TORONTO – As streaming video grows and younger viewers move online, traditional Canadian TV networks in recent years have been keen to tell advertisers they were following audiences online as multiplatform players amid fast-changing viewer habits.
But the CBC, underpinned by new leadership, had a stark selling point at its upfront presentation in Toronto on Wednesday beyond excitement over their new and returning TV shows – brand safety and transparency.
"The last year illustrated some of the dangers the digital world represents. There are traps," Jean Mongeau, general manager and chief revenue officer at CBC Media Solutions, told Cartt.ca, as U.S. tech platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube have struggled to purge fake or offensive content and accounts. Advertisers don’t want their wares displayed next to the Confederate flag, for example.
The CBC's pitch, as it showed off its commercial clout to brands and agencies with a few on-stage stunts and breezy talent interviews, had a singular focus: Canadian brands today can find refuge with a trusted public broadcaster, rather than stray into a digital jungle where ads can find themselves positioned against offensive content possibly damaging a marketer's brand equity.
"We take care and we're serious about the content we put on our platform. The fact that we're so focused on the quality of our content is a differentiator, and even more so these days," Mongeau argued.
The upfront pitch about the CBC as a brand haven also applied to its news and current affairs division, where trust among Canadians for news sources, whether traditional or online, is on the wane, according to polling.
"For us at the CBC, the bar has to be that much higher. It's first and foremost for us that we're a content-first organization that has trusted content, double-checked content, verified content, on a platform where, when you go there, you'll know without a doubt you're getting safe and trusted content," Barb Williams, the former Shaw Media and Corus Entertainment exec who recently joined the CBC as its executive vice-president, added.
"There is no other way to provide mass reach, affordable, accessible and reasonably priced mass viewers, than through broadcast TV.” – Jean Mongeau, CBC
The CBC annual dog and pony show, while not showing off much new ad measurement analytics or technological achievements beyond podcasts and the Gem streaming service, did stress how its traditional TV network is judged the best return on investment for a brand's advertising dollars.
"There is no other way to provide mass reach, affordable, accessible and reasonably priced mass viewers, than through broadcast TV. And everything we do is now additive to the core business," Mongeau argued, citing recent industry reports to highlight the enduring value of the traditional TV spot for advertisers.
Another jarring difference at the CBC presentation was, as Bell Media continues shifting its eggs into the Crave streaming basket with exclusive HBO, Starz and Showtime content and rivals Corus and Rogers are without their own direct-to-consumer streaming services, the CBC was left to tout the scale and exclusivity of its Canadian content as another differentiator.
"What really matters in the end is we provide a distinct offering. We have to have something that is unique about us, that's unique for our viewers and ultimately will be a unique opportunity for our advertisers. And it starts with our content," Barb Williams explained.
For Sally Catto, general manager of programming for CBC English Television, the TV network's upcoming 2019-20 programming lineup is about reflecting contemporary Canada to viewers, as well as attracting advertisers (boy, they really want advertisers), as the public broadcast mandate remains foundational.
There's a bit of box-ticking at work as the CBC ordered an indigenous drama, The Trickster; a spy drama, Fortunate Son, set during the political chaos of 1968 and aimed at younger audiences; and Enslaved, a documentary series led by Samuel L. Jackson that charts the history of slavery using underwater archeology.
Those come on top of more mass audience offerings like the Battle of the Blades reboot (pictured is judge Kurt Browning), Family Feud Canada and Fridge Wars, a food competition series.
"Of these distinctly Canadian shows, we have some limited serialized stories that you can delve into specific subjects and themes and characters and that speaks to a different part of our Canadian audience," Catto explained.
What's more, the shiny reality shows like Battle of the Blades' fifth season and Family Feud Canada will be advertiser-friendly as they offer media sponsorships, product integrations, digital and social media content and online extensions.
That's in addition to catch-up viewing online and on the CBC's Gem streaming service. "These are elements that advertisers are looking for and being able to integrate that into the content has been a unique selling proposition for the CBC and Radio Canada," Mongeau insisted.
For Williams, jumping to the CBC from Corus is about still occupying a mainstream position on the TV dial, just one with far more Canadian content than on rival private broadcasters which anchor their schedules with new and returning American series picked up at the Los Angeles Screenings (more on that later this week and next).
"We do more of it than anyone else. And consequently, I might say, we're better at it. We're more practiced at it, we're more dedicated to it. We build a whole schedule around it, as opposed to being built around those LA (Screenings) properties," Williams argued.
