By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – There is something new about the indirect result of governments’ stay-at-home advice in the age of Covid-19. Many more people than usual are channel-surfing, binge-watching streaming services and other things, but all this watching will eventually get old once the staleness of replaying reruns sets in and viewers want something new.
While broadcasters and streamers alike are assuring viewers they have enough new content to satisfy us at least for a few more months or so (except for sports channels, perhaps) Canadian creators are not only itching to get back to work to create new content,…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Part of the federal government’s multibillion-dollar Covid-19 Economic Response Plan will be a $500-million emergency response fund for cultural, heritage and amateur sports organizations to continue to support artists and athletes, Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault announced on Friday.
“This targeted measure will provide financial support consistent with the government’s existing Covid-19 support measures for wages and fixed costs of organizations,” he said at the daily ministerial briefing in Ottawa. Please click here for the Minister’s tweeted video of the announcement.
The fund will be administered by Canadian Heritage “with the support of our partners, such…
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OTTAWA — The federal government announced Tuesday funding for projects that will help to prevent misleading Covid-19 information and to support social cohesion across the country.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault announced $3 million will be invested in several organizations through the Digital Citizen Initiative’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program. This funding will help combat false and misleading Covid-19 information as well as the racism and stigmatization that are often the result, says the news release.
“We want to remind Canadians to be careful when searching for online information about Covid-19 and to ensure the reliability of the sources. We…
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OTTAWA – Production volume in Canada hit a record high of $9.3 billion in 2019, the Canadian Media Producers Association said today.
The sector created 180,900 full-time equivalent jobs, while contributing $12.8 billion to the national GDP, adds the CMPA’s annual report, Profile 2019, which is compiled by Nordicity and developed in collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM).
The full report can be downloaded here.
“As Canada’s production industry faces unprecedented upheaval caused by Covid-19, these numbers are a great reminder of the robust sector that we have built…
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Move will let broadcasters keep $30 million
OTTAWA – While Canadian broadcasters have been working extraordinarily hard to deliver the news to Canadians during the Covid-19 crisis – and entertain them when they need diversion – this very crisis has caused revenue to bleed away from them as advertisers pull back facing an uncertain economy.
So, the federal government announced today a bit of a break, announcing it is waiving the payment of annual CRTC Part I licence fees for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
“The government knows that our Canadian broadcasters have been working around the clock to deliver news and…
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TORONTO – The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees met with Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault to discuss ways in which the federal government could best support the entertainment industry and its workers.
IATSE represents technicians, artisans and craftspeople in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, as well as motion picture and television production.
The conference-call meeting included 40 IATSE local union leaders who stressed the Covid-19 pandemic has brought economic hardship to all workers, but with virtually 100% unemployment, the entertainment industry has been hit particularly hard.
“Minister Guilbeault spoke knowledgably about the situation facing workers in both the film…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted business operations far and wide, including TV and film producers in Canada, who are calling for the federal government to pledge a financial aid package for the industry.
Boat Rocker Media has jumped out ahead as the first TV producer this week to register its intention to ask the federal and Ontario governments for financial support to continue to create, produce and distribute its content. The Toronto-based company’s subsidiary Temple Street has produced the popular show Orphan Black and its kids content has been enlisted in CBS All Access’s roster. Insight…
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GATINEAU — The federal government announced Wednesday it is taking action to support Canada’s publishing and news sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the announcement made by the department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) confirmed the Independent Advisory Board on Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures is now in place. The advisory board’s role is to make recommendations to the CRA on whether a journalism organization meets criteria to receive the Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization (QCJO) designation, which is a prerequisite for organizations to take advantage of new tax measures introduced in the 2019 federal…
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TORONTO – TLN Media Group confirmed today a free preview of each of the TMG family of TV channels is now available with participating carriers across Canada until June 2020.
“As a public service, TLN Media Group is keeping our diverse communities connected to the rapid developments of COVID-19. News and programs directly from Italy are widely available to the public via Italian-language news channel TGCOM24 and Mediaset Italia. The latest breaking updates are also available to Spanish-speaking Canadians on Canada`s leading all Spanish-language TV channel Univision Canada,” reads the press release.
Heritage language children’s channels, Teleniños and Telebimbi, are included…
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By Steve Faguy
OTTAWA – Despite a demand from the premier of Prince Edward Island to do so, the federal government has apparently chosen not to intervene to force the CBC to restore its local TV newscasts.
As Cartt.ca reported, on Wednesday, the CBC announced it would suspend local newscasts, except at CBC North, and instead rebroadcast CBC News Network on local stations. PEI Premier Dennis King demanded Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault intervene, saying “now is not the time to scale back.”
The Canadian Media Guild, representing most CBC employees, and lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, also demanded the decision…
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