OTTAWA, January 26, 2007 - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, today announced $200 million in new funding over the next two fiscal years, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, for the Canadian Television Fund (CTF). This funding renews the Government of Canada's annual contribution of $100 million to the CTF."This announcement signifies this Government's commitment to producing quality Canadian programming and a strong broadcasting system. The two-year commitment will allow for longer term planning and provide stability for the sectors," said Minister Oda. "The production and distribution of Canadian content is a key component of Canada's broadcasting system."The CTF, a public-private partnership, supports the production and broadcast of Canadian programming in the genres of drama, children and youth, documentaries, variety, and performing arts. It is financed by contributions from the Government of Canada and from the Canadian cable and direct-to-home satellite industries, which are required by CRTC regulations to contribute a percentage of their revenues to support Canadian programming."I want to reassure Canadians that the Government continues to support high-quality Canadian television programming. The Government is aware of concerns expressed by some private sector contributors to the CTF and their stated desire to withhold their contributions to the Fund. The CRTC is charged with ensuring that licencees respect their regulatory obligations. For my part, I am holding a meeting with representatives from the other principal funders (BellExpress Vu, Shaw/Starchoice, Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco) of the CTF to discuss their concerns."For more information on the CTF, see the attached backgrounder or visit their website at www.canadiantelevisionfund.ca.Information: Chisholm PothierDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women819 997-7788Donald BoulangerA/Chief, Media RelationsCanadian Heritage819 994-9101BackgrounderBackgroundThe Canadian Television Fund (CTF) is a public-private partnership. It was created in 1996 by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry. It supports the Canadian television industry.The Fund's main objective is to support the production of Canadian television programs that reach audiences in both official languages, as well as Aboriginal languages, during peak viewing hours (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.). The Fund supports the following genres of television programs: children and youth, drama, documentaries, variety, and performing arts.For 2006-2007, revenues from the Fund come from two sources: the Government of Canada contributes $120.4M, and Canadian cable and satellite companies provide an amount of $145M. The CTF provides funding directly to producers through two funding streams: Broadcaster Performance Envelopes (BPE) and Special Initiatives. More than 90% of the Fund, through the BPE, rewards success in attracting audiences. The remaining 10% is allocated to the Special Initiatives funding stream, which includes envelopes for Aboriginal-languages productions, Francophone communities in minority situations productions, and development and versioning assistance.For the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), given its unique mandate as the public broadcaster and the CTF's move to reward audience success, it was decided that CBC triggered productions would have a guaranteed envelope from the CTF. This represents 37% of the Fund's total contributions. Most of this funding goes towards drama productions.Key ResultsThe CTF has provided more than $2.3B towards the production of 23,141 hours of Canadian television programming. In terms of leverage, the total value of these productions is $7.4B - for every dollar the CTF invests, $3.3 is generated in the industry. 22,400 out of 44,700 jobs in the television production sector are estimated to be the result of CTF productions.The Fund has supported the Canadian television industry in all regions of Canada. Through the years, the Fund has financially supported highly acclaimed productions such as Da Vinci's Inquest, Shattered City - the Halifax Explosion, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Atomic Betty, DeGrassi - the Next Generation, Le Négociateur, Ramdam and Minuit le soir.
