CMF Announces 2016-2017 program budget, guidelines and deadlines
Toronto, March 31, 2016 - The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced today Program Guidelines for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. The CMF also announced it is committing $371.2M to support Canada’s television and digital media industry in 2016-2017. The breakdown of the 2016-2017 program budget can be viewed on the CMF website. Please click here.
The CMF program budget is supported by revenue estimates for the coming year based on contributions from the Government of Canada; Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors; and recoupment and repayment revenues from funded productions. The program budget reflects a stable contribution from the Government of Canada and an expected decline in Broadcast Distribution Undertakings’ contributions to the CMF for the year to come.
“The changes to the 2016-2017 guidelines are aligned with recommendations outlined in Canadian Heritage’s positive program evaluation of the CMF and the openness shown by Canadian Heritage to provide increased flexibility to the CMF. In addition to changes implemented this year, we will build on the momentum obtained during the cross-country industry consultation last fall to ensure the CMF is responsive to the industry’s changing needs. Stakeholder feedback is crucial to the overall success of the CMF and the industry it serves. Work will continue during the new fiscal year to ensure we address all issues raised during the consultation process,” stated Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF.
CMF Programs 2016-2017
The main changes to the CMF program guidelines are as follows.
In an effort to ensure the industry has the necessary flexibility to determine which forms of digital content are best suited to complement individual television projects in the Convergent Stream, the CMF will both reduce the minimum digital media content requirement from “rich and substantial” to “value added” and provide applicants with additional flexibility when calculating CMF convergence requirements.
In order to better respond to the competing objectives of innovation and commercialization in the Experimental Stream, the CMF will introduce a new pilot initiative that places an increased emphasis on commercially-driven projects. The new Commercial Projects Pilot Program will still require innovation; however, the program will focus on the market potential of eligible projects.
In line with the Government of Canada’s objective of showcasing our cultural industries to the world, the CMF will launch a new pilot initiative to support export activities that contribute to the discoverability of Canadian content on the global market. Details will be announced in the coming months.
While the CMF currently has a number of programs that encourage regional production, funding results observed last year and feedback received during the 2015 consultation both point to the need to further support regional projects in the English market. In response to this issue, the CMF will increase support provided through the English Regional Production Bonus, the Anglophone Minority Incentive and the Development Program under the Convergent Stream.
Other changes and updates have been made to existing program guidelines for 2016-2017. Complete Program Guidelines, application deadlines, and a summary of changes are available on the CMF website cmf-fmc.ca.
Webcast and comments
The CMF will host webcasts on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 to provide an overview of changes to the programs and to answer any questions. The French-language webcast will be at 11 a.m. ET and the English-language webcast will be at 2 p.m. ET. Details on how to join the webcasts will be communicated shortly.
Stakeholders are invited to share comments and questions on CMF programs by writing to [email protected] or through the CMF Twitter feeds @CMF_FMC (English) and @CMF_FMC_FR (French). For questions about the application process, please contact the Canada Media Fund Program Administrator/Telefilm at 1.800.463.4607.
Performance Envelope Program
As announced in December 2015, Factor Weights and genre allocations for 2016-2017 remain unchanged. This information is available on the CMF website under Performance Envelope Calculations. The CMF will be sending broadcaster agreements outlining the amounts allocated for the upcoming year to individual broadcasters in early April, 2016. Details about each broadcaster corporate group’s Performance Envelope will be posted on the CMF website in mid-April, 2016.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
eTelefilm systems are migrating to a new platform to better serve our clients’ needs.
At the moment, this change applies to applications for financing within the Experimental Stream- Innovation Program only, and requires the creation of a new account, resulting in a one to two days delay prior to the submission of your applications. If you intend to apply for funding under the Experimental Stream – Innovation Program, please read the following instructions.
New eTelefilm clients: Registration procedure
Existing eTelefilm clients: Instructions to modify your account
Should you require any assistance, please contact us at one of the numbers below:
English: 1-800-567-0890, extension 3550
French: 1-800-567-0890, extension 2222
About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors. Please visit cmf-fmc.ca.
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Media Contact:
André Ferreira
Communications Manager
416-554-2768
[email protected]
