Canadian children’s programming is one genre that could suffer over the next five years, due to a significant projected drop in private broadcaster funding to the tune of US$138 million (CAD$200 million). 

Based on commissioned research from Toronto-based consulting firm Nordicity, the Directors Guild of Canada released a Private Broadcaster Investment in Canadian Programming and Programs of National Interest report yesterday (January 30) that paints a bleak picture. 

Canadian regulations specify that certain types of content be considered Programs of National Interest, and scripted children’s TV falls into this category. Over the past decade, media giants like Bell, Rogers and Corus have contributed financing to more than half (55%) of all types of English-language PNI productions. 

But Canadian broadcasters are all dealing with challenging economic times and uncertainties in the market, and that’s having a trickledown effect on PNI programming. DGC’s report found that there has been a 23% decline in PNI contributions by these three media congloms since 2013—a trend that could continue unless the CRTC (Canada’s national telecommunications regulator) steps in. 

“If no changes were made to the regulation [after] broadcasting year 2023, PNI levels would continue to dwindle in tandem with private broadcaster revenue,” the report states, estimating that English-language PNI expenditures could fall from US$149 million (CAD$216 million) in 2023 to US$115 million (CAD$167million) by 2028, representing a 23% decline. 

The report also features a case study recalling a policy change in 1999 that watered down the requirements for “under-represented programming”—a change that resulted in a 26% decline in financing for scripted storytelling, children’s TV and feature documentaries that lasted until the CRTC introduced PNIs a decade later.

To avoid a similar scenario, DGC national executive director Dave Forget is urging the CRTC to ensure that adequate protections are made for Canadian storytelling while the Online Streaming Act, which was passed into law in April 2023, is being implemented. And the org is concerned that the CRTC is considering requests to remove requirements for PNIs. 

“The government has been clear on the importance of protecting Canadian storytelling, and this time around we have the advantage of being able to learn from history and avoid the mistakes of the past,” Forget says. “The [CRTC] has an opportunity to head off a disastrous blow to our industry and culture, and build a modern, robust system that guarantees audiences a vibrant, diverse range of original Canadian programming for decades to come.”

The CRTC has scheduled a public hearing on March 31 to define Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector, following an online consultation period that ended on January 20. Just before this deadline, Shaw Rocket Fund underlined the threat to Canadian-made children’s programming in a filing to the CRTC—as well as proposing the creation of a 20% financial commitment to funding content for young audiences.

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