OTTAWA – YouTube’s popularity is “extensive” among Canadians of all ages, according to a new special report released today by the CBC’s Media Technology Monitor (MTM), which addresses how Canadians aged 2+ are using YouTube.
The report, which is based on data from both MTM 18+ and MTM Jr., found 83% of online Canadians aged 2-17 and 78% of those aged 18+ have used YouTube in the past month. “YouTube usage peaks among online Canadians aged 12 to 34 (93%) but remains popular across the board,” a press release explains.
MTM further found that, taking into consideration the past month of…
Continue Reading
DANA POINT, Calif. — Blue Ant Media’s wildlife and nature brand Love Nature announced today at the Realscreen Summit in Dana Point, Calif., the greenlight of a slate of original natural history series and documentaries in collaboration with several North American media partners.
The new original programming includes Planet Shark (above), a series consisting of three 60-minute episodes produced by Big Wave Productions for Love Nature and acquired by National Geographic.
“Shot in stunning 4K, this blue-chip docuseries reveals new scientific discoveries and incredible footage of one of the most fascinating hunters on the planet — sharks. The series takes viewers…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — Production company Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company, today announced the promotion of Nick Crowe (above, left) to head of unscripted development and the appointment of Tara Elwood (right) to full-time production executive.
Previously a production executive, Crowe’s expanded role will see him lead Saloon’s development team “as it continues to expand its unscripted portfolio in North America and the international marketplace, with a focus on factual entertainment, formats and specials,” says a press release.
“Building on Saloon’s award-winning slate of history, science, true crime and paranormal programming, under Crowe’s leadership, the development team will continue to broaden…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — Sports-first live TV streaming platform FuboTV announced today the launch of the FuboTV app on LG smart TVs in Canada.
Starting today, LG smart TV owners can access the FuboTV app on LG webOS television models from 2018 to the present, which includes LG’s award-winning OLED series.
A Canadian subscription to the FuboTV app costs $20 per month, or $40 for a quarterly subscription or $150 for an annual subscription.
In addition to sports, FuboTV’s content includes news, movies and shows. Canadian subscribers can use the FuboTV app to access sports and entertainment content on OneSoccer, beIN Sports, CBC and…
Continue Reading
By Howard Law
ON MAY 27 CARTT.CA published my suggested compromise on provisions in Bill C-11 impacting Canadian user-generated programming hosted by Facebook, TikTok and Google’s YouTube.
I argued a ministerial policy directive ought to direct the CRTC to regulate user-generated programming that is analogous to conventional broadcasting but exempt the remaining digital first content from regulation.
Last week Leonard St-Aubin wrote a rebuttal. Here is a summary of my take-aways from his critique:
Financing and creating CanCon should not be seen as a burden to broadcasters, but incumbent Canadian media companies treat it this way by electing to spend…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and CBC Sports announced today they will livestream select games from the Canada Cup wheelchair rugby tournament running June 2-5 in Richmond B.C., across their digital platforms.
Part of the Paralympic Super Series launched in 2019 to spotlight Para sport competitions year-round, the event will feature wheelchair rugby teams from Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Australia, France and Denmark.
All five of Canada’s round-robin games as well as the bronze and gold medal matches will be livestreamed on Paralympic.ca, CPC’s Facebook page, cbcsports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports app for…
Continue Reading
By Etan Vlessing
TORONTO – For the CBC, original Canadian scripted and unscripted series are not new revenue streams – they are a core business.
That is what emerged earlier today as the pubcaster held its virtual 2022-23 upfront presentation and looked, as in past years, to stand out in a hyper-competitive TV landscape where foot-loose viewers and marketers are pivoting to the streaming space.
The CBC is betting two words stood out from its pitch to domestic advertisers and will be heard far less often from its market competitors during this year’s upfront presentations: Canadian and diverse.
Barb Williams, executive vice-president of…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — SiriusXM Canada announced today the appointment of Michelle Mearns (above) as vice-president of programming and operations.
In this role, she reports to CEO Mark Redmond and “will be responsible for the development and production of all Canadian programming as well as technical operations,” reads a press release announcing her hiring.
“Michelle is a respected leader in the industry and is going to bring an experienced and fresh perspective to our business,” Redmond said in the release. “We’re very excited to welcome her to the team to lead the charge as our content offering continues to grow and evolve.”
Mearns…
Continue Reading
By Howard Law
HERITAGE MINISTER PABLO RODRIGUEZ has promised a policy directive to the CRTC with cabinet instructions on implementing Bill C-11.
Point number one in the new directive should be making the certification of Canadian content more relevant to the Canadian experience by including qualitative judgments of national subject matter in the video content. I posted about this recently, as have others. The signal from the minister is that he has an open mind to it.
Point number two is to direct the CRTC to reappraise the existing regulatory supports for the money-losing local news industry.
Point number three is what to do…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Conservative critic John Nater (above) called into question the CRTC’s ability to effectively fulfill the responsibilities that would be handed to it by Bill C-18, the Online News Act, during second reading of the bill, which began today in the House of Commons.
Nater more specifically asked why the Commission was selected “to enforce and oversee the act when the CRTC does not have a history or experience in regulating online platforms.”
The Conservative critic further questioned the Commission’s suitability for the role by pointing to its chair Ian Scott’s “clear lack of judgement” when meeting Bell…
Continue Reading
