The federal government last week reappointed Sandra Mason and William (Bill) Tam to CBC/Radio-Canada’s board of directors and also appointed former Numeris CEO Neil McEneaney to the board as a replacement for Sandra Singh, whose term has expired.
All three appointees will serve a five-year term. Mason and Tam’s reappointments are effective June 1, while McEneaney’s term started Feb. 17.
Based in Toronto, Mason is a chartered professional accountant with more than 20 years of financial experience in the Canadian media industry, including seven years as chief financial officer at The Globe and…
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Bell Media last week announced a co-development agreement with Canadian comedian and filmmaker Tom Green’s production company, Tom Green Productions Canada Inc., to create original content for Crave and CTV.
The agreement covers both scripted and unscripted projects, “reflecting Bell Media’s commitment to making great original content and collaborating with some of the industry’s biggest names,” reads a Bell Media press release.
Rory Rosegarten, Green’s manager, will serve as executive producer on all projects. Specific project details will be announced at a later date, Bell Media said.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Bell Media to…
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Advocacy groups for Canadian film, TV and media production companies are applauding Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s recently released set of proposed changes to modernize the mandate, funding and governance of CBC/Radio-Canada.
The proposed amendments range from prohibiting advertising during CBC/Radio-Canada’s news and public affairs programming and ending subscription fees for its digital services to establishing predictable and stable funding via a statutory appropriation based on an annual per capita formula.
In a statement released Saturday, the Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC), speaking on behalf of the official language minority community (OLMC) film and TV production industry…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Two of Canada’s largest telecoms are warning the CRTC against implementing a uniform internet subsidy for the far north or risk increasing internet service prices in rest of the country. Others are saying the subsidy contribution would be a negligible amount to support those in need of affordable services.
The CRTC last month proposed a monthly subsidy to be distributed by internet service providers (ISP) to all households in the far north. The contributions would come from the National Contribution Fund (NCF), which subsists on ISP contributions.
The concern, outlined by some providers in submissions to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday it is considering reducing the financial obligations on traditional commercial radio broadcasters while maintaining content requirements to level the playing field with online streamers.
“The Commission acknowledges that some view content requirements as a heavy regulatory imposition. At the same time, the Commission recognizes that content requirements do not appear to work in an online context. As such, to help level the playing field and respond to the changing landscape, the Commission is of the preliminary view that traditional audio undertakings should be relieved of some of the other regulatory burdens they are subject…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has ordered Telus on Wednesday to provide additional monetary compensation to customers in certain remote British Columbia regions who will lose access to landline service dependent on spectrum licenses the telco will lose next month.
The Vancouver-based telecom, which is the dominant provider in the affected region, has been relying on the 3.5 GHz spectrum to provide landline services to 115 customers in the Alexis Creek, North Kamloops, and the Tahsis exchanges. But the telco, which was granted two extensions on the use of the licenses, will lose access to them next month when Industry Canada…
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Canadian brand incubator and management group Statement Worldwide announced Wednesday the official launch of POP! Canada, a new digital media platform dedicated to showcasing and amplifying Canadian music, film, TV, arts and culture.
“Amid a shifting media landscape, POP! Canada is committed to providing a space where homegrown talent is recognized and celebrated, ensuring that Canadian storytelling remains vibrant and accessible,” says a Statement Worldwide press release.
The launch of POP! Canada comes as media consolidation continues and legacy outlets shutter, which has created undeniable challenges for the Canadian entertainment and media industry, the release…
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A new report from the Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC), an industry association that promotes English-language film and television production in Quebec, shows that while the annual volume of film and TV production within Canada’s official language minority community (OLMC) in Quebec is recovering from the Covid-19 downturn, it continues to face challenges.
Co-authored by the QEPC and consulting firm Nordicity, the Canadian Audiovisual Regional Production Report 1996-97 to 2022-23 is a 27-year quantitative study that examines national and regional production trends across Canada, focusing on OLMC production in Quebec. It is an updated analysis of the previous edition…
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Canada’s Walk of Fame last Friday released five short vignettes by emerging Canadian filmmakers of the 2024 Future Storytellers program, each telling the story of one of the most accomplished and notable figures in Canadian achievement.
Presented by founding partner NBCUniversal, Seeing Red and new partner Cineplex, the three-minute vignettes premiered Jan. 31 at canadaswalkoffame.com, with Future Storytellers highlight reels running in Cineplex theatres across the country as part of the pre-show entertainment.
Shot in Toronto in July 2024, the vignettes each showcase the vision of an up-and-coming Canadian filmmaker from Humber Polytechnic…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – As the CRTC continues its consultations and public hearings on implementing the Online Streaming Act, which seeks in part to encourage investment in Canadian content from global streamers, France is creating domestic content through partnerships with major digital platforms.
Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ are investing between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of their French revenues in creating French content, Amanda Borghino, deputy general delegate of the Union Syndicale de la Production Audiovisuelle – which represents nearly 200 audiovisual production companies in France – told a panel on global regulatory approaches…
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