Message from the Chair

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), I am pleased to report on the CMF’s results for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

In the face of rapid evolution in the content industry, the CMF has demonstrated its ability to adapt with agility to new and changing realities. The CMF’s commitment to remain responsive has enabled it to pursue approaches that build on its many successes, while achieving its mandate in support of increasingly popular Canadian audiovisual productions.

In recognition of a changing environment, the CMF undertook an in-depth analysis of the current state of our industry, as well as the rapid changes that are impacting audiovisual content production and distribution in Canada and around the world. This helped develop a visioning strategy to steer the development of our policies and program guidelines moving forward.

To guide the CMF in continuing to fulfil its mission with success, the Board of Directors established the following strategic objectives to be carried out throughout the year. All actions detailed in this annual report supported these objectives.

1. Explore and identify options for implementation of the visioning strategy
2. Investigate increased revenue opportunities
3. Leverage current financial resources and relationships
4. Consult on the visioning strategy, program and policy developments
5. Ensure optimal, effective and efficient operations

Attesting to the success of our funding programs are the outcomes of the program evaluation of the CMF undertaken by Canadian Heritage, an independent review process led by its Evaluation Services Directorate. The findings were extremely positive for the CMF and demonstrated that, as the single most important source of financing for television and digital media content in the genres supported by the CMF, the CMF program is relevant and responsive to the needs of Canadians. The report stated that the CMF is well aligned with the Government of Canada’s priorities as well as to federal roles and responsibilities. It also found that the CMF is the best instrument by which the federal government can support Canadian broadcasting policy.

In 2015-2016, the CMF explored and benchmarked funding initiatives and financing mechanisms in Canada and abroad in order to provide actionable recommendations for a new funding approach, the framework of which was presented during the industry consultation process. In addition, with the objective of augmenting its recoupment revenues, the CMF introduced updates to its funding formula.

To further stimulate codevelopment and coproduction of both television and digital media content, the CMF pursued its strategy to allocate funds to incentive agreements with international partners. In 2015-2016, agreements were renewed with NZ On Air in New Zealand and Wallimage in Belgium, and new agreements were launched with Screen Australia, São Paulo State - Brazil’s SP Cine, and Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.

The CMF also acted upon international development initiatives through its international promotion strategy with the goal of providing business opportunities for Canadian producers, while positioning Canadian content and talent in global markets. By featuring Canada as a partner of choice for coproductions, disseminating industry intelligence, and leveraging CMF funding to develop matching fund programs with other countries, the CMF continues to successfully position the Canadian content industry abroad.

In 2015-2016, the CMF embarked on a comprehensive consultation on the visioning strategy that took into account the expected outcome of the CMF Program Evaluation conducted by Canadian Heritage and the potential impacts of the CRTC’s decisions from the Let’s Talk TV process. More than 500 stakeholders attended the 20 focus group sessions held in 18 cities across all provinces and territories. Results from the 2015-2016 consultation are reflected in the CMF’s policies and programs for 2016-2017 and work will continue throughout the new fiscal year to implement new actions outlined in the visioning strategy.

Looking forward, the CMF will continue to operate according to its principles of transparency and accountability. Extensive consultation with stakeholders is at the heart of the CMF’s ongoing commitment to remain adaptable and responsive to industry developments.

The Board of Directors recognizes the efforts of the CMF management team and all staff in the successful delivery of the CMF programs. I also wish to thank the staff of our Program Administrator, Telefilm Canada, for their administration of our funding with a consistent commitment to client service and operational efficiency.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I also wish to express our ongoing gratitude to the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors for their significant investment in Canadian production and innovation. Their commitment to the CMF’s mission and vision ensures that Canada’s content industry thrives and is well positioned to continue leading in the global digital economy.

Alain Cousineau
Chair of the Board of Directors

Back to top