(Notes on a Very Silly CRTC Dustup)
Did you hear the one where a six-figure-earning chair of the CRTC hijacked his own hearing to go after some guy who hurt his feelings on “The Twitter?”
In the world of content creation it wasn’t the most important twist to come out of the group license renewal hearing last week, but it sure was the most surprising.
Here’s what happened at the end of the Writers Guild of Canada executive director Maureen Parker’s thoroughly-researched presentation to CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais, on November 30:
THE CHAIRPERSON: Ms. Parker, we’ve known each other for a while. And,…
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TORONTO – Part social powwow and part professional revelation, the annual CTAM Canada Broadcaster Forum unspooled a ribbon of timely data points and commentary on new technology trends, a VR state-of-the-nation and even reflections on CBC’s unsullied broadcast of Tragically Hip’s summer concert.
Technology and television Innovation
A quartet of industry experts—Tom Elam, VP and GM with TiVo’s service provider business; Jay Gardner, VP of product development with Shaw; Joel Orvis, director of TV product management with Bell Canada; and Matt Nelson, director of strategic alliances with You.i—unpacked the latest developments in television tech on a panel moderated by Norm…
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MONTREAL – Groupe V Media expressed cautious optimism over CBC/Radio-Canada’s proposal to eliminate advertising on all of its platforms, but said “this major shift can and must be undertaken at a lower cost”.
“We support the proposal by the CBC/Radio-Canada to withdraw from the advertising market”, said president and CEO Maxime Rémillard, in a statement. “However, it seems to us to be greatly exaggerated that the CBC/Radio-Canada, with advertising revenues of $253 million, is asking Canadian taxpayers for $400 million per year to cope with the disruptions from both consumers and technology and to make up for the minutes…
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GATINEAU – The large broadcasters’ current Canadian Programming Expenditure (CPE) and Programs of National Interest (PNI) proposals are wholly inadequate, according to the creatives representing actors, performers, writers and directors.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) said in its appearance before the CRTC’s large English-language broadcasters’ licence renewal hearing on Wednesday the impact of the proposals would be “devastating” on Canadian programming and the Canadian broadcasting system because they would result in a reduction of nearly $100 million in spending over the next licence term.
“In our view, this would be regressive, contrary to the Commission’s objective…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor Media’s TVA Group was quick to poke holes in CBC/Radio-Canada's proposal for guaranteed funding, calling for a review of the public broadcaster’s mandate.
Julie Tremblay, president and CEO of TVA Group, added that CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate should be based on “distinctive programming” that is complementary to, rather than competitive with, Canada’s private broadcasters.
"The idea of removing advertising from CBC/Radio-Canada in exchange for increased, guaranteed public funding, without first reviewing the public broadcaster's mandate, is a bewildering suggestion which hopefully won't fool anyone”, Tremblay said in a statement. “CBC/Radio-Canada wants to have its cake and eat it too:…
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OTTAWA – CBC/Radio-Canada said that it would be prepared to drop advertising on all of its platforms in exchange for an addition $418 million in government funding.
In its lengthy submission to the Canadian Content in a Digital World consultations, the ‘pubcaster recommends increasing per person funding to $46, up $12 per Canadian from its current $34. Of that $12, continues the proposal, $9 would be put towards replacing ad revenue while the remaining $3 would be used to fund new investments “to face consumer and technology disruption”.
Removing ads would not only allow the Corp. “to focus squarely on…
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OTTAWA – The Broadcasting Accessibility Fund will award $667,000 in grants to six new projects designed to advance accessibility to broadcasting content for Canadians with disabilities.
The six projects represent the completion of the Fund’s second round of grants. A total of $1.4M over two rounds of funding has been committed to addressing gaps in broadcasting accessibility.
The projects approved by the Board of Directors are:
– Accessible Emergency Broadcasting, Canadian Hearing Society – $135,000. CHS will research and develop practical recommendations on making emergency broadcasting accessible for Deaf and hard of hearing consumers, and develop an accessible emergency broadcasting toolkit.
– Accessible…
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MONTREAL – CBC/Radio-Canada’s new home in Montreal will be right next to its old one after the public broadcaster’s board of directors approved a proposal for a new broadcast centre in that city.
The new Maison de Radio-Canada, located at the corner of René-Lévesque Blvd and Papineau Ave., will be adjacent to the existing Radio-Canada building. Real estate developer Broccolini will construct the new building, scheduled for completion by early 2020, and CBC/Radio-Canada is to become a tenant under a 30-year lease.
"This is a major milestone in the new Maison de Radio-Canada and site revitalization project," said CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Hubert…
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OTTAWA – Despite new over-the-top competitors, Netflix continues to see major growth after over half a decade in the Canadian market, according to new research from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Netflix: Analysis of the English-Language Market looks at the most current Netflix use among Anglophones, in the context of its competition.
Highlights from the report include:
– Currently, 48% of Anglophones report subscribing to Netflix, a 45% increase over spring 2014;
– While Netflix viewers do use a variety of screens to access the service, the TV set remains the main screen for watching content. More than a quarter of Netflix viewers…
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OTTAWA – CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Hubert Lacroix is striking back at the private media owners who he claims are trying to weaken the public broadcaster in order to better their own bottom lines.
In an open letter to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Lacroix disputed the notion that challenges facing media in Canada are caused by the public broadcaster, and defended the Corp’s decision to carry online advertising.
Lacroix reminded the Committee that in addition to its parliamentary appropriation, CBC/Radio-Canada is expected to generate revenue, and noted that last year CBC/Radio-Canada earned $600 million in self-generated revenue of…
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