The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Louis Roquet, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), and Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CMF, today announced the launch of the new funding agency and presented details regarding its programs. Open for business on April 1, 2010, the CMF’s mandate is to champion the creation of successful, innovative, Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging digital platforms through financial support and industry research.
“In launching the Canada Media Fund, we’ve taken an important step towards supporting a truly modern, multiplatform industry and a digital content strategy for Canada. The CMF will allow our industry to do what it does best: create, entertain, and connect with Canadians,” said Minister Moore. “We must all work together to ensure the Canada Media Fund’s success and provide Canadians with exciting content that is reflective of new digital realities.”
The CMF will support projects through two streams of funding, an Experimental Stream, which will invest in the creation of innovative content and software applications for eventual integration into mainstream Canadian media platforms; and a Convergent Stream, which will support the creation of convergent television and digital media content.
“Disbursing over $350 million in funding support, the CMF will strengthen Canada’s production and broadcasting industries as they adjust to the evolving content consumption behaviour of Canadians,” said Mr. Roquet. Through its Experimental Stream, the CMF will encourage the development of leading-edge, non-linear, interactive digital media content and software applications. Through its Convergent Stream, the CMF will support the creation of television shows and related digital media content in four underrepresented genres: drama, documentary, children’s and youth, and variety and performing arts. While basic digital media components, such as first generation websites and video-on-demand will be eligible, the CMF will encourage the creation of rich, value-added content.
The programs and incentives that comprise the Convergent Stream are designed to support production in all regions of Canada and in the variety of languages spoken by Canadians. The majority of funding in the Convergent Stream will be disbursed through the Performance Envelope Program, which encourages partnerships between broadcasters, television producers, and digital media producers to create convergent content that Canadians want to consume.
All policies and program guidelines are available for download on the CMF website at www.cmf-fmc.ca.
“Designed and based on the valuable input we received from the industry, the CMF program balances the varied objectives and interests of the industry, while responding to the call for change in the mandate of the new organization. As we roll out the new program, we will continue to consult with the industry, evaluate the impact of the program, and re-calibrate as required.” said Ms. Creighton.
Connect.Create.Innovate.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) champions the creation of successful, innovative, Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging digital platforms through financial support and industry research. Created by Canada’s cable and satellite distributors and the Government of Canada, the CMF aspires to connect Canadians to our creative expressions, to each other, and to the world.
