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 the CBC, touted homegrown content to advertisers that she argued will hardly be found on other domestic platforms, whether traditional linear TV or streaming.
“No other media company offers the remarkable range of Canadian storytelling that we do on all platforms,” she boasted.
It is a familiar refrain from the CBC as the national public broadcaster showed off its latest new and returning Canadian series and attempted to distinguish itself from rival domestic broadcasters and streamers that rely on foreign (mostly U.S.) product to lure viewers.
Williams also noted the pubcaster, which is awaiting the CRTC’s decision on the renewal of its broadcasting licences, delivered on its new-look pledge made last year to make the CBC more “authentic and relevant.”
With her network having lost the NHL rights to rival Rogers, Williams pointed instead to the audience-pulling power of the CBC’s coverage of the Bejing Olympic Games earlier this year.
And as the lines between the CBC’s legacy broadcast platforms and CBC Gem blur, Williams steered attention to the audience on the streaming platform, which allowed Canadian viewers to watch any marquee sporting event from the Olympics live or on-demand.
“Beijing also ranked as the most streamed Olympics ever on CBC Gem,” Williams told advertisers, spotlighting the streaming space and less so primetime viewership on the main CBC network, which was down on earlier Olympic winter and summer games.
CBC Gem is also a platform where younger Canadian audiences are gathering, as evidenced by the decision to debut Fakes, a co-production between Netflix and the CBC that was shot in Vancouver, on the pubcaster’s streaming platform this fall.
That pitch for advertisers to look to a streaming platform is likely to be echoed at most every Canadian upfront presentation this TV season.
As Canadian audiences increasingly opt for streaming services, foreign and domestic, and commercial dollars continue migrating to ad-supported video on demand platforms, broadcasters like the CBC are recognizing that reality as they fill their spiel to advertisers this year with visions of their online products.
“Unlike any other streamer in Canada, Gem delivers a continuous stream of live content, spanning thousands of hours of live sports and national and local news right across the country,” Williams added.
The CBC presentation also gave a nod to brand integrations, especially for reality TV series.
Away from primetime TV, the CBC reminded advertisers it was also about audio, with Williams telling them the pubcaster released around 240 English and French podcasts in the last year, which netted around 180 million downloads.
Having unveiled earlier in the day a 2022-23 programming slate underpinned by over 40 original series and specials from Canadian storytellers, the CBC was keen to show off its bona fides when it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion in Canadian content.
“As Canada’s public national broadcaster, we’re number one in what matters most, and that’s being Canadian. We’re different. We stand apart from others, just as strong and just as significant,” Williams argued. “Every day we ask ourselves what stories haven’t been told yet. It’s part of every decision we make.”
That programming effort includes the long-gestating Essex County series, based on Marvel comics writer Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed graphic novel, which is finally coming to TV.
Furthermore, the CBC’s return to an increasingly diverse and inclusive programming slate to reflect the country includes new titles like the CBC’s factual series Bollywed (starring the Singh family, pictured above) set in Toronto’s Little India neighbourhood, and The Legacy Awards, an awards show to celebrate Black Canadians.
And after the stumble with Trickster in 2021, the CBC also returned to growing Canada’s base of Indigenous TV creatives with new series like creator Marie Clements’ Bones of Crow, a five-part drama that stars Summer Testawich, Grace Dove and Carla Rae, and is produced in association with APTN.
Bones of Crow comes in the wake of a pact between APTN and CBC/Radio-Canada to jointly create Indigenous content for all Canadians, and with Indigenous Canadian creatives in key positions.
“No one does, and no one else will, tell the stories that we do. If you want to reach today’s Canada, you need to be here,” Williams told advertisers during the virtual pitch.
Photo supplied by CBC.
