June 6, 2007
ACTRA Pickets Network Upfronts
It's the week where the Canadian broadcasters announce their upcoming season (known as an "upfront" because advertisers are then able to buy commercial airtime ahead of time or "up front"), and ACTRA isn't very happy.
The Canadian actors' union is angry that domestic networks are spending a record $688-million on foreign programming (2006) instead of investing in new Canadian dramatic programming. Currently, the most successful Canadian shows are expensive franchises like Canadian Idol, Entertainment Tonight and Canada's Next Top Model. A show like Idol—which CTV bills as "original programming"—runs on multiple nights in prime time broadcast time which ACTRA feels should be populated with Canadian-produced dramas.
While the American upfronts happened at the end of last month, this week brought domestic announcements in lavish ceremonies around the city, and today's picket line outside Massey Hall at Global's soirée had executives on the defensive. Most of the shows on Canadian networks are licensed from the U.S., and ACTRA says the simulcasts dictate the programming of domestic shows and leave underfunded Canadian dramatic content in the wasteland of leftover timeslots.
"Last year, [the networks] spent twelve times more on buying foreign programming than they did all year on Canadian drama," says ACTRA's National Executive Director, Stephen Waddell. The union wants to mandate that at least 7% of advertising revenue be spent on Canadian English-language dramatic programming, and that at least two hours of this programming be broadcast in prime time slots.
Obviously, the networks are in a quandary since the U.S. shows, which cost vastly more to produce and which bring big-name stars, are the ones that bring in advertising revenue. Domestic media empires, which are obviously accountable primarily to their shareholders, are finding themselves in an unusual landscape. Canadians are watching American shows. A CanWest or CTV can't afford the digital rights to big-name U.S. shows either (hence no shows on iTunes), and Rogers surprised CanWest when it inked a deal with CBS to offer Survivor directly on its video-on-demand channel, bypassing the broadcasters entirely. Most online programs available from Canadian broadcasters are domestic, like Robson Arms and Degrassi: The Next Generation.
And then there is the issue of competition. CTVglobemedia is now airing 16 of the top 20 shows, with CanWest (Global; TVTropolis, the upcoming E! Canada) a distant second. CTV is in talks to acquire CHUM, while CanWest is about to buy Alliance Atlantis—a move that will make both entities enormously more powerful, but greatly lessen competition. South of the border, most new TV shows actually fail overall, but the pockets are deeper (and successes more lucrative).
The Canadian networks say they are investing significantly in domestic shows, pointing to Painkiller Jane (SciFi Channel), The Jon Dore Show (Comedy Network), Little Mosque on the Prairie (CBC), Corner Gas (CTV) and the upcoming 'Da Kink In My Hair (Global). CTV didn't announce any new Canadian programming at Monday's upfront. Global also recently launched the first season of The Best Years, through the show's Yanna McIntosh, who plays school counsellor Ms. Dymond, was on the picket line. Actors Wendy Crewson, Gordon Pinsent and Colin Mochire also participated in the ACTRA protest.
While The Jane Show and Whistler return for new seasons (albeit on life support), CTV announced the cancellation of the abysmally unfunny Jeff Ltd. and last year brought the shuttering of high-profile CBC dramas Da Vinci's City Hall and This Is Wonderland, as well as Global's Falcon Beach. Internationally-successful Canadian productions like ReGenesis and Kenny vs. Spenny air in hundreds of countries, though movie networks like TMN haven't been able to fund any programming with HBO-like success. The cable-only networks also fall under stricter regulation and have to actually produce more dramatic programming, yet they get penalized under the Canadian Television Fund, which grants funding based on performance criteria.
ACTRA, however, points their finger at domestic broadcasters because they can't really draw attention to another hand that feeds: the United States. Fewer American series are being shot in Canada and are therefore not employing Canadian talent. With the Canadian dollar almost at par with the American one and pressure from U.S. actors' unions, it's not as lucrative to shoot in Canada as it once was.
For the Canadian broadcasters, they will continue to take the path of least resistance and the most business sense: cheap news and entertainment programming and licensing established American franchises like Deal or No Deal and Project Runway Canada. ACTRA can only get their wish if Canada starts producing more sellable programming, Canadians support domestic shows, and a few courageous executives take some very dangerous chances. And less Ben Mulroney, please.
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From what I've read, Pain Killer Jane is dying in the ratings arena, being beaten out by 4 year old syndicated episodes of Enterprise and such.
I'm glad to see ACTRA actra-ing up over this. Canadians deserve more investment in Canadian shows, and not the half-assed stuff Global tried pulling with their half hour commercial for the National Post, known as Train 48.
"Let the Yanks lead the way" seems to be the guiding principle in Canada, when it comes to money, and it's just sad.
What the CRTC needs to do is eliminate the requirement for cable and satellite companies to replace American ads on an American channel with a Canadian ads when a Canadian TV station syndicates an American TV show, thus making syndication unprofitable because viewership would be split between the Canadian and American channels. This would relegate American programming to American channels, and Canadian channels would mostly show Canadian content.
I think first we'd need a CRTC that puts Canadians and Canadian content ahead of the quarterly profits of CanWest and Rogers.
That is one of ACTRA's main points as well—that domestic networks are allowed to reap the financial awards of inserting commercials in U.S. simulcasts.
I read about this in the Metro this morning - why picket just Global - picket them all! Does Corner Gas get CTV a pass somehow?
They weren't picketing Global specifically, but probably because the upfronts took place at Massey Hall and it was more high-profile (the CTV ones were at the Four Seasons). Yesterday's E-Talk report made it sound like they were picketing Global (she said something like, "...ACTRA was picketing the company for not investing enough money in Canadian TV shows" when they were picketing you too, CTV).
I kinda agree with the point that if Canadian broadcasters are getting money for inserting ads into U.S. shows that they should spend a percentage of that income on domestic programming. I also have a problem with the marketing departments and their crappy or invisible campaigns to promote their homegrown content. Slapping some stock promo shot onto a a white background with "Tuesdays at 8" for a subway ad does not make a good marketing campaign.
What the CRTC needs to do is eliminate the requirement for cable and satellite companies to replace American ads on an American channel with a Canadian ads when a Canadian TV station syndicates an American TV show, thus making syndication unprofitable because viewership would be split between the Canadian and American channels.
...yes, but also tricky, as Canadian networks own the rights to American shows from competing networks--and most of the time air the shows at different times from their US counterparts.
To get to the root cause--why Canada is so enamoured with American programming--points to the high production value and seemingly endless synergy of US shows in entertainment media.
We HAVE to figure out how to either compete or duplicate that in Canada.
Has anyone been watching the TMN show Durham County? It rivals anything put out by HBO (great cast, production, writing, editing..) but where's the BUZZ and advertising? It has credits from just about every Canadian production house and network and grant council... so why haven't they been promoting their investment?
The CRTC is not the answer, fellas. They could mandate 100% Canadian content across all our homegrown networks and would that increase their viewership? No.
Apparently the public likes watching American shows. Wouldn't it behoove Canadian writers, directors and producers to find out why? And then maybe try to craft shows to have greater appeal to Canadian audiences?
Going at it from a regulatory angle is bass-ackwards. You have to give viewers a reason to watch the show; if they don't like it or can't identify with it, then it doesn't matter how much extra funding (from whatever source) gets funnelled into it.
I'm one to agree that regulation is just the wrong idea.
I've many problems with the CRTC, and CanCon's really not-binding-at-all hold on things. And if it's possible, I generally choose to watch my American shows (and I am a TV fiend, hoping to work for the devil -- writing series TV -- eventually) on the American channels, since they air the proper promos, and just generally care more about the product they are airing. You don't (often) get cut into, poor feeds, wrong promos or any of the other little treasures Canadian networks decide we need.
Better shows is entirely the key. People watch American shows because they are what's good. They'd watch shows from Congo if its what was most appealing to general taste (a subject not necessarily equivalent to good TV, but thats a whole other discussion).
I say 'better' hoping to appeal to the idea that scripted, intelligent, engaging TV is the ideal here. Not Canadian Idol (sadly watched by more than 2 million last night -- huge, like Leafs hockey numbers for Canadian TV).
Basically, I'm saying this. As a TV junkie, I'll watch whatever's good. And right now, I ain't watching anything Canadian (minus the occasional Corner Gas, in reruns).
And it isn't like we don't know how to do it. Corner Gas is fantastic, a perfect snapshot of how to do it. Slings and Arrows is one of the best shows I've seen in years, but it's impossible to find if you don't have pay TV, or follow Showcase religiously. Made in Canada was one of my all-time favs as well, but CBC yanked the reruns like 3 years ago, refuses to release DVDs, and I haven't seen it since.
But none of these shows entered the vernacular the way (again, minus Corner Gas, the exception that proves that proliferation of great Canadian TV IS possible) a CSI or a House do because there is no awareness of what they do and how well they do it.
Honestly, I don't know where my point went. Basically, regulation is not the answer. Force purveyors to not just be able to glom on to every American show and trend that passes by. Don't just say, "More CanCon" or else we'll get a lot more Deal or No Deal Canada. Maybe yeah, get rid of the ability to cover simulcasts with Canadian ads on American networks. Make networks realize they might have to work for their money, and we might see a bit more development.
Chris, regulation is part of the solution here. Take it away and it will all be American shows and Canadian imprints of same, because it's cheaper and nearly risk-free: Global only has to buy the broadcast rights to the latest hit series from the US, stick them in primetime, and then slap in the commercials to make their profit. Give them billions in funding and they'll spend billions on the rights for American shows, because there is very little stopping them.
Liam, putting specific restrictions on what counts as CanCon is regulation. Increase or retain CanCon without specifics and we'll just get more True Hollywood North Stories and So You Think You Can Dance Eh?.
Corner Gas and Intelligence and ReGenesis are good shows, where the networks actually made something worth watching (and Canadians watched), and foreign broadcasters bought up, instead of fulfilling whatever minimum requirements they were given. They still went ahead, however, and gave us ET Canada and MTV Canada and keep running 24 and Survivor in the prime slots. My point is that if you give these companies suggestions and flexibility they'll do whatever the least amount of work is required by law. The bigs guns in the fight for attention on Canadian channels aren't Canadian shows (outside of the news).
Funding should be contingent, in part, on the ratings their CanCon-qualifying (sports broadcasts, foreign-origin shows, maple leaf-emblazoned versions of foreign shows, etc, not included) shows get. How's that for incentive? Write and produce good shows that people watch, and you'll get more money.
For the purposes of the above "Canada" for the most part means English Canada, obviously, given Quebec's superior ability to persuade its public to watch stuff it makes itself.
rek, I agree. But the reason this is easier and more profitable is because English-language Canadian TV does not appeal to English-speaking Canadians. Less popular shows means less advertising dollars. Is this the fault of the broadcaster, who is reacting to viewer polls? Are Global and CTV supposed to go hemorrhage money for the sake of starving Canadian artists who haven't figured out how to connect with a target audience?
CTV isn't rushing to dump Corner Gas so that it can buy more episodes of King of Queens or Reba. Why? Corner Gas works; it's good TV. If there are more homegrown shows that appeal to the homegrown audience, then it's less risky to invest in these shows and air them.
I buy stuff from plenty of local musicians, photographers and writers. I happen to like their product. Sometimes it's more expensive than buying a mass-produced import. Sometimes it's not. The price generally isn't that big a factor because I know I'm going to enjoy the product.
Make a good show that connects with a significant chunk of the viewing audience, and it will stay alive.
Chris - I don't expect them to prop up shows very few people are watching, but I expect them to put in the resources (money and time) producing and promoting the shows, and put them in timeslots where people can see them. If nobody tunes in, cancel the show and try again. It's not their job to keep our actors and writers working, but it is their job to provide us Canadian content. How they've been doing much of that, by cutting corners, is the issue at hand.
Our networks have shown they can produce entertaining and profitable shows, I admitted that above. But they still give us Canadian Idol to help fulfill their CanCon requirements, as there seems to be very little in the requirements as to what form CanCon must take. What stops them from producing another hit like Corner Gas or Trailer Park Boys? The easier foreign-originating alternatives, it looks like.
The ACTRA needs to get a life. First, there are TONS of Canadian's on american shows. Tons of Canadian actors, producers, writers, ect.., just because American shows are not made in Canada doesn't mean they don't have Canadian talent! Also I think the ACTRA was horrible to only protest outside Global and not CTV. How unfair is that? They say they didn't target Global but they did! They only protested at Global and not CTV. Even worse is that Global announced a bunch of new Canadian shows, how many new Canadian shows did CTV announce? ZERO. Also from 7-11 Mon-Sun, Global has MORE Canadian programming in primetime than CTV! The ACTRA should say sorry to Global for trying to destroy their upfronts when they didn't protest at CTV's. Plus I think the ACTRA is stupid for protesting for more Canadian talent when there are tons of Canadians on American shows! Plus, Canada loves American shows! Global is just giving viewers what they want!