OTTAWA – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) wants the federal government to force Internet broadcasters like Netflix to pay “their fair share when it comes to supporting Canadian culture”.
ACTRA national president Ferne Downey, accompanied by Canadian performers including Sarah Gadon, Benz Antoine, Nigel Bennett, Ellen David, Art Hindle, Shannon Kook, Tristan D. Lalla, Huse Madhavji, Michelle Nolden and Rick Roberts, will attend a reception on Parliament Hill Wednesday evening to ask the new government to support Canada's creative economy.
The organization said that its other strategic priorities for this lobby trip are to ensure that…
Continue Reading
TORONTO and AUCKLAND – It’s Canada versus New Zealand in The Nations!, a new co-production featuring homegrown comedians Seán Cullen and Jarred Christmas competing for bragging rights to claim his country as the best.
The entire ten-part, five-minute digital series will begin streaming February 29 on CBC’s digital comedy portal Punchline and March 1 on TVNZ OnDemand. The webisodes feature hosts Seán and Jarred in a series of good-natured competitions highlighting challenges – from taste tests to a comedy matchup, from white water rafting to glamping – and themes – from music to politics, and romance to wildlife. The…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – With less than six months to go before Rio 2016, CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions has named industry veteran Errol Da-Ré to its Olympic Games sales efforts as the head of the Olympic games sales team.
Da-Ré (pictured) was previously EVP/SVP of sales at Shaw Media, and also worked in sales at Alliance Atlantis, Canwest and CTV. In his new role, which took effect this week, he will work closely with interested corporate partners, negotiating and bringing on board sponsorship and participation sales opportunities for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of Rio 2016.
“We are extremely pleased to have Errol join our…
Continue Reading
I WANT TO BELIEVE in the CBC Etan Vlessing sees, which he wrote about here last week. I want the public broadcaster’s recent risk-taking with more cable-like shows to pay off with solid ratings and meaningful buzz. But the truth is, the “smarter, funnier, edgier” shows are what critics like to talk about, while the “comfort food” shows like Murdoch Mysteries and Heartland (pictured) are what CBC audiences like to watch.
I like the bold new CBC. I want them to stay the course and continue with their vision for a mix of…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Despite pressure from new competitors and online TV services, the majority of Anglophones still subscribe to television services, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
The Media Technology Adoption for Fall 2015 is a summary of penetration trends for many of the technologies measured by the MTM, including audio and video technologies delivered over traditional, Internet and mobile platforms. The technologies are presented in relation to the different stages of technology adoption, starting with the innovation stage and ending with the decline stage.
Highlights from the report include:
– Mobile devices have taken hold with over…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Online payment processor PayPal has yanked its service from a Canadian company that helps viewers north of the border to watch U.S. Netflix.
According to a CBC News report, Paypal severed its payment processing agreement with Toronto-based UnoTelly last Thursday after indicating that UnoTelly “is not allowed to provide services that enable open and unrestricted internet access”.
UnoTelly is one of many companies that offer privacy technology that prevents online services such as Netflix or Hulu from determining what country they're really visiting from. The company’s services are also available to customers in countries such as the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – There can be little doubt that digital platforms and their subscription-based business models are having an impact on traditional television, but a group of Canadian media leaders argued that the future of TV is going to be a mix of digital and conventional, supported by a pure advertising-based model or one that combines advertising and subscriptions.
“The future is not ad-free. From our point of view that’s a key piece of the content monetization puzzle,” said Barbara Williams, president of Shaw Media, and executive VP of broadcasting. “There will be subscription models, there will be some advertising models,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CBC/Radio-Canada has named Alex Johnston as its new VP of strategy and public affairs (S&PA).
Johnston, pictured, joins the public broadcaster from Catalyst Canada where she was executive director. She also served as executive director of policy in the office of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for eight years and has practiced corporate law at Goodmans LLP.
“Alex is a big thinker, and her energy and enthusiasm are what the public broadcaster needs as it builds its future and continues its transformation through Strategy 2020”, said president and CEO Hubert Lacroix, in a note to employees. “What’s more, she values strong…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The CBC in recent years has gone from comfort food like Heartland and Battle of the Blades to high-concept shows like Strange Empire and X Company, now in its second season.
But the pubcaster's biggest audiences are coming from comedies like Schitt's Creek and Mr. D. So the CBC, with a dominant Netflix Canada in mind, is making good on its promise to push into more edgy, character-driven programming that can compete on the same turf as premium cable and SVODs.
Cartt.ca spoke to newly-hired CBC scripted programming boss Tara Ellis and creators and producers…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Westin Hotel will play host to over 600 people from feature film, television, interactive media, broadcasting and telecommunications industries during the Canadian Media Production Association’s Prime Time conference, beginning Thursday morning.
CMPA CEO Reynolds Mastin kicks things off at breakfast, followed by morning keynoter John Penney, Chief Strategy Officer, Starz.
Other notable speakers over the next two days include Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly, the CBC’s Heather Conway, Shaw Media’s Barbara Williams, Bell Media’s Tracey Pearce, DHX Media’s Steven Denure, Freemantle Media’s Jens Richter, Shaftsbury’s Christina Jennings, and many others.
Sessions on advertising, branding, partnerships, international success stories,…
Continue Reading
