Exporting Canadian Television Globally

Context: We are living in an age of globalization. The world now represents one market, full of opportunities to reach new audiences. For the independent production industry in Canada, this prospect must be seized, as our domestic market remains largely too small to be viable, on its own. As such, there is a growing importance placed on exporting Canadian content, which is apparent within the federal government policy and in terms of long-term economic strategy to protect the health of the industry.

This study serves to identify key trends in international sales of television programs generally and Canadian television programs specifically; to provide intelligence on challenges and opportunities to increase foreign sales; and to identify policies, programs and initiatives to support foreign sales in other jurisdictions and make recommendations to ensure that Canadian initiatives are competitive.

Research firm: Communications MDR was commissioned to conduct this study.

Study funding: This study was commissioned by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and received funding from industry partners, including the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM), the Canada Media Fund (CMF), and Telefilm Canada.