OTTAWA – Canadian independent producers and the country’s major private broadcast groups reached an agreement in principle over terms in trade on Monday.
The framework deal, which is still subject to final approvals, will apply to the entire life cycle of a show – from first pitch, through to development, production and broadcast on all platforms, the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) said. Once fully executed, it will apply to all independently produced projects developed and commissioned by Astral, Corus, CTV, Rogers and Shaw Media.
“Terms of Trade will bring greater clarity and certainty for both broadcasters and independent producers in the negotiation of rights deals to independently produced programs”, said John Barrack, chief negotiator for the CMPA, in a statement on Monday. “This in itself will save both sides considerable time and money – money that can be reinvested back onto the screen. At the same time, this agreement will level the negotiating playing field, so that neither party feels that they’re being forced into a deal that isn’t in their best interest.”
Terms of trade negotiations, which have been underway for weeks, concluded Monday prior to a hard deadline imposed by the CRTC. The Commission threatened to impose terms of trade on the broadcasters unless the two sides could reach an agreement in time for the group licence renewals hearing, which began Monday. The CMPA said that it plans to begin terms of trade discussions with CBC shortly in the hopes of completing an agreement before the public broadcaster’s licence renewal hearing this Fall.
The CMPA also said that it would spearhead an outreach campaign to the independent production community and other key stakeholders starting this spring to explain the key elements of the deal.
“Of the many benefits of reaching this historic agreement, by far the biggest is that it enables broadcasters and independent producers to focus on achieving their common goal – creating great Canadian programming that resonates with audiences, both in Canada and around the world”, Barrack added. “This is a win for the entire broadcasting system.”
