OTTAWA – We’d almost forgotten about it, but the federal government just might release its decision on the Canadian Television Fund next week.
A source with knowledge of the decision’s timing told Cartt.ca this week that Heritage Minister James Moore may have an announcement as early as Monday.
The fund has spent a lot of the past 24 months defending itself and making a few changes in the way it does things. This impending release and any potential changes in how the $250 million in annual TV production money is collected and doled out was spurred on by the December 2006 decision by both Shaw Communications and Quebecor Media to temporarily stop paying into the fund.
While both companies were made to resume payments, their actions led to a serious re-examination of everything CTF.
Each large broadcast distribution undertaking in Canada must contribute to it, but both Shaw and Quebecor, which owns Quebec cable giant Videotron, objected to the type of content the CTF backed, the organization’s overall composition and administration, and the fact the CBC can still draw it down, among other complaints.
About $150 million of the dough comes from Canadian TV subscribers through their satellite or cableco while the rest is a government handout. Shaw has gone on record saying they would give the money back to customers, while Quebecor officials have said they would like to create their own fund.
Former Heritage Minister Josée Verner – after the CRTC held hearings on the CTF in early 2008 – directed the Commission not to decide on changes, but instead submit a report to her and let the ministry decide how it will alter the fund.
Last June, the CRTC’s report recommended:
* The CTF’s funding be split into private- and public-sector streams. The private-sector stream would support the production of commercially successful programming and be accessed by private commercial broadcasters. The public-sector stream would be set aside for the CBC, educational broadcasters and other not-for-profit broadcasters.
* Two separate Boards of Directors would be established, with one having oversight of the private-sector funding stream and the other being responsible for the public-sector funding stream. However, both streams should share the day-to-day administrative services of the CTF to reduce operating costs.
* Increased emphasis will be placed on audience success as a criterion for access to the new private-sector funding stream.
* The CTF maintain its current practice of funding productions that score 10 out of 10 points on the scale developed by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (the CAVCO scale).
* The proposals by two companies (Shaw and Quebecor-owned Videotron) that distribute broadcasting services to opt out of their contributions to the CTF, as required by the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations, be rejected.
* The CTF establish a new funding stream to support the production of Canadian programs for broadcast on new media platforms.
* That the BDU regulations be altered so that monthly contributions by distributors are made mandatory. While BDUs have to cough up the cash at least once a year, the voluntary practice has been to pay once a month.
Stay tuned…
– Greg O’Brien
