TORONTO – CBC and the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) are joining forces to launch Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop, Canada’s first-ever enhanced pre-development lab for online creators who want to migrate their talents to television.
Set to begin in January 2015, the lab seeks to actively workshop up to four new properties that will star YouTube content creators and/or other online talent, through a five-month process that provides creative, business, and production mentorship services.
The Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop will consist of up to four creative teams who will work with the lab’s lead production company to develop up to 10 five-minute…
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CANNES – Two industry trends that have dominated Canadian TV in recent years — the need for foreign co-production partners and the digital revolution — came together at MIP Jr. last weekend in Cannes.
The two-day tyke TV bazaar preceding the MIPCOM market saw Canadian indie producers unveil a slew of new shows accompanied by digital extensions that are aimed at the world market.
Bell Media's Cirque du Soleil Media and U.S. partner Saban Brands announced plans to co-produce Luna Petunia, a preschool series from showrunner Bradley Zweig and inspired by the Quebec-based circus troupe – and Shaftesbury began shopping the…
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HALIFAX and TORONTO – DHX Media has signed a two-year first-look deal with indie film, TV and new-media production company New Metric Media.
Based in Toronto, New Metric Media is a partnership between producer Mark Montefiore and former CBC production executive Patrick O’Sullivan. The company currently has several scripted series in active network development which DHX Media anticipates co-producing, subject to broadcaster greenlight. At Bell Media, these include the half-hour comedies Letterkenny, about residents of a farming town trying to protect their old fashioned ways, and Divorce Party, about three young newly single women; while at CBC the one-hour murder/mystery…
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TORONTO – With just over a week until the puck drops on the 2014-2015 NHL season, Sportsnet unveiled its new hockey studio Monday, billed as the largest, most innovative sports studio in the country. And with a $4.5 million price tag, it’s probably the most expensive, too.
Located in the CBC headquarters in downtown Toronto, the Hockey Central Studio is 11,000 square feet with nine separate sets and 52 monitors, including a massive 11 x 38 ft. ultra-high-resolution monitor that executives referred to as ‘Goliath’. It also includes a rotating main anchor desk with a 360° open environment allowing cameras…
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MONTREAL – The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has ruled in favour of CBC/Radio-Canada's application for a review of the bargaining unit structure for employees working in the province of Quebec and the city of Moncton, NB.
That structure, in place since 1995, consists of four bargaining units representing nearly 3,000 employees: Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada (SCRC), affiliated with the CSN; Syndicat des technicien(ne)s et artisan(e)s du réseau français de Radio-Canada (STARF); Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP); and Association des réalisateurs (AR). Two other units, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) and the Association des professionnels et des superviseurs…
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GATINEAU – Canada’s independent and ethnic broadcasters faced off before the CRTC on Thursday, with the more established Category A services arguing the removal of buy-through provisions which sustain their businesses would be detrimental to Canadian content – while the newer Category B licensees want them eliminated so they can take advantage of more channel packaging flexibility.
“The BDUs have every incentive to substitute us“ and “without mandatory distribution and buy-through, Canadian programming is compromised,” argued Connie Sephton, director of corporate affairs at Fairchild Television under questioning from Quebec commissioner Yves Dupras.
In its presentation, the company questioned the merits to…
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TORONTO – Cindy Witten has been named as the new senior director of the Radio Network Talk department at CBC. The department produces all of the network programming on Radio One, including shows such as The Current, Q, As It Happens and The Debaters.
This marks a return to CBC for Witten where she began her career producing news and current affairs. She was previously director general of The National Film Board of Canada’s English Program where she oversaw the NFB’s work in documentary, animation and experimental film, as well as pioneering interactive productions. Before the NFB, Witten was a senior executive…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC was awarded Public Service Awards of Excellence Tuesday at Rideau Hall for its work in the areas of Official Languages, Employment Equity and Diversity, and Policy.
The Public Service Award of Excellence recognizes employees who have demonstrated excellence in achieving results for Canadians and who reflect the priorities of the public service, while demonstrating key leadership competencies.
CRTC employees received the Official Languages Award for the high degree to which the use of English and French was promoted in all aspects of the CBC/Radio-Canada licence renewal proceeding. Throughout the proceeding, the CRTC instituted measures…
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GATINEAU – Of all the interveners appearing so far at the CRTC’s TV Policy Review, the CBC’s might be the most contentious – and its executives endured a good grilling by the commissioners Friday morning on the fifth day of the Commission’s TV Policy Review.
The Crown Corp, which has had a rough past 24 months as most know, has come to the CRTC asking for a number of new things, but three aspects are drawing the most attention. It wants: to be able to shut off its transmitters and charge subscription TV providers a wholesale fee; for the Commission…
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GATINEAU – The funding of big budget Canadian programming as well as the role of the U.S. TV channels in the broadcasting system were put under the microscope during the fourth day of the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV policy hearing.
Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Cogeco Cable warned of significant negative consequences to the Canadian system if the commission removed US 4+1s (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX + PBS) from basic cable packages. The CRTC’s proposal was certainly a bone of contention for Rogers with the company saying it would face the wrath of subscribers if these channels were removed from…
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