CRTC incentives will increase ads
OTTAWA (CP) — Viewers could end up watching a lot more TV ads under an incentive program designed to encourage broadcasters to produce more Canadian dramas.
Depending on how and where the dramas are made, TV stations could broadcast up to eight minutes more advertising for every hour of original Canadian drama they produce, says the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
The exact amount of additional advertising would depend on such things as the level of Canadian participation in the production, how much is spent and when the drama is broadcast.
“Broadcasters who choose to take advantage of this incentive program will apply for conditions of licence that will allow them to broadcast additional minutes of advertising if they meet the commission’s criteria,” the CRTC said in a news release Monday.
Under the plan, broadcasters could earn the right to air between 30 seconds and eight minutes of additional advertising for each hour of original Canadian drama they broadcast.
For instance, broadcasters who increase their Canadian drama audience share by a set amount could increase the amount of advertising they air by 25 per cent.
They’d get a further 25-per-cent increase if they spend a pre-determined amount of money producing the drama.
The CRTC estimates the changes will give the biggest broadcasters $80,000 for each additional advertising minute they air during prime time.
For the largest English-language networks, the incentives would apply only to qualifying drama in excess of 26 hours per year. Drama programs that do not receive funding from the Canadian Television Fund would be exempt.
“This will encourage broadcasters to invest directly in the creation of new independently-produced drama projects,” said the CRTC.
The commission promises additional measures soon to help French-language TV maintain original French drama programming in peak viewing hours.
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