Tag Archives: Industry News

Link: Dismantling or diminishing CBC is the most elitist position of all

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Dismantling or diminishing CBC is the most elitist position of all
Leitch and Bernier are clueless. Television is the most important, influential storytelling medium of our time. Understanding it and why it has impact is rather necessary information to have, prior to denouncing any area of it. In the specific matter of CBC TV, to cite one example, Kim’s Convenience is not forgettable, irrelevant, or badly made; nor is it, in Bernier’s phrase, an example of “bad Canadian copies of popular American shows.” Continue reading.

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A creative Canada: Strengthening Canadian culture in a digital world

From a media release:

Today, CBC/Radio-Canada shares its contribution to the Government’s public consultation on the future of Canadian content in a digital world.

Read the digital summary here: future.cbc.ca.

Key highlights:

  • Canada should develop a cohesive cultural investment strategy, engaging all of the countries creators and creative industries, similar to what Britainaccomplished with its “Creative Britain” initiative.
  • CBC/Radio-Canada can play a key role in supporting that strategy by:
    • anchoring a strong and vibrant cultural ecosystem to strengthen our creative economy;
    • deepening our engagement with Canadians;
    • partnering more closely with Canada’s creators, creative communities and culture institutions to create even more great Canadian content; and
    • promoting Canadian content to the world.
  • To allow that to happen we recommend removing advertising from CBC/Radio-Canada. This would allow the broadcaster to focus squarely on the cultural impact of our mandate. It would also free up advertising revenue to help private media companies transition to a digital environment.
  • For CBC/Radio-Canada to become an ad-free public broadcaster, we recommend increasing per person funding to CBC/Radio-Canada to $46 – an increase of $12 per Canadian. This would enable CBC/Radio-Canada to remove advertising from its services, complete its transformation, and strengthen Canada’s creative economy. This amount reflects the (inflation adjusted) per person funding increase recommended by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in 2008. This is still well below comparable public broadcasters around the world, like the BBC, which receives $114 per person.

 

SOURCE CBC/Radio-Canada

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Video: Canadian Screenwriter Simon Racioppa: Telling Canadian Stories

From the Writers Guild of Canada:

Telling Canadian Stories. Telling Canadians Stories. On all screens.

Canadian screenwriters write for all screens bringing a Canadian point of view to Canadian and worldwide audiences. If we don’t tell our own stories, who will? In this video, Canadian screenwriter Simon Racioppa talks about why our stories matter.

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Link: Netflix tells Canadian Heritage it makes ‘substantial’ investments in Canada

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: Netflix tells Canadian Heritage it makes ‘substantial’ investments in Canada
Netflix makes “substantial” investments in film and TV productions in Canada and should not face regulation, argues the streaming company in a submission to Canadian Heritage’s public consultation on homegrown content in a digital world.

The submission, filed Thursday, comes two years after Netflix suggested to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that its service did not fall under the Broadcasting Act since it is not a conventional broadcaster. Continue reading.

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The CRTC wants Canadians to take back control of their TV services

From a media release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today set out best practices for TV service providers to ensure Canadians are offered real choice regarding their services and have information about their options.

To follow these best practices, providers should, among other things: provide information about the new choices that will be available as of December 1, 2016; keep their offers simple and transparent; offer deals and discounts regardless of the entry-level package selected; provide online tools allowing subscribers to easily add or remove channels; and offer different options to obtain a set-top box.

The CRTC is also renewing the licences of most TV service providers for one year, rather than the usual seven-year term. This will enable the CRTC to closely monitor the TV providers’ practices as they implement the new TV choices.

These new options will enable Canadians to create their own package for TV services. Canadians are encouraged to shop around to ensure they are aware of what is available in the market if their service provider’s offers don’t meet the needs or the budget of their household. There are many online tools on the CRTC’s website to help Canadians find the best services and negotiate with their provider.

Quick Facts

  • Since March 1, 2016, all licensed television service providers must offer a basic package priced at no more than $25 a month (not including equipment).
  • Some smaller providers like Access, Zazeen, Rangtel and Beanfield have been offering the small basic package at less than $25 a month without having to subscribe to other services.
  • Since March 1, 2016, Canadians also have more options to add to that basic service, as TV service providers must offer channels either individually or in packages of up to 10 channels.
  • Starting on December 1, television service providers will have to offer both pick-and-pay and small packages.
  • The service providers’ actions regarding these new TV choices will be closely monitored in the year to come to ensure that they respect the best practices highlighted by the CRTC.
  • As a result of the CRTC proceeding, some providers announced plans to change practices that were not consumer friendly.
  • Canadians have multiple options to watch TV programming, which can include a combination of the new basic package, individual channels, small packages, free over-the-air stations and Internet streaming services.
  • Canadians are encouraged to use the new CRTC online tools to help them identify their needs and budget, shop around and negotiate for TV services.
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