VANCOUVER – Prime time Canadian content on CBC English TV stands at a 30-year low, according to an annual survey conducted by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
The survey ‘What’s ON TV 2010’ examines the prime time schedules of conventional TV stations broadcasting in major Canadian markets during the spring sweep period, (mid-February to mid-March), when AC Nielsen is measuring audiences.
The self proclaimed independent watchdog for Canadian programming said its data shows that CBC English TV broadcast only 21 hours of Canadian content during prime time during the sample weeks, down from a high of 27 out of 28 hours in 2000. The group said that CBC’s prime time Cancon has previously been lower only during the 2004/05 season when the NHL lockout took place.
"Just as last year when our national public broadcaster reached an all-time low for Canadian content during prime time, this year one in four hours of CBC’s prime time schedule during the sample period were foreign, mostly American shows and movies," says Friends spokesperson Ian Morrison, in a statement.
Conversely, the total hours of Canadian content during prime time across all convention networks increased to 57.5 hours in 2010, up from 49 hours in 2009, the survey found.
