IN THE MIDST OF a busy upfront event last week, I made a comment that was published in an article earlier this week on Cartt.ca which requires some clarification.
Decidedly, at CBC, we are not looking to reduce our ad load. Simply stated, advertising revenue is integral to our business model. As Canada’s public broadcaster, our goal is to offer not only high-quality and creatively ambitious content, but also distinctly Canadian programming and advertising revenues are fundamental to helping us deliver on that promise.
The consultant I referred to is sharing best practices for how our program formats can be better designed to give our audiences the best possible viewing experience. Fierce competition with other broadcasters and distributors, not to mention the changing ways in which Canadians consume media, mean we are constantly re-imagining the entire architecture of our schedule. We are actively looking at how we cluster ads and CBC promos, particularly on our on-demand platforms but we are not reducing our total amount of either.
Of all the new and returning titles we announced last week, only one, Follow the Money, is being offered without ads due to the complexity of the narrative and subtitles. Programming worked closely with the Media Solutions team to schedule this one program in a place that would be good for audiences and minimize impact on revenue.
Our Media Solutions team works tirelessly to offer innovative, multi-platform brand integrations that appeal to advertisers, and to viewers in a digital age.
Sally Catto
general manager, programming
CBC Television
