OTTAWA and TORONTO – Canadian content is finding new audiences abroad, with European demand for Canadian film and television content now roughly equal to demand from the United States, says two new studies.
The reports, Exporting Canadian Feature Films in Global Markets and Exporting Canadian Television Globally, were authored by Communications MDR and commissioned by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), in partnership with the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM), the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm Canada.
A review of television export data from CMF-funded projects indicates that $155.3 million in international pre-sales of Canadian television originated from the U.S. between 2006 and 2016, while almost equal number, $155.1 million, originated from Europe during the same period. Broken out by country, the UK topped the list at $90.4 million, followed by France ($25.1 million), Ireland ($22 million), Switzerland ($6.3 Million), Netherlands ($4.7 million), Germany ($4.4 million), and Austria ($2.1million).
A separate analysis looked at Telefilm-funded Canadian films sold internationally. The research found that among the top 20 Canadian films sold globally between 2005 and 2013, 42% ($74 million) sold in Europe, while 39% ($58 million) sold in the US.
Further analysis of the data found English-language drama was demonstrated to be the most significant export genre for both film and television. Over the 10 years studied, a total of $167.5 million was generated from pre-sales of Canadian dramatic films, followed by $32.4 million for comedies and $31.8 million for science fiction features. On the television side, according to CMF data, dramas accounted for the lion’s share of international pre-sales with a total of $206.8 million, followed by $39.2 million for documentaries and $38 million for animation.
Both reports recommend that Canada develop a concerted national export strategy, similar to models used in the UK, France and Germany, and suggested that increased investment at the development stage of a project and the implementation of better incentives for international coproductions would help to increase exports of Canadian content.
