The Canada Media Fund’s support for international digital media coproductions and the Framework for International Digital Media Coproduction
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) supports the coproduction and co-development of content with international partners. The CMF supports international coproductions through its Convergent and Experimental streams. In 2014-15, international treaty coproductions represented a small portion of CMF Convergent funded projects (2.1% of all funding), and four international coproductions were funded through the Experimental stream.
A Digital Media Coproduction Incentive was introduced as a pilot program in 2013-14. It funded two international digital media coproductions: one was an Experimental stream project and one was Convergent. Expanding from this pilot coproduction incentive, three new incentives were implemented in 2014-15. The incentives target both Experimental and Convergent digital media projects. The new incentives are co-ventures with foreign funders, a result of a global outreach for coproduction partners on behalf of Canadian producers. The first is the Canada-New Zealand Digital Media Fund, which partnered with NZ On Air on three Experimental coproduction projects. The second is the Canada-Wallonia Digital Media Incentive for Multiplatform Projects, which partnered with Wallimage of Belgium in the development of two Experimental projects. The foreign partners contributed a total of $654,000 to projects funded by the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Thirdly, the Digital Media Codevelopment & Coproduction Incentive funded five projects in both Convergent and Experimental streams, with coproducers from the United Kingdom, France, Colombia, and Denmark.
For more information, please see: http://ar-ra13-14.cmf-fmc.ca/funding/convergent/intl_co_prod/
The CMF is also a partner in the Framework for International Digital Media Coproduction. The Framework is the result of consultations with the industry with a goal of accessing new opportunities and partnerships. It recognizes and promotes international coproductions specifically in digital media between Canada and other countries. The partners in the Framework seek to encourage international cooperation and to foster global brand management strategies for multiplatform content and digital media properties. They are: the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, the Independent Production Fund, the Quebecor Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, as well as the CMF.
For more information, please see: http://www.cmf-fmc.ca/documents/files/programs/2016-17/apps/cnv/dm-int-co-pro-framework.pdf
The Canada Media Fund’s (CMF) support for international digital media coproductions, including the Framework for International Digital Media Coproduction, is expected to facilitate coproductions between Canadian and foreign producers by increasing access to funding and easing the negotiation process. The CMF will continue to support the production costs of future digital media coproductions, encouraging international partners to work with Canadian producers to create innovative and interactive digital media. The Framework will streamline the funding process, as international coproduction partners will be able to apply for several funds at once. As a result, the number of digital media coproduction partnerships is also expected to increase.
In the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) Funding, International Digital Media Coproduction and Codevelopment Incentives totalled $972,000 CAD.
The activities of the Canada Media Fund over the period between 2010 and 2014 were evaluated by the Evaluation Services of the Department of Canadian Heritage. While the Canada Media Fund’s support for international digital media coproductions and the Framework for International Digital Media Coproduction were not the subject of a distinct evaluation, they were included in the overall evaluation. Please see the measure “Canada Media Fund” under the section “Cultural Policies” for the main conclusions and indicators of the evaluation.