MONTREAL – The National Film Board and CTV Specialty’s Discovery Channel signed a new co-production deal this month.
Fresh from their success as partners on the internationally co-produced high definition series Miracle Planet, the two will soon be teaming up on a wide range of public/private initiatives.
"The NFB is recognized around the world as a leader in educational films, with many of our most acclaimed and popular productions focusing on environment, science and health issues. Combining our expertise with Discovery Channel’s outstanding track record in science programming will benefit Canadians as we live with the consequences of global climate change and try to grasp the significance of new scientific breakthroughs," said Jacques Bensimon, government film commissioner and NFB chair.
"As Canada’s leading destination for factual programming, Discovery Channel is excited to partner with the NFB in a new relationship that will both create and share content, and explore new distribution platforms that will take science programming to an even broader audience," said Paul Lewis, president and general manager of Discovery Channel. "This partnership will leverage the distinct strengths of both Discovery Channel and the NFB, particularly their leadership in the area of High Definition programming."
Under the terms of the agreement, the NFB and Discovery Channel will collaborate on major new HD co-productions, including HD. They’ll also maximize the value of their collections by pooling archives: this follows similar agreements that the Film Board already has in place with such organizations as NHK in Japan and Film Australia, advancing the NFB’s goal of creating a consortium to co-produce archive-based projects with global partners.
The NFB and Discovery Channel will be working together to find areas of mutual interest, including shared DVD distribution for the educational and institutional markets. With its vast experience with Canada’s English- and French-language markets, the NFB will also supply its expertise in versioning projects for Discovery Channel from foreign producers, says the press release.
Other potential benefits of the new agreement include opening the door to three-way co-ventures with NHK, already an NFB partner, as well as exploring ways to jointly utilize new filmmaking technologies like 3D animation, advanced HD technology such as high speed and night vision cameras, and the NFB’s state-of-the-art post-production facilities.
The agreement also opens the door for Discovery Channel to employ the NFB’s custom-built electronic rights management system for their own asset management and provides for the training of technical and creative talent for the production of flagship specials for the competitive international market.
Lastly, “the agreement is another step forward in the NFB’s ongoing commitment to creating alternative distribution channels for Canadian cinema, enabling the Film Board and Discovery Channel to jointly explore potential partnerships for E-cinema,” ends the release.
