TORONTO – As streaming video grows and younger viewers move online, traditional Canadian TV networks in recent years have been keen to tell advertisers they were following audiences online as multiplatform players amid fast-changing viewer habits.
But the CBC, underpinned by new leadership, had a stark selling point at its upfront presentation in Toronto on Wednesday beyond excitement over their new and returning TV shows – brand safety and transparency.
"The last year illustrated some of the dangers the digital world represents. There are traps," Jean Mongeau, general manager and chief revenue officer at CBC Media Solutions, told Cartt.ca, as U.S….
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THERE’S NOT MUCH TIME left to save our cultural institutions and corporations in Canada, says Richard Stursberg.
If our federal government doesn’t act soon, what it means to be Canadian will be subsumed by the sheer volume of American culture washing over us online while our “feckless” Canadian government stands idly by. “We’re going to be completely dominated by American content,” he says.
The former assistant deputy minister of culture and broadcasting and former CBC, Shaw, and Telefilm executive, recently released a brand new book, called The Tangled Garden. A Canadian Cultural…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s creative community applauded the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for hitting the right notes in calling for better pay for Canadian artists in its Shifting Paradigms report presented to Parliament on May 15.
Now, however, groups representing artists want the federal government to produce a symphony of legislative change from the committee’s 22 recommendations, which include a call to both support creators and creative industries adapt to new digital markets, and review safe-harbour exceptions and laws to ensure that Internet service providers (ISPs) are “accountable for their role in the distribution of content.”
“As technology…
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TORONTO – CBC announced its 2019-20 programming slate Wednesday that includes a mix of drama, comedy, factual, arts, music, kids, sports, news and documentary storytelling across its television, radio and streaming platforms.
New original scripted series include spy drama Fortunate Son, Canada/New Zealand thriller The Sounds, sketch comedy Tallboyz, and darkly humorous coming-of-age story The Trickster, which is based on Eden Robinson’s award-winning novels. New factual entertainment includes time-travelling adventure Back In Time For Winter, original CBC format Fridge Wars, and high-stakes drama at sea High Arctic Haulers.
The ‘pubcaster also announced that Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean will be returning…
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OTTAWA – With a nod to the 50th anniversary of Canada’s Official Languages Act, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie Mélanie Joly unveiled a new $16 million cultural program designed to help Canadians to learn and use English and French as a second language.
Dubbed "The Mauril" in honour of the late Mauril Bélanger, a former member of Parliament who championed Canada's two official languages, the program will provide access to a virtual learning environment, materials based on current events in Canada, Canadian cultural and artistic content, educational resources to help learners progress from a basic to an…
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GATINEAU – So much work and hope was dashed yesterday for those hoping to replace Rogers Media’s OMNI on the TV dial.
The CRTC has decided Rogers will continue to operate its must-carry national ethnic language TV channel after renewing its license for OMNI Regional for three more years until August 2023. Its current license expires next summer.
This means the Commission has denied all of the other hopefuls, each of whom had rather interesting proposals for a new channel to serve the ethnic market.
“The new service, which will succeed Rogers’ existing OMNI Regional service, will be available on all digital…
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TORONTO – CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries has kicked off production on its 13th season that will see the popular Canadian drama mark its 200th episode.
Starring Yannick Bisson, Hélène Joy, Jonny Harris, and Thomas Craig, the series averaged 1.1 million viewers each week on CBC in season 12.
Murdoch Mysteries will film on location in Ontario until November and premiere on CBC this fall, with international dates to follow. Season 13 guest stars will include Colm Feore (The Umbrella Academy, House of Cards) and Claire Goose (The Coroner, Casualty).
Developed and produced by Shaftesbury for CBC, Murdoch Mysteries is licensed to broadcasters in over 150 countries and territories including the…
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Independent broadcasters want their HD added to satellite services
MONTREAL — The licence renewal applications of Bell and Shaw’s satellite TV distribution services prompted 156 replies, the vast majority of which were comments from individuals upset Shaw Communications plans to discontinue a free basic TV service it set up for people who lost access to over-the-air stations during the digital transition.
The Local Television Satellite Solution was promised and provided by Shaw in 2010 as a tangible benefit during its acquisition of CanWest’s television assets, including Global TV. The company proposed spending $15 million to send free…
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TORONTO – The Canadian government should hold social media companies responsible for what they publish, just as traditional media are, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
The poll, commissioned by watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (FCB), found that more than four in five respondents say they agree (63%) or somewhat agree (21%) that the government should hold online social media platforms like Facebook responsible when they publish inaccurate, misleading, or illegal content in the same way that traditional news media are held responsible by the government. Over one in ten disagree (seven per cent) or somewhat disagree…
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TORONTO – RTDNA Canada also announced its national RTDNA Awards of Excellence winners, honouring the best journalists, programs, stations and newsgathering organizations in radio, television and digital.
“Congratulations to all the 2019 RTDNA award winners – we saw the best of the best in journalism and storytelling from across Canada. Every nominee and winner should be proud of their accomplishments,” said RTDNA Canada president Fiona Conway, in the news release.
The 2019 National winners are:
Digital
Best Podcast
CBC Saskatchewan – Boushie
Breaking News – Charlie Edwards Award
CBC Saskatchewan – Humboldt Broncos Bus Crash
Continuing Coverage – Ron Laidlaw Award
CBC Toronto – Toronto Van Attack
Data…
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