Fall 2025

Perspectives

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National strategies, global reach

From how we produce content to how we consume it, change has always been part of the media landscape. This issue of Perspectives looks at how other countries leverage national media policies to not only keep up with change but drive it forward.

National content is intrinsically tied to both cultural identity and economic growth, demanding policies that address multiple priorities. Financial and cultural benefits can go hand in hand, as the success of the Korean content industry demonstrates. Yet, the European gaming sector shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution—different countries require different approaches.

Ultimately, global industries grow out of national ones, and effective policy is the connective tissue between the two. As creators and policymakers consider the future of media and Canadian storytelling, this issue presents international case studies to show how national strategies can shape the global media landscape.

Articles

Talking gaming: Thierry Baujard on strategies for success in the European gaming sector

The gaming sector is relatively young but marked by its strong economic impact—the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) reports over $5B total GDP contribution and 34,000 jobs in Canada in 2024—and high demand. With large sales numbers and engaged communities, what’s the role of national funders? For an international perspective, our feature interview with SpielFabrique’s Thierry Baujard illuminates how European countries are adapting policies and funding strategies to grow the sector.

From K-Policy to K-Brand: Making a content powerhouse

The Canada-Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges marks the 60th anniversary of diplomacy between the two countries. Our policy deep dive traces South Korea’s worldwide impact from its first steps in building a content industry into what is now a proven success story and a globally recognized “K-Brand.” As South Korea sets its sights on doubling the value of its cultural sector, what path did it take to get there, and how might it achieve this ambitious goal?

Credits

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.

Vice President, Analytics and Strategic Insights
Richard Koo

Director, Strategy & Business Intelligence
Michael Mastantuono

Senior Research Consultant, Strategy & Business Intelligence
Irene Berkowitz

Research Lead, Strategy & Business Intelligence
Jon Montes

Analyst, Strategy & Business Intelligence
Corinne Darche

Perspectives: The Currency of Audience (Spring 2025)

Earlier issues of Perspectives examined the seismic shifts in the audiovisual (AV) and the interactive digital media (IDM) industries. New technologies, algorithms, and digital platforms mean that the industry is evolving faster than ever before, leaving creators with a seemingly endless task of staying up to date.

However, this third issue of Perspectives, The Currency of Audience, brings us back to basics. How might intellectual property (IP) – or rather, an industry centered around harnessing its real value – answer these foundational shifts?

IP is undoubtedly a broad topic within our industry. It’s used to describe copyright, underlying rights, intangible assets, and all other legal elements related to a creative project. The Currency of Audience, on the other hand, investigates IP in terms of the story that it tells. It explores the underlying creation and ideation that is developed and then turned into individual content.

The maxim “content is king” has long defined the sector, but our industry is built on IP. It’s what’s behind every film set, gaming engine, and social media channel. As digital platforms themselves are being viewed as audience sources, IP is the real reason why we flock to certain creators and their points of view. In a moment where policymakers and industry alike are redefining Canadian stories and seeking to understand what sets them apart in a highly competitive global media market, this issue revisits the ways in which we mobilize and support IP to offer strategies for unlocking success.

Perspectives: Embracing Change (Spring 2024)

The second issue of Perspectives explores change. We’ve all heard the expression “embracing change” but what kind of change matters most for the screen industry? What dynamics should we be paying attention to?

Our industry is built upon a diversified ecosystem with multiple creative realms—audiovisual productions, digital creation on social media platforms, and video games, not to mention extended reality—and they are all intertwined and impacted to varying degrees by current economic, societal, behavioural, and technological dynamics.

These dynamics are tied together by a structural transformation of the industry that is driving us not only to adapt, but also to collectively reinvent ourselves. Today, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are reshuffling the deck. Is the screen industry aligned with the times and the world? Do we have what it takes to meet today’s societal, ecological, and technological challenges head-on? Can we look at the data and trends to move forward in integrating these important societal changes now? The answer is certainly yes. Our creativity is what powers our industry, especially when it comes to meeting such challenges.