Licence decision could devastate Canadian production: WGC

A day after the CRTC released its decision on broadcast licence renewals for large ownership groups, three organizations representing the country’s production sector said they are concerned the new expenditure minimums could harm production of Canadian content. As part of the decision, the CRTC standardized requirements for Canadian programming expenditures (CPEs) at 30 per cent and programs of national interest (PNIs) at five per cent for all groups, conventional stations and discretionary services. That standardization lowers the requirements within some of the groups. In a Tuesday press release, the Writer’s Guild of Canada (WGC) called the decision a “potential disaster,” and a “major blow” to Canadian screenwriters and Canadian audiences. “This could mean the devastation of Canadian domestic production,” WGC executive director Maureen Parker said in the release. “These cuts potentially amount to over a $200 million loss for PNI over a five-year licence term.” “If there is not enough work for they will simply leave,” Parker said. “Once our talent pool is gone you can’t get it back.” Stephen Waddell, the national executive director of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), said in a Tuesday press release the organization is disappointed the CRTC didn’t listen to its concerns. “As we noted in our submission, Programs of National Interest will continue to be under-represented without an increase in expenditure requirements,” Waddell continued. “Instead of heeding our warning, the Commission went in the opposite direction.” In its presentation in front of the commission in November, ACTRA said increasing expenditures for PNIs — it recommended a starting PNI rate of eight per cent — is “urgent and necessary to ensure Canadians have access to a healthy quantity of diverse and compelling Canadian programming during the new term,” according to transcripts. Robert Malcolmson, BCE Inc.’s senior vice-president of regulatory affairs, said during the November hearing that the commission should standardize PNI at five per cent because Bell is competing in a new environment where over-the-top (OTT) services don’t have to meet those same standards. In its own press release Tuesday, the Directors Guild of Canada said by potentially draining over $200 million in funding for PNI, the CRTC is “betraying its own word and betraying Canadian creators.” “The CRTC got it right when they said that, in the digital world, broadcasters need to invest in innovative content that stands out in a global marketplace,” Tim Southam, the DGC’s national president, said in the release. “The Commission called the right play, then absolutely blew the follow through.” — With reporting by Ahmad Hathout at ahathout@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Licence decision could devastate Canadian production: WGC

Broadcast | May 16, 2017

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Licence decision could devastate Canadian production: WGC

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