 27.7% in 2015.
  • Operating expenses for the cable, IPTV and satellite companies increased by 1.3% from $7.1 billion to $7.2 billion.
  • In 2015, cable and IPTV companies spent over $2.6 billion on affiliation payments for the pay and specialty services they carry. This total represents a 5.7% increase compared to the $2.5 billion spent in 2014.
  • Satellite companies’ affiliation payments decreased by 2.9% from $809 million in 2014 to $786 million in 2015.
  • The CRTC produces a series of reports annually that provide information on the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors.
  • The CRTC recently published the financial results for specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand services, conventional television stations and AM and FM radio stations.
  • The CRTC’s annual reports help interested parties to stay informed about the state of the Canadian communication industry and participate in the CRTC’s public consultations.

The CRTC’s report on cable, IPTV and satellite companies does not include information on Internet access, telephone services and other non-programming items. The CRTC will publish information on these services in the upcoming edition of the Communications Monitoring Report, in fall 2016.  

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Link: Canadian producers stymied by Brexit waiting game

From Eli Glasner of CBC:

Link: Canadian producers stymied by Brexit waiting game
Like navigating through a thick London fog, Canadian TV and film producers trying to understand the changing terrain of Europe see only uncertainty.

The results of the EU referendum, where a slim majority of Britons voted to leave, caught many Canadian producers off guard. John Weber is the CEO and president of Take 5, the company responsible for a string of European co-productions including the The Tudors, Camelot and Vikings, currently shooting its fifth season. Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Link: A lament for the days of bad Canadian TV

1 Comment

From Joel Rubinoff of Torstar News Service:

Link: A lament for the days of bad Canadian TV
All I hear about these days is the Golden Age of Television.

Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad — shows that set a new standard for quality on the small screen the same way auteuristic films by Coppola and Scorsese did on the big one four decades ago.

But there’s another golden age, long lamented, fondly remembered, sporadically revisited, that also deserves attention: the Golden Age of Bad Canadian Television. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

On September 10, Canadians to make history with CTV’s Canada in a Day

From a media release:

In advance of Canada Day celebrations this weekend, CTV confirmed this morning that it has chosen Saturday, September 10, 2016 as the day when Canadians from across the country and around the world will reveal what it means to them to be Canadian as part of the ground-breaking project CANADA IN A DAY. As previously announced, CANADA IN A DAY is a two-hour event broadcast revealing the lives and culture of our country as demonstrated by footage shot and submitted by Canadians.

Inspired by Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominee Ridley Scott and Academy Award-winner Kevin Macdonald’s highly successful Life in a Day, CANADA IN A DAY will capture one day in the life of our country, and will air on CTV as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017. CTV also confirmed today that the project’s website, CanadaInADay.ca, is now live.

From countless individual moments and stories, one film will be crafted by director Trish Dolman (Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson; LUNA: SPIRIT OF THE WHALE) to capture Canada on a single day – engaging people across the country, and Canadians around the world, to share – in any language – their hopes and fears, their personal stories and, in doing so, what it means to be Canadian. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, footage submitted may be included in the final film project set to air on CTV or featured on the film’s online archive at CanadaInADay.ca.

How it Works:

  • CANADA IN A DAY is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or landed immigrants across the country, or Canadians living abroad.
  • Participants can film as much or as little footage as they want during the 24-hour period on Saturday, September 10, 2016.
  • Canadians have until midnight on Saturday, October 22, 2016 to submit their footage online at CanadaInADay.ca.
  • CANADA IN A DAY is looking for people to be creative, honest, and real, filming themselves and the people or places that mean the most to them. Participants should capture their passions, loves, fears, hopes, and dreams.
  • Canadians are encouraged to film and submit videos in their own languages.
  • To help Canadians decide what they want to film, there are four main questions they can ask themselves:
    What do you love?
    What do you fear?
    What do you hope for?
    What does Canada mean to you?

Participants can answer the above questions directly to camera, or showcase their answers with a visual response.

For more information, including video submission requirements and tips from director Trish Dolman on how to create a great video, people are encouraged to visit CanadaInADay.ca. Canadians can also sign up to receive alerts and updates during the countdown to the Saturday, Sept. 10 film day.

Celebrity ambassadors supporting the project and helping to bring awareness to the CANADA IN A DAY Saturday, Sept. 10 film day include Russell Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Karine Vanasse, Rick Hansen, Jacob Tremblay, Patrice Bernier, Jason Priestley, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Giacomo Gianniotti, Jessica Lucas, Roger Frappier, Chan Hon Goh, and more.

CANADA IN A DAY is inspired by the original award-winning Ridley Scott film, Life in a Day. Shot in 2010 and released in 2011, Life in a Day was the remarkable story of one day on Earth. The project garnered more than 80,000 submissions around the world, and contained more than 4,500 hours of deeply personal, powerful moments shot by contributors from Australia to Zambia – from the heart of bustling major cities to some of the most remote places on Earth. Since then, several countries have launched their own In a Day films, including Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, India, and Japan.

CANADA IN A DAY is produced by Screen Siren Pictures Inc. in association with CTV, with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, Bell Fund, Creative BC, FIBC, and the Government of Canada. Executive producers are Scott Free Films, Trish Dolman, and Christine Haebler, with Trish Dolman and Michael Ghent producing for Screen Siren Pictures Inc. Switch United is the web producer and Innovate by Day is the Social Media producer.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Awards, Industry News

Natasha Henstridge named Golden Maple Awards host

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadians in Sports & Entertainment – Los Angeles (ACISE-LA) announced today the master of ceremony, the award presenters and an additional Maple of Excellence honoree for the 2016 Golden Maple Awards.

The 2016 Golden Maple Awards will be held on July 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, on Canada’s Day.

Among Missy Peregrym and Nick Bateman, 2016 Golden Maple Awards honorees, is Pop President Brad Schwartz, who will receive the 2016 Maple of Excellence for Outstanding TV Executive. Pop is a cable television network seen in over 80 million homes and owned by CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF).

Mr. Schwartz led the high profile, award-winning rebrand of TV Guide Network to Pop, which debuted in January 2015. Under Mr. Schwartz’s leadership, Pop has launched critically acclaimed original programming, delivered nine quarters of year-over-year ratings growth, increased its distribution with launches on AT&T U-Verse and Cablevision, attracted over 125 new advertisers, and in 2015 delivered its best primetime in six years.

Throughout his career, Mr. Schwartz has rebranded and/or launched six cable networks and has served as a top executive for Fuse, CTV (Canada) and MTV. At Fuse, he led an award-winning (PROMAX/BDA Gold) rebrand campaign, delivered Fuse’s highest quarterly, weekly and daily ratings in the network’s history, as well as critically acclaimed programming including the Emmy Award nominated “Billy on The Street,” Image Award winning “The Hustle,” and GLAAD Winning “Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce.” Prior to Fuse, Schwartz served as General Manager of a suite of eight music and pop culture cable networks in Canada, including MTV Canada, MuchMusic, MTV2 and MuchMore, launching Gemini-winning “MTV Live,” North American-wide hit “The Hills Aftershow” and winning the PROMAX/BDA “Judges Choice” award for best-in-show marketing & creative. He merged MTV and MuchMusic into one business that reached more than 48% of all young Canadians every week, driving double digit increases in ratings and revenue, while leading MuchMusic to its highest rated year ever, which included the highest rated non-sports cable program on television “The MuchMusic Video Awards” and Peabody & Emmy-winning “Degrassi.”

From Toronto, Canada and a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Schwartz began his career working for Lorne Michaels at “Saturday Night Live.” He has been listed among Broadcasting and Cable’s Next Wave Of Leaders, The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation, CableFax’s Top 100 Power Players In Cable, and named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 leaders. He is a member of PROMAX/BDA’s Board of Directors.

The 2016 Golden Maple Awards will be hosted by Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, known for her role in GHOSTS OF MARS, SPECIES, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS and ELI STONE, and starred more recently in Sony’s HOME INVASION.

Canadian talent Amanda Crew, Emily Hampshire, Meaghan Rath, Enuka Okuma and Keltie Knight will be awards presenters at the 2016 Golden Maple Awards on July 1, 2016.

Previously announced on May 16, 2016, the Golden Maple Award nominees are:

Best actress in a TV series broadcast in the U.S.:

  • Amanda Crew – Silicon Valley, HBO
  • Britne Oldford – Hunters, Syfy
  • Emily Hampshire – 12 Monkeys, Syfy
  • Emily Hampshire – Schitt’s Creek, PopTV
  • Erin Karpluk – The Riftworld Chronicles, Geek & Sundry
  • Laura Vandervoort – Bitten, Syfy
  • Lindy Booth – The Librarians, TNT
  • Natalie Brown – The Strain, FX

Best actor in a TV series broadcast in the U.S.:

  • Ben Hollingsworth – Code Black, CBS
  • Brandon Jay McLaren – Graceland, USA
  • Byron Mann – Hell On Wheels, AMC
  • Christopher Heyerdahl – Hell On Wheels, AMC
  • David Sutcliffe – Proof, TNT
  • Giacomo Gianniotti – Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
  • Jonathan Keltz – Reign, The CW
  • Ricky Mabe – Gigi Does It, IFC

Newcomer of the year in a TV series broadcast in the U.S.:

  • Amanda Crew – Silicon Valley, HBO
  • Ennis Esmer – Red Oaks, Amazon Studios
  • Christopher Heyerdahl – Hell on Wheels, AMC
  • Giacomo Gianniotti – Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
  • Gregory Smith – Rookie Blue, ABC
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail