Summary of the Evaluation of the Canada Media Fund Program 2014-15 to 2018-19

Evaluation Services Directorate
September 28, 2021

On this page

• List of acronyms and abbreviations
• Overview
• Findings
• Recommendations

Alternate format

List of acronyms and abbreviations

PCH

Canadian Heritage

CMF

Canada Media Fund

BDU

Broadcast distribution undertakings

Overview

This evaluation examined Canadian Heritage’s (PCH) contribution to the Canada Media Fund (CMF) which supports the development, production, distribution and consumption of Canadian content and relevant applications across all audiovisual platforms.

Governance

• PCH’s Canada Media Fund Program, part of the Broadcasting, Copyright and Creative Marketplace Branch, manages the federal contribution to CMF.
• The independent not-for-profit Canada Media Fund Corporation administers the CMF.
• Telefilm Canada carries out day-to-day program delivery.

Findings

Environment and context

Admist the decline of broadcast distribution undertakings revenue from television consumption, PCH provides a reliable source of funding to the CMF’s annual budget.

CMF receives revenue from a number of sources including:

• Broadcast distribution undertakings (BDU);
• PCH’s Canada Media Fund Program;
• Self-generated revenues from interest, revenues and recoveries on production investments; and
• Contributions from regulatory commitments.

CMF was responsive to changes in the media industry and funding eco-system.

• CMF supported broader federal cultural programs such as the Cultural Export Strategy.
• The Program and the Corporation modified contribution agreements annually to address evolving industry needs.
• The Corporation developed initiatives to enhance discoverability of Canadian content online.
• CMF encouraged representation from various equity deserving groups, notably for:
  • Indigenous production,
  • Fender parity in key creative positions,
  • Official language minority communities, and
  • regional production.
• Keeping pace with industry changes was slowed by a complex interconnected legislative and regulatory environment where significant changes require thorough consideration of the implications on various parts of the system.

Raison d’être

The CMF contributed to productions in multiple languages, starting with Canada’s Official Languages

• English, 66%
• French, 31%
• Indigenous languages, 2%
• Diverse languages, 1%

CMF played an essential role in financing Canadian audiovisual content

CMF contributed to +3,000 projects, primarily through 2 program streams:

• + 2,500 Convergent projects, including content that appears on at least two platforms, one of which must be television
• 1 dollar of TV funding = 4 dollars of industry activity
• 11,600 to 12,600 direct jobs + 13,000 to 14,300 indirect jobs generated per year
• + 500 Experimental projects, including cutting-edge interactive digital content, software applications, and web series

Numerous projects were supported by CMF and:

• received over 1,000 awards in Canada and abroad;
• met the targeted 14 million visits annually for convergent digital projects; and
• approximately 25 television projects per year drew audiences of over 1 million viewers, the majority French-language programs.

Looking forward

The Program and federal government will be required to adapt further in order to respond to:

Trends and Challenges

• Decrease in traditional television = Existing funding model under pressure
• Growing popularity of global OTT services = National regulatory systems challenged
• Increase in multiplatform and online consumption = Data sharing, ownership, security, and analysis issues

Opportunities for creators

• Technological advances can offer minimal-cost ways to produce content
• New instant storytelling through social media, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies

Recommendations

The evaluation recommends for the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs:

1. Review and further improve the CMF policy and performance frameworks to reflect the shifts in the industry towards multi-platform and online media consumption and ensure that the data collected is relevant and useful in measuring the consumption, promotion, and success of the CMF funded projects in the digital era.
2. Pursues further opportunities to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives through the CMF by expanding these efforts with other key groups, such as Indigenous, racialized, and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Sources: Evaluation of the Canada Media Fund Program, 2014-15 to 2018-19

©Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2022.
Catalogue Number: CH7-66/2-2022E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-660-40606-0