Collected Data
"His piecemeal approach offers no consistent strategy to address the challenges facing Canadian television production in the Netflix age."
Having started by trimming the Canadian programming requirements, Blais is now cutting the money, subtracting from the other side of the equation that is still an effective support for Canadian TV production. Following a decision last fall that reduced the number of Canadian creatives who need to be involved for shows to qualify for investments for certain production funds, this latest move continues a pattern of chipping away at supports randomly without offering a clear vision of what might replace them or where that “compelling and original Canadian content” is going to come from.
CRTC leaves Canadian television to fend for itself in Netflix age
"We need a new approach to supporting culture in Canada."
The BBC offers a compelling example of how a strong, stable, well-funded public broadcaster can serve the interests of domestic audiences and diverse communities, support the global ambitions of its creative and cultural sectors, and provide a strong foundation for Britain’s creative economy.
Through a combination of a cohesive culture strategy and sustained culture investment over many years, Creative Britain is now a crucial part of the British economy, British culture is stronger than ever and the BBC is a global symbol of quality.
A CREATIVE CANADA: STRENGTHENING CANADIAN CULTURE IN A DIGITAL WORLD
The CBC is important to Canada. Making it completely publicly funded is a step forward. I hope the Canadian Government is wise and supports this.
"Asked for further comment, the CRTC referred to a letter CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais sent to the national president of ACTRA on Aug. 31 that also stressed the international marketplace."
In announcing the decision, the CRTC acknowledged the concern that the change could result in “fewer opportunities for Canadians,” but added that non-Canadian actors and creators “may increase a project’s attractiveness and visibility in international markets.”
It also said some stakeholders say the change will give producers “creative flexibility” in developing Canadian productions with “international market appeal and the potential for international investment.”
“American writers won’t guarantee better content,” Mr. Heaton said. “And to say that Canadian programs [need] help [in] the international market is confusing when we have so many examples of successful Canadian shows already.”
Heritage Minister says she will not reverse Cancon rules for TV industry
"The future of Canadian culture cannot lie in eliminating the Canadians who create it. Unless the goal is to have our highly experienced talent (and our young up-and-comers) respond in the way some are now saying they will, by leaving Canada."
The changes to the commission’s policies on CIPFs are significant and sweeping. Chief among them is the elimination of the requirement of a licensed-broadcaster trigger for CIPF funding, the reduction of the number of Canadian certification points required to access CIPF funding, the eligibility of co-ventures, and the approval to allow script, content development and promotion/discoverability initiatives to qualify for funding.
The elimination of the requirement of a broadcast licence or development agreement from a licensed broadcaster is restricted only by a criteria that producers “must demonstrate that the production will be available on a platform accessible by Canadians” (thus eliminating the possibility that a property commissioned by and aired exclusively on a U.S.-only service would qualify for CIPF funding).
In its decision, the CRTC wrote that eliminating the requirement will give producers more flexibility to distribute their projects on whichever platform they choose by removing distribution exclusivity. In a familiar refrain under Jean-Pierre Blais’ CRTC, the Commission said it will “allow producers to take more risks” since the projects would not have to fit the traditional TV parameters, as well as giving them more bargaining power and creative control.
CRTC overhauls indie production fund framework
Read the full decision here.
Not everyone is happy.
Greg David;
“This is hugely disappointing,” says WGC Executive Director Maureen Parker. “That the CRTC, a public authority charged with regulating Canadian broadcasting, would effectively denigrate Canadian showrunners and screenwriters and suggest our country’s creators cannot deliver international success is shocking. It’s also verifiably untrue.”
The CRTC decision is not, however, an isolated instance of what the WGC views as an entirely misguided outlook. It’s an increasingly pervasive view that suggests Canadian tax dollars should not be put towards productions created by Canadians. This unfortunate notion — that reducing the presence of Canadian talent is the ticket to more international funding — is taking hold.
CANADIAN CULTURE AT RISK: THE ATTACK ON CANADIAN CREATORS
John Doyle;
Reaction was swift from the self-described “creatives” in the Canadian industry. Outrage, anger, despair and more outrage. Using Facebook and Twitter, some are claiming they will walk away from the industry. Others are saying they’re heading for Los Angeles because employment opportunity in the Canadian business is now considerably diminished. Some of this reaction borders on hysteria. Some of it is anchored in a kind of happy-clappy nationalism beloved of children, not thinking adults.
First, however, the decision is truly appalling. It suits a commercial industry that is already heavily protected, arrogant and uncaring about investing in a medium from which it profits vastly. Second, the CRTC decision comes, suspiciously, without the usual public and industry debate. It looks like a major favour being done for outlets who want to dodge responsibility. Third, it arrives when a Liberal government, one that loudly proclaims its support of Canadian culture, is in power.
CRTC’s Canadian content changes are terrible, but no one cares
Having read his writing, Mr Doyle shouldn’t be so quick with those quotes around creatives.
"Cable networks used to enjoy profit margins as fat as 50%, but not anymore. That pressure has trickled down to program suppliers, who are tasked with delivering better shows despite having budgets that have been reduced or stagnant for the past few years."
One issue that cuts across most major cable networks, producers say, is the increasing flood of notes on shows and demands for multiple versions of episodes — all of which add to costs that usually come out of the producer’s pocket.
Producers emphasize that the development of new series can take months, if not years, and require significant up-front investment before a project is ever set up at a network. Companies often fund talent deals on their own, producing sizzle reels and accomplishing other pre-production work before the show is shopped to buyers. In the view of the NPA and PactUS, that activity amounts to an invaluable R&D service for networks. But producers of unscripted shows are rarely reimbursed for those costs — unlike major studios and networks under the generous terms for scripted series. The nightmare scenario for an unscripted producer is making that major investment, only to have the show taken away by the network after a season or two.
“The scary part for producers is that you can work really hard to develop this intellectual property, and the networks can arbitrarily take it away from you,” says the NPA’s Ford, a Discovery alum. “There’s a perception on the part of producers that it is becoming more likely to happen.”
Reality TV’s Hidden War: Legal Battle with Discovery Highlights Rising Tensions
"If I’m paying for it then I always want something to be on."
The full episode release of the season gave the impression of it being a great movie broken up into episodes that could be consumed in my own time — all at once or over time. This model allows writers to do more than they could in a movie given the time constraint. I’d even offer the viewpoint that this model allows for better storytelling overall. Which is why the glimpse we are seeing from Netflix is the future of entertainment — storytelling as a service.
I like the idea of ‘Storytelling as a service.’ That’s a great way to describe the shift to over the top services like Netflix.
I disagree that allows for ‘better’ storytelling. Limitations can be frustrating and challenging, but they can also force you to focus. I find much of the current wave of shows to be ‘fat’, containing content that doesn’t add to the quality just the quantity.
I like that all episodes can be released at once, but releasing over time has it’s strengths too; it builds suspense and allows for social interaction to develop as the story unfolds.
TV networks are, in my opinion and analysis, not well positioned for this shift given their business model. Due to their advertising focus, they are incentivized to release content over long periods of time due to how they structure ad deals. Netflix, HBO, and Amazon are not subsidizing these shows by ads but by my consumer dollars, so I’m paying for these stories as a service. Which allows for this favorable model consumers prefer of releasing all at once. The challenge, as I see it, is their need to keep the stories coming. If I’m paying for it then I always want something to be on. The thing I dislike the most about binge-watching a series is when it is over. After you finish a series or season in a weekend, we need/want something else and, if we are paying for these stories as a service, we will demand it. Netflix, Amazon, HBO and any others wanting to compete here for consumer dollars need to be extremely aggressive in how much original content they release regularly. Again, the demand, if this future comes to fruition, is that we will always want a fresh story. That will be expensive.
I often emphasize a point that consumer markets are not generally “winner take all” markets. However, this may be one of those areas where it could be, simply on the point of economics to invest and create original stories at a frequent pace. The capital intensive nature of this business model means those who pull it off will acquire the most customers and can turn that revenue scale into investments in new content.
While I think the market can only support a few players, I doubt owning the market will generate the revenue needed to create enough content. Over the top services will need outside productions to purchase rights to or co-producers to help with the costs of original production. Or production will need be subsidized through ads or other areas. This is where Amazon has an advantage over Netflix; they are not afraid to loose money to gain market share and they have alternate revenue streams.
Netflix and the Future of Entertainment
"Unlike the fictional-feature-film industry, where job titles tend to be more distinct, nonfiction credits are more fluid."
For many documentarians their opinion on the credit issue hinges upon audience perception: how puzzling it is for viewers to see the credit. Mr. Berlinger ranks it as “incredibly” so, while Mr. Curry said it may be a little confusing. The concern is that when audience members notice a writing credit, they may think that the dialogue spoken by subjects has been scripted and is therefore not genuine. If a documentary has been written, it suggests that the film could be more artifice than fact based.
You Say True Life, I Say Scripted
"When it comes to making tough budgeting decisions, it appears Canadians are more inclined to cut their cable rather than their internet service, which is seen as a necessity these days."
It's important to remember that most Canadian households still subscribe to traditional TV — more than 11 million at last count.
But there's no denying that cord-cutting numbers keep on rising. Some industry analysts had speculated that the new CRTC-mandated $25 skinny basic TV packages would help stem the tide. But there appears to be little interest in the new offering.
Cable cord-cutting numbers soar in Canada thanks to Netflix, high prices, says report
"Facebook killed TV. That is wildly oversimplified, of course, but probably as close to the truth as you can get in three words."
The TV networks already seem, grudgingly, to see where things are going, and have responded by putting their stuff, grudgingly, online. But they're still dragging their heels. They still seem to wish people would watch shows on TV instead, just as newspapers that put their stories online still seem to wish people would wait till the next morning and read them printed on paper. They should both just face the fact that the Internet is the primary medium.
They'd be in a better position if they'd done that earlier. When a new medium arises that's powerful enough to make incumbents nervous, then it's probably powerful enough to win, and the best thing they can do is jump in immediately.
Whether they like it or not, big changes are coming, because the Internet dissolves the two cornerstones of broadcast media: synchronicity and locality. On the Internet, you don't have to send everyone the same signal, and you don't have to send it to them from a local source. People will watch what they want when they want it, and group themselves according to whatever shared interest they feel most strongly. Maybe their strongest shared interest will be their physical location, but I'm guessing not. Which means local TV is probably dead. It was an artifact of limitations imposed by old technology. If someone were creating an Internet-based TV company from scratch now, they might have some plan for shows aimed at specific regions, but it wouldn't be a top priority.
Why TV Lost
"Today's CRTC decision sends a shiver down the spine of Canada's independent producers, who now face the hard realities of a hyper-consolidated broadcasting sector"
In announcing its approval Wednesday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission noted that fact, saying the change in ownership "does not result in a change in effective control of either entity."
Meanwhile, it said the transaction positions Corus as a stronger player with enhanced scale that can offer better services and higher-quality programming to Canadians, consistent with the regulator's goals.
However, the Canadian Media Producers Association said it was worried that the deal will see Corus dominate women's, lifestyle and children's programming in Canada, "ultimately reducing the diversity and quality of programming available to Canadian audiences."
CRTC approves Corus purchase of Shaw Media
"It’s far more important to dominate the conversation than have millions of people actually watch its programs."
In reality, the odds are that only a fraction of people you know have watched Netflix’s latest “hit series.” But it’s impossible to tell, because Netflix is notorious for keeping its viewership numbers confidential. One reason is because the streaming service doesn’t want to reveal proprietary information about its products. But another is that Netflix simply doesn’t care about ratings—at least not in the way other television providers do.
Why Netflix Doesn’t Release Its Ratings
"Without broadcast regulation and Canadian ownership requirements, spending on Canadian programming could be less than a third of what it is today,"
In launching the hearings into local TV, the regulator said it's convinced there's already enough money in the broadcasting system to ensure stations can create quality local programming, including local news coverage.
But it said there may have to be a rebalancing of resources within the system.
But "robbing Peter to pay Paul" won't alleviate the revenue crunch that has backed some TV stations against a wall, said Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
"Just redistributing the funds that the cable and satellite companies pass on from their subscribers would be, at best, a stop-gap measure and not a solution to the problem," said group spokesman Ian Morrison.
CRTC hearings on local TV get dire warning that half of all stations could close by 2020
"This is a pivotal transaction that will create one of Canada’s leading integrated media and content companies, with the scale and media assets to succeed in the new regulatory environment"
The transaction will give Corus ownership of all of Shaw Media’s brands, including specialty channels like Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Slice and History Canada. It also includes Global Television’s national conventional service with stations in various Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Okanagan, Edmonton and Calgary, among others.
Corus and Shaw’s combined portfolio will include 45 specialty television channels, 39 radio stations, digital assets, the content studio Nelvana and 15 conventional television stations.
Barbara Williams , executive VP of broadcasting and president at Shaw Media, will move to Corus “in a senior leadership capacity” pending the deal closing. Her specific role is as yet unclear, but a release notes she will play an “integral role shaping the new Corus.”
The rest of the executive team for the combined company will be announced when the deal is finalized, according to the release.
Corus Entertainment to acquire Shaw Media
Corus Entertainment is buying Shaw Media in $2.65B deal (CBC)
"Canada's top TV providers have lost almost seven times more customers so far this year compared with the same period in 2014"
"CEO Hubert Lacroix says the CBC has healthy ratings, but is crippled by a broken funding model."
"For 80 years, the government has funded the CBC. It has given it a set mandate that the CBC has to comply," she said. "For Mr. Harper to suddenly say the problems are not a result of his funding cuts boggles the mind.
"The CBC is in a funding crisis. It has all these programming responsibilities and it just can't keep doing them with the funding at the level that it's at."
CBC boss disputes Harper comment about broadcaster's low ratings
"A Liberal government would invest $380 million in new money into the country's cultural and creative industries"
During a campaign stop in downtown Montreal, Trudeau told supporters and members of the Quebec arts community that culture and creative industries generate jobs and help to strengthen the economy.
Justin Trudeau promises increased funding for the arts, CBC/Radio-Canada
"This has been coming for a long time"
This is just the first shot in a new system of distribution that has been building for quite a while; I’m really surprised it has taken traditional media this long to notice that frankly, they’re in long term trouble. There’s no way this trend is turning around, and what happens next is -as far as I can see- that Netflix gets bigger and bigger, and traditional media becomes less and less relevant to millennials.
A Bad Day For Traditional Media
"A roadmap to maximize choice and affordability for Canadian television viewers."
By March 2016, Canadians will be able to subscribe to an entry-level television service that costs no more than $25 per month.This service will prioritize local and regional news and information programs given that many Canadians spoke of their importance during Let's Talk TV. News and information programs enable Canadian citizens to better participate in Canada's democratic, economic, cultural and social life. Canadian consumers also expressed frustration that the basic packages offered by cable and satellite companies had become too large and costly. Canadians will now have alternatives.
Canadians, who choose to do so, will be able to supplement the entry-level television service by buying individual channels that will be available either on a pick-and-pay basis or through small, reasonably priced packages. If they so choose, they will have the option of selecting theme-based packages—such as sports, lifestyle or comedy—offered by their service providers.
By December 2016, Canadians will be able to subscribe to channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as well as in small packages. In addition, Canadians will have the choice of keeping their current television services without making any changes, if these continue to meet their needs and budgets
Let's Talk TV: CRTC sets out a roadmap to maximize choice and affordability for Canadian TV viewers
Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-96
"How can we be in the golden age of TV when Canada has not produced any shows with the stature of Downton Abbey or Game of Thrones?"
The Canadian Media Production Association estimates TV production volume in Canada was $2.3 billion in 2014 with more than 125,000 full-time jobs associated with the sector.
last week's announcement that more expensive dramas are to be encouraged could remove money from genre productions, such as cooking shows, children's programming and documentaries, areas where Canada already has proven excellence.
Most of those people do not make dramatic programming.
Baker argues that there is no formula for making a hit — and giving it a $2 million an hour budget is not going to solve the quality problem.
"We need quantity, just like they do elsewhere in this world, especially in the U.S. and U.K., where they have a tremendous quantity of shows so a few of them can rise to the top," he said.
This ruling feels like it was made by an accountant with no understanding of how other counties industries succeed.
You don’t buy hit shows. You buy 9 failures for every success. And that success pays for the failures.
CRTC quest for quality set to shake up Canadian production
"Television quotas are an idea that is wholly anachronistic in the age of abundance and in a world of choice"
The national broadcast regulator said Thursday it was cutting the quota for the ratio of Canadian programs that local TV stations must broadcast during the day from 55 per cent to zero. That's a recognition that stations have sometimes been broadcasting the same program episodes many times over the course of a day, or even over years, simply to satisfy the old Cancon rule.
CRTC eases Canadian-content quotas for TV
I’ll wait until smarter people review, but I have a bad feeling about this.
Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-86
"One part of interactive playable content with one part of scripted television style content."
Alex Wawro reporting for Gamasutra;
"For instance, if you play the interactive episode first, certain elements of the scripted episode portion will be tailored to reflect some choices made in your interactive play through," Bruner told EW. "If you watch the show before playing, some elements in the interactive portions may be presented differently than if you played first. The interactive episodes will never release without a scripted episode, they will always come out together."
He went on to add that non-interactive versions of the scripted entertainment would be made available on streaming networks and broadcast TV some time after the release of a given "Super Show" episode.
Lionsgate deal primes Telltale to make episodic TV/game hybrids
I’m not convinced that this is the future. Hybrids are tough. It’s a fine line between combining and compromise.
See also;
LIONSGATE INVESTS IN LEADING GAME DEVELOPER TELLTALE GAMES
Telltale Games CEO Kevin Bruner discusses new venture The Super Show -- exclusive
"Make no mistake: mass media exists because it permits mass marketers to do their job."
For fifty years, TV and TV-thinking was the shortcut. Make average stuff for average people (by definition = mass) and promote to every stranger within reach. It worked.
But mass is fading, fading faster than our desire to be mass marketers is fading. The shortcut doesn't work every time now, and the expectation that success is the same as popularity is still with us.
Mass production and mass media
“With docusoaps, people feel lied to. Ultimately, the country is vomiting that up in some way.”
"Their core consumer TV and voice [home phone] businesses are in decline – and probably terminal decline"
Cogeco lost 8,465 TV customers but added 18,535 Internet subscribers, while Shaw shed 15,591 cable and satellite television customers and gained 14,048 broadband customers in the three-month period ended Nov. 30.This is a trend that has become common for cable operators as viewers increasingly turn to online streaming video options such as Netflix Inc. to supplement and, in some cases, replace traditional cable packages.
Shaw, Cogeco gain Internet customers, but see decline in TV subscribers
"Partnerships, mergers and acquisitions characterize the audiovisual industry’s global growth."
The paradox in this “unlimited marketplace” is that media technologies, services and content are growing much faster than consumption. Users, who fear being overwhelmed, now restrict their access points and their message could be summarized by: “I don’t want to randomly go looking for content. If it’s important or popular enough, it will get to me.” Search may not be totally dead, but social is the new way to discovery.
Keytrends Report 2015 - The Big Blur Challenge (PDF)
"Although the sample size is small, these results indicate that not everything in Hollywood is immune to change"
10. The Studios Might Just Learn to Innovate. Warners and Turner have had their incubators for some time now, helping to give rise to platforms like Reelhouse. Now Disney is also in the soup. Incubators and accelerators might teach a few folks some new tricks, although it has also been said that such ploys are just attempts at employee retention as some of the big BizDev guns would flee the ship if they didn’t have sparkly new toys to play with.
Ten Really Good Things in Film Biz 2014
"The audience is disappearing—and it won’t be coming back."
Hollywood is a “hedgehog,” good now at only one thing (making tentpoles), and no longer a “fox,” fluid and adept at many things. We have reached a point where we should accept the death of the Hollywood film for adults. Hollywood is a one-horse town.
Ten Really Bad Things in Film Biz 2014
UPDATE: Mr Hope decided 10 Bad Things wasn’t enough…
30 Really Bad Things In FilmBiz 2014
"2015 may be remembered as the year everything changed in the TV business."
Wheeler wants the category of "multichannel video programming distributor" to become "technology-neutral," which would allow the Internet to be used as a method of transmission, alongside cable and satellite, for television providers seeking access to programming. "The definition of an MVPD should turn on the services that a provider offers, not on how those services reach viewers," Wheeler wrote. "21st century consumer shouldn't be shackled to rules that only recognize 20th century technology."
FCC Warns Cable Industry: The TV Biz Is About to Change Forever
"If the battle over strong net neutrality rules comes down to who has more clout and influence, especially with consumers, the networks are in a stronger position."
The degree to which networks support net neutrality depends entirely on how much they want to disintermediate TV providers, which in turn depends on how successful their online efforts become. If they do well, they won’t think twice about their old partners.
CBS goes online: net neutrality to get a major boost
"This new subscription service will deliver the most of CBS to our biggest fans"
CBS is a broadcast network, meaning anyone in the U.S. with an antenna can pick up the station's live signal for free. Subscribers to CBS All Access, however, will be able to stream on their Mac, iOS or other device with no need for a television set or antenna.
CBS All Access offers on-demand & live streaming content for $5.99 per month
"Viewers would be up in arms if U.S. cable networks denied them access to popular American TV shows."
"Mere anecdotal evidence."
Netflix and Google told the hearings that Canadian content was thriving online. However, they did not provide the information the regulator was seeking to back up that claim.The regulator said the companies' refusal to provide any supporting evidence means it cannot evaluate the strength of their arguments.
CRTC to Netflix: Since you won't co-operate, we'll ignore you
"In 2013, the time spent watching traditional television each week decreased slightly across all age groups."
Television • Average weekly viewing of traditional television remained consistent, going from 28.2 hours in 2012 to 27.9 hours in 2013. Among Canadians 18 years of age and up, average weekly viewing decreased slightly, going from 29.5 hours in 2012 to 29.3 hours in 2013. • The percentage of households subscribing to cable and satellite services decreased slightly from 85.6%, or 11.93 million, to 84.9%, or 11.92 million. • For Canadians 18 years or older, average weekly viewing of Internet television increased from 1.3 hours in 2012 to 1.9 hours in 2013.
CRTC issues 2014 report on state of Canadian broadcasting industry
The sky is not falling. Yet.
For more detail (and charts) go to the full report.
"I've never promised that pick-and-pay would be cheaper"
There is enough political will and consumer desire to make pick-and-pay television happen, but consumers should not underestimate either the cost or the complexity of bringing the concept to life.
Pick-and-pay cable TV would offer greater choice, CRTC boss says
Careful what you wish for...
"We really can't just be a how-to channel anymore."
In a market where many networks are scrambling for a homegrown hit, HGTV Canada boasts a startling number of highly rated Canuck shows (the network's licence dictates that 50 per cent of its shows be Canadian). Eight out of the top 10 shows on the network during the winter/spring 2014 season were Canadian, among them "Timber Kings," "Canada's Handyman Challenge" and "Leave it To Bryan."
How HGTV Canada built a specialty powerhouse and a global following
Yes. I’m tooting my own horn a bit.
“The way of watching TV is morphing. It’s evolving with time and we don’t want to be stuck in a regulatory framework"
Consumers could wind up with many more choices about what they watch on TV and how they pay for it, given sweeping new proposals from the country’s broadcast regulator announced Thursday.
CRTC proposes pick-and-pay TV plan in draft paper prior to September hearing
The section to pay attention to is this...
For the first time, broadcasters could be allowed to count what they spend on original programming produced for the Internet toward what they are required to spend on Canadian programming. According to the draft, this would encourage broadcasters to make more Canadian content online. And it proposes allowing television stations and networks to count revenues from online or other delivery platforms toward their overall revenue base.
"Both companies need a strategy to woo new customers, as traditional cable sales are flat"
Although the company is a joint venture of Shaw and Rogers, it will operate as a stand-alone entity. With almost one third of anglophone Canadians already subscribing to Netflix, it will be a struggle for the service to attain a significant subscriber base.
Rogers, Shaw launch rival Netflix-like service Shomi
Good luck with that.
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