Making Sense of the Media Distribution Multiverse: Paths to Consumers, Key Concepts and Definitions

This guide presents a series of tables that map the main channels through which video, audio and interactive works can be distributed.

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Making Sense of the Media Distribution Multiverse: Paths to Consumers, Key Concepts and Definitions

Making Sense of the Media Distribution Multiverse: Paths to Consumers, Key Concepts and Definitions

This guide prepared by ROBIC, a Canadian firm that specializes in intellectual property and business law, presents a series of tables that map the main channels through which video, audio and interactive works can be distributed (in other words, the technical means to reproduce and transmit content to consumers). Canadian and international examples are provided for each channel. Larger, printable and ready-to-assemble versions of these tables are also available.

Also, the tables identify the various rights (reproduction or performance rights) that apply to each channel pursuant to applicable Canadian laws.

Finally, the tables come with a full glossary that proposes a definition for each of the terms employed.

This guide is intended as a practical resource for stakeholders in the Canadian media industries. We hope that you find it useful, for example to plan the marketing of your content or to clarify the wording of your distribution agreements.

We would like to thank our partners for their financial support to produce this guide: Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board of Canada, the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec and the Canadian Media Producers Association.

Printable and Ready-to-Assemble Tables

Here are larger, all-in-one versions of the tables contained in the report. Print them out, assemble, and keep them handy they’re wonderfully simple reference tools we hope you will use again and again.

Table 1: Content Distribution from Producers to End Users

Table 2: Distribution Methods Most Used, by Content Types

Table 3: Typical Distribution Paths for Different Contents