Regional Funding

By providing a number of incentives in its Convergent Stream programs, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) strives to support productions from outside Canada’s main production centres. In response to stakeholder proposals and in order to address the geographical dynamics that influence economic activity and decision-making, the definition of regional production for English-language projects reflects projects outside of Toronto, while regional production for French-language projects reflects projects outside of Montréal.

The share of English funding going outside of Toronto has increased slightly over 2016-2017. Two new big-budget series in British Columbia and one in Newfoundland, as well as lower spending in Toronto, have helped raise the regional share from the five-year low of 2016-2017.

For the third year in a row, regional French-language funding is at a five-year high. Four big-budget projects in Ontario and New Brunswick helped push the regional share above 20%.

Regional spending in 2017-2018 accounted for more than 40% of English development commitments. The larger share compared to production funding is due in part to the role of the English regional pre-development program. More detail on this program’s results can be found in the development section of the report. French regional commitments were at 29.4% of total French development in 2017-2018.

Outside of Toronto and Montréal, the region with the largest share of funding is British Columbia, at 7.3%. Ontario (excluding Toronto) shows a 4.6% share (fueled by both English and French projects) and Alberta was at 3.7%.

Support to regional production by program 2017-2018 %

English
Performance Envelope	65.6
English Regional Production Bonus	19.7
Anglophone Minority Incentive	6.4
English POV	3.2
Aboriginal Program	3.2
Convergent Digital Media Incentive	1.0
Northern Incentive	0.9
Total	100.0
French
Francophone Minority	58.9
Performance Envelope	26.9
Quebec French Regional Production Incentive	11.5
Convergent Digital Media Incentive	1.4
Northern Incentive	0.7
Aboriginal Program	0.6
Total	100.0

ENGLISH REGIONAL BONUS

The English Regional Production Bonus (ERPB) provides additional funding support to producers in areas of Canada outside of Toronto. The program provides 15% of television project budgets to a maximum of $1.0M. This program is part of the CMF’s Convergent Stream; thus, projects funded through this stream must include content to be produced for distribution on at least two platforms, one of which must be television and the other, digital media. Funding from this program is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

ERPB funding of $12.9M  contributed to 59 projects. Dramas received the largest portion of 2017-2018 program funding at 58.8%. Seven provinces received funding through the incentive with the largest amount going to British Columbia at 35.0%.

QUEBEC FRENCH REGIONAL PRODUCTION INCENTIVE

The Québec French Regional Production Incentive gives additional funding to French projects originating in Québec outside of Montreal. $2.1M went to 38 projects in 2017-2018.

NORTHERN INCENTIVE - PRODUCTION

The Northern Incentive provided $1.1M in production support to 11 projects in Nunavut, the Yukon, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories.

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