Regional Funding
By providing a number of incentives in its Convergent Stream programs, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) strives to encourage productions from outside Canada’s main production centres of Toronto and Montréal. In 2011-2012, the share of funding to English-language regional production was 31%, still significantly below the prior 5-year average but also reflecting a $6.6 M year-over-year increase in English regional funding.
BC | YT | NT | AB | SK | MB | TO | ON | NU | MTL | QC | NB | NL | NS | PEI | Total | ||
English | $M | 29.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 7.4 | 131.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 204.1 |
% | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 100 | |
French | $M | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 83.3 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 99.7 |
% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 83 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
Total | $M | 29.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 131.7 | 6.6 | 0.0 | 93.3 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 303.8 |
% | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 100 |
Regional by Program - % of funding to regional convergent productions
English | |
Performance Envelope | 87 |
English Production Incentive | 12 |
English POV | 1 |
Northern Production Incentive | 0 |
Convergent Digital Media Incentive | 0 |
Total | 100 |
French | |
Francophone Minority | 62 |
Performance Envelope | 31 |
Regional French Incentive | 7 |
Convergent Digital Media Incentive | 0 |
Total | 100 |
French regional production funding (outside Toronto and Montréal) has dropped to 16% from 18% in 2010-2011, equivalent to the prior five-year average. Francophone production outside Quebec received over 11% of French-language funding, while Quebec production excluding Montréal received 5% of funding.
One-third of development funding was spent in the regions excluding Toronto and Montréal, with regional spending accounting for 35% of English and 21% of French-language development.
English Production Incentive Program
The English Production Incentive (EPI) provides additional funding support to producers in areas of Canada where English-language production volumes have declined more than 20% below their five-year historical average. The program provides 10% of project budgets to a maximum of $1.0 M. This program is part of the CMF’s Convergent Stream; thus, projects funded through this stream must include content to be produced for distribution on at least two platforms, one of which must be television and the other, digital media. Funding from this program is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis within each eligible area.
In 2011-2012, the entire $10.0 M program allocation was spent under a new process that divided funding by province instead of by five previously defined areas of the country. EPI funding contributed to 58 projects, triggering $118 M in production budgets and 208 hours of television. Documentaries received the largest portion of 2011-2012 program funding at 39%.
Whereas 2010-2011 saw $10.0 M split between British Columbia and Quebec, 2011-2012 saw smaller shares to more provinces. British Columbia received the largest share at 36%, Quebec took a 23% share, Nova Scotia 18%, with 10% each to Manitoba and Alberta. The remaining 4% of EPI funding was split between New Brunswick and Nunavut. Nunavut projects receiving EPI also received funds from the Aboriginal program so are not included in English totals.