TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the national union representing performers in recorded media in Canada, released Monday a statement of support for the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), as the screenwriters’ union continues to negotiate a new collective agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).
“After a year of turmoil and disruption caused by growing inequities in the US, our eyes now turn to the bargaining table in Canada,” the statement reads. “The Writers Guild of Canada has been at the bargaining table for nine days over six…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Foreign streamers are not really serious about pulling investments in Canada if they are required to make a base contribution to Canadian content, claimed the president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) on Thursday.
Over the course of the three-week hearing on whether online platforms should contribute a base financial amount to Canadian content funds, the CRTC has heard from significant foreign entities that such a requirement would either harm their existing partnerships with the Canadian partners or force them to reevaluate their presence in the country.
But the CAB thinks the claims are questionable.
“I have had a…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
CBC/Radio-Canada is officially cutting 600 positions and will leave another 200 vacancies unfilled as the public broadcaster looks to undertake $125 million in cost-cutting measures for fiscal 2024-25.
Amounting to roughly 10% of CBC/Radio-Canada’s full-time equivalent staff of about 7,900, employees across the country received the news Monday afternoon in two virtual meetings, one in English and one in French.
The public broadcaster says CBC and Radio-Canada will each be cutting in the range of 250 jobs, with the balance coming from Technology & Infrastructure and other corporate divisions.
“Each division will begin phasing-in reductions based on their business plans…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
CTAM Canada is organizing its second annual Stream Safely Day on Dec. 5 to educate Canadians about the danger of streaming entertainment through illegal, pirate services and unauthorized password sharing.
According to CTAM, an industry association focused on the advancement of content distribution across multiple platforms, illegal streaming and other forms of digital video piracy account for more than $50 billion in lost revenue for the global TV and film industry. According to CTAM data, piracy rates skyrocketed during the pandemic by 44%, with an overwhelming majority of internet users (70%) believing there is nothing wrong with piracy…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – NDP MPs on Wednesday held a media event in Ottawa to call on the Liberal government to better support telecom workers across the country.
NDP labour critic Alexandre Boulerice (MP for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) and NDP deputy labour critic Matthew Green (MP for Hamilton Centre) stood with Donna Hokiro, president of United Steelworkers Local 1944, to call for better protections for jobs in Canada as, they said, big telecom companies continue to cut and offshore Canadian jobs.
The NDP and USW urged the Liberal government to quickly implement the anti-scab legislation tabled by federal…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Bell Canada and Calif.-based digital workflow company ServiceNow announced Wednesday a collaboration “to help transform the telecommunications service experience for Canadian businesses”, according to a press release.
Under the partnership, Bell will integrate leading technologies with ServiceNow’s cloud-based platform tailored to the unique needs of the telecom industry, leveraging the expertise of FX Innovation, a Montreal-based cloud services provider acquired by Bell earlier this year.
“In response to customer demand for simplification, the platform will offer Bell’s customers streamlined service provisioning, improved operational efficiencies, and a more intuitive…
Continue Reading
By Catherine Tait, the head of the public broadcaster
Our children are growing up in a polarized digital world — one sometimes full of anger, intolerance and, too often, manipulation and toxic misinformation. Our children are growing up in a society where, if left unchecked, these forces may threaten our democratic way of life. We need to ensure our children have the tools to understand what is going on around them on the devices that they look at each and every day. Digital media literacy is the key.
This matters for our kids, and it matters for our public discourse. Misinformation…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – L’Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM), which represents more than 160 independent production companies in Quebec, said Tuesday evening it’s very disappointed the Canadian government’s fall economic statement earlier in the day did not include an announcement regarding the sustainability of Telefilm Canada’s budget at its current level.
During the 2019 election campaign, the Liberal Party of Canada’s platform included a commitment to gradually increase Telefilm’s budget “to reach a sustainable increase of $50 million per year,” notes an English-translated press release from AQPM Tuesday.
After the election, the government…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Bell said Tuesday it wants foreign streamers to partner with the domestic broadcasters to co-produce and distribute Canadian content at home and abroad.
Representatives from the broadcaster said on the second day of the CRTC’s examination of the implementation of contributions to Canadian content funds that it is challenging to monetize CanCon because it’s distributed over a small population.
While Bell said a growth in production funds will help make more content, there’s also the opportunity to nudge for cooperation with the digital platforms.
“We’ve tried on several occasions to co-produce, to look for opportunities to make true…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Indie production company Blink49 Studios, backed by global producer and distributor Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), announced Tuesday it is acquiring a majority stake in Vancouver-based Front Street Pictures.
Marking Blink49’s first corporate acquisition, the strategic investment in Front Street Pictures is aimed at increasing the Toronto-based indie studio’s operations throughout Canada, a press release says.
Blink49 Studios, originally known as Blink Studios, was launched in November 2021 by former Entertainment One executives, including John Morayniss, who serves as the studio’s CEO. Other co-founders include non-executive vice-chair Patrice Theroux, chief operating…
Continue Reading
