Alliance wants piece of new Télé-Québec dollars earmarked for digital content

Quebec new media coffers could be boosted to the tune of $2 million to $3 million a year if the province’s main lobby group is successful in a proposal to earmark some of Télé-Québec’s budget for interactive content. Quebec City is currently studying how the province’s main educational TV broadcaster might be put on a different budgetary footing, and the Alliance numériQC is pressuring the government to earmark 10% of its new budget for new media. Quebec’s Liberal government announced in September a review of Télé-Québec in line with campaign promises to involve the private sector to a greater extent in the province’s cultural and other activities. In response to an open invitation by the commission studying the matter, the Alliance is pushing the Ministry of Culture and Communications to reserve 10% of the broadcaster’s budget for interactive material, and to strengthen its mandate to include the distribution of electronic content. The Alliance notes that Télé-Québec, with a 2.9% market share, has so far in its 10-year history only instituted a few new media initiatives, despite, it says, having an explicit mandate to promote such measures. These include an online homework portal, distribution of educational videos and an online portal for lifelong learners. "Dream opportunity" But, the Alliance argues that the review now underway is a "dream opportunity" to turn Télé-Québec into a greater producer of new media content. The group makes four requests of the ministry. First, it asks that Télé-Québec be reorganized to include personnel with new media responsibilities. Alliance president Gilles Bertrand tells Canadian NEW MEDIA he expects that the team would take the form of an administrative sector within Télé-Québec. "What we said is first you should make sure that in Télé-Quebec there is a team or an administrative sector, and they should be working with this budget. If you get the team in place, if you’ve got the money in place, this team will be responsible for determining the orientation that they will take. We (the Alliance) don’t want to take the place of the organization, but we want to make sure that there is a team in place that will look after the digital content." Second, the Alliance is asking the ministry to set aside 10% of the network’s budget for new media projects. Bertrand says the association hasn’t made any specific recommendations for how precisely those funds might be used. But, he says, the net effect will be to pump nearly $20 million to $30 million - depending on what Télé-Québec’s final budget is - into the Quebec new media sector when the dollars are multiplied with other investments. "You can push it by 10 times whatever they receive. This is an influx of $20 million in the industry of new content." Third, the Alliance asks the network to give prime consideration to convergence between television and web, noting that a model has emerged that uses both platforms to drive traffic to the other. In an earlier note in its submission, for example, the Alliance cites figures indicating around 5 million visits a month at TVOKids.com, which has pursued such a model for several years. Lastly, the Alliance numériQC asks that Télé-Québec adopt and adapt successful television models when creating new media content, for example by relying on independent production, and with a focus on edu-tainment rather than pure educational content. Request part of broader thrust NumériQC’s request, says Bertrand, ties into a broader thrust by the industry to push the government to adopt a comprehensive digital strategy - already recognized in the province’s most recent film policy. "This is the centrepiece for Alliance numériQC and all of the digital industry in Quebec. This is our aim: to make sure that this digital content strategy is put forward as soon as possible. I think Télé-Québec will find that we’re a good partner, and all of our members are already talking about working with Télé-Québec to make sure that this division or this new orientation takes form as soon as possible for the benefit of schools and for the cultural aspect of Quebec. The minister of culture and communications has a good say, and when she’s talking about Télé-Québec, she’s also talking about our strategy." The commission studying Télé-Québec is expected to report its findings to the government late this year or very early in the next, and the Alliance hopes a new digital focus can be included in the province’s upcoming budget.

Alliance wants piece of new Télé-Québec dollars earmarked for digital content

Broadcast | November 16, 2004

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