CanWest opens wallet to buy big for fall TV season

The annual migration of Canadian TV programmers to sunny Los Angeles is over. Laden with fall TV series, the programmers are winging their way home to present their packages of goodies to potential advertisers next week.

CanWest MediaWorks unlocked its pocketbook to make major buys. CanWest buys for both Global TV and Hamilton's CH and picked up three big new hour dramas: Shark (with James Woods), Brothers & Sisters (Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths) and Kidnapped (Dana Delaney). Also purchased are the new dramas The Black Donnellys (from Canadian Oscar producer Paul Haggis), Vanished (from CSI's Josh Berman), Raines (Jeff Goldblum), Standoff (Matt Flannery). CanWest says it also bought the drama series Friday Night Lights about high school football in Texas starring Kyle Chandler, Runaway (with Canadian Leslie Hope), the half-hour comedy Big Day (Wendy Malick), Day Break (Taye Diggs) and the half-hour comedy In Case Of Emergency (Jonathan Silverman, David Arquette).

CTV made fewer buys because it is already loaded with returning Top 10 hits (it has three CSI series and three Law & Order series). But it did purchase the new series from Aaron Sorkin (West Wing) titled Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, the new drama from John Wells (ER) titled Smith, The Nine (nine people trapped as hostages), Justice (from Jerry Bruckheimer) and the sitcoms 30 Rock and Let's Rob. Late-bloomer CHUM Television, which programs for both Citytv stations and A Channel affiliates, renewed Paramount's Everybody Loves Chris, plus two more cycles of America's Next Top Model. New shows include the Simon Cowell reality series Duets, and the telenovela-inspired Betty The Ugly produced by Salma Hayek. But CHUM also snared two mid-season replacements: 3 Lbs. (a neurosurgeons drama with Stanley Tucci) and Hidden Palms (dark secrets in Palm Springs).

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I am very glad they have picked up the new series from Aaron Sorkin (West Wing) titled Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. I am looking forward to seeing it.

could open their wallets and develop a Canadian industry, instead of being given the public airwaves, to do little more than 'suck' entertainment dollars out of the country back to the US.

Whatever happened to that CRTC thingy anyhow?

regulations or something else?

I don't disagree it would be better if they financially supported our small Canadian industry which would not only allow it to grow but would improve the quality which, at this point, is hit and miss, imo.

They regulate stuff?

Um...funny when Canwest can show back to back repeat episodes of The 70s Show in primetime or CTV showing infomericals like the Bill Graham Crusade in primetime, one is a little hesitant to use the terms Canadian content and regulation all in one sentence.

Yes and IF they financially supported our small Canadian industry it could be much larger, exportable and much more 'content' rich.

The fact of the matter is that there are state of the art facilities in the three major cities in this country, with thousands of highly skilled entertainers and technicians out there going hungry, waiting for American producers to green light projects.

Why this isn't happening here in an English-speaking country with nothing but world credibility, money and interest is one of the big unanswered questions in our history.

Here is just one possible avenue:

Given our advantageous multiculturalism of robust and proud 'ex-pats', one wonders why the CRTC isn't specifically targeting these groups to go out and get some of that Asian entertainment dollars like the the US is doing?

Who the fuck knows? Other than saving the usual family compacts in Media whose wealth has been built up simply 'renting' American videos, who knows why this country has never made any kind of pro-active attempt to sell itself and it's message to the world.

Those folks can make spectacular Bollywood productions, very good Chinese 'action' films, and superb immigrant dramas and soaps and would have a home market that could support a lot of it...even the CBC makes good coin off of it's export products. (or at least it did, until the privates starting breathing down it's throat)

Makes no sense to continue to think that Canadian content is merely the CBC pointing a camera at Ballet Canada and then everyone at the 'forward-looking' Friends of Canadian Broadcasting congratulating themselves on protecting Canada culture, that doesn't upset Canadian stereotypes.

website:

Air time for Canadian programs
Private television stations and networks (e.g. CTV, Global,TVA) and ethnic TV stations must achieve a yearly Canadian content level of:

60% overall, measured during the day – i.e. 6AM and midnight;
50%, measured during the evening broadcast period – i.e. between 6PM and midnight.
CBC must ensure that at least 60% of its overall schedule, measured during the day – i.e. 6AM to midnight, is Canadian.

Requirements for pay-tv, specialty and pay-per-view services vary and are set by conditions of licence. Check decisions for individual services for details (Search).

Broadcasters can claim a 125% to 150% time credit for Canadian dramas when they're aired during peak viewing hours (7PM to 11PM).

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/G11.htm

It is interesting that the % Canadian content is yearly so CTV, Global, etc, can feel quite comfortable in putting on the major part of their required 60% during the summer where viewership is, I am quite sure, down in relation to the September to June time frame.

I also found this interesting:

"Broadcasters can claim a 125% to 150% time credit for Canadian dramas when they're aired during peak viewing hours (7PM to 11PM)."

So does this mean if the broadcasters put a preponderance of Canadian dramas on over the summer, enough of these dramas to earn enough "credits" so they don't have to show any Canadian content over the fall and winter months? Sure sounds like it to me.

I appreciate you raising the question of CRTC because, in going to their site, it has re-affirmed that it's regs have enough loopholes big enough to drive more than one truck through.