TORONTO — The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced Tuesday the Encore+ YouTube channel showcasing iconic Canadian TV shows and movies has reached two milestones — 100,000 subscribers and 25 million views.
Launched in November 2017, Encore+ was created in partnership with YouTube Canada and Canada’s film and television producers, distributors, broadcasters, unions, guilds and industry associations. Free to view at any time and on any screen, Encore+ features more than 2,000 acclaimed Canadian feature films, documentaries and television shows in English, French and by Indigenous creators.
“With the world increasingly watching from home, Encore+ has become a unique destination for audiences looking for great Canadian content,” said Valerie Creighton, CMF president and CEO, in the news release. “After many years of discussion with the industry and the highly successful launch in 2017, I couldn’t be prouder of our work on Encore+ alongside our industry partners, as well as the demonstrated results. We’ve given new life to iconic Canadian content. Thanks to this channel, rights holders are monetizing, preserving and relicensing their legacy titles to new streaming platforms. New generations of Canadians, and audiences worldwide are rediscovering and connecting with important Canadian stories, comedies and childhood favourites.”
“With unprecedented access to a global audience, Canadian content is thriving on YouTube. Thanks to the CMF, classic stories that reflect Canada’s history are seeing a resurgence in views and the Encore+ channel surpassing 100,000 subscribers is a real testament to their hard work and dedication to supporting Canadian creators,” added Andrew Peterson, head of partnerships at YouTube Canada.
To mark this milestone, Encore+ is now streaming hundreds of beloved TV series including Zoboomafoo, Big Wolf on Campus, Danger Bay, The Creative Native, Ready or Not, Street Legal and more. Feature films include I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Bayo and The Snow Walker, with Johnny Mnemonic soon to be added. Encore+ is also home to impactful Canadian documentaries including Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, National Parks Project, The Great War and the upcoming Hero Dogs of 9/11. The award-winning documentary The Corporation is currently number one on the platform, says the news release.
Multiple productions launched on Encore+ have now been licensed by alternate platforms, and approximately 58% of the platform’s current viewership is from international audiences, says the release.
To subscribe to Encore+, please visit youtube.com/EncorePlusMedia.
