OTTAWA – The Department of Canadian Heritage is asking a select group of consultants to submit bids for a research contract that will do a deep dive into how the CBC impacts the country.
The contract will “assess the social, cultural and economic impacts of CBC/Radio-Canada on the Canadian media and production sectors, and on Canadian audiences more generally,” a Heritage spokesperson confirmed to Cartt.ca.
“This research is part of the department’s ongoing work to ensure our policies and programs keep pace with societal and technological changes,” the spokesperson added. “Other countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, have conducted similar research.”
The tender was posted last week and seeks a business analyst and consultant from a group of 18 companies, including the big four accounting firms: Deloitte Inc., KPMG LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP. The latter recently released a report that said Canadians spend less on wireless than the United States and Australia.
The duration of the contract, which has not been awarded yet, will run from the award date to June 30, 2020.
The contract request comes just days before the government-appointed Broadcasting and Telecommunications Review panel is scheduled to release its recommendations to amend those communications laws – and also while the CBC is in the beginning stages of its CRTC licence renewal proceeding.
The role of the CBC was among the topics the panel studied. An interim report about what the body heard, released last summer, outlined that some parties requested the CBC be propped up with additional funding and enhanced independence, while others, including private broadcasters, requested that the CBC not compete with them, especially in the advertising revenue space – the broadcaster already receives annual government contributions to the tune of $1.2 billion annually.
This week, CBC head Catherine Tait said the public broadcaster simply “can not compete” on a dollar-for-dollar basis against said streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Apple+.
Before the contract is up, the CRTC will hold its hearing on May 25 on the public broadcaster’s license renewal. The deadline for submissions in the proceeding is February 13, while the CBC’s replies are then due on February 28.
