CMF, Quebecor Fund to Support Canadian Content Exports

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Quebecor Fund are collaborating on a new pilot partnership to promote the export of content made in Canada.

The two organizations will support various business models to promote the export of audiovisual projects produced in Québec. The pact is meant to encourage the development of content for foreign markets, increase the volume of exports, accelerate the implementation of projects intended for export by creating leverage, and expand the reach and revenue generated by the content of Québec-based producers through global sales and exports.

The maximum total contribution for each funded project will be C$400,000. The Quebecor Fund will contribute a maximum of C$300,000 and the CMF C$100,000 to each selected project. The pilot partnership will support up to five projects.

To be eligible, a project must encourage the development and production of Canadian content intended for export, contribute to the improvement of the country’s TV broadcasting system and eventually be aired on television by a licensed Canadian broadcaster. The deadline for applications to be submitted to the Quebecor Fund is March 15, 2018.

“The country’s audiovisual sector has a clear goal of increasing Canadian content exports to create new business opportunities on the international market, where there is ever-increasing demand for quality and diverse audiovisual content,” said Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF. “Canadian content in both official languages is recognized around the world for its quality, but international competition is fierce. Export assistance programs are essential for producers looking for new markets. By partnering with the Quebecor Fund, the CMF is benefiting from the expertise of an existing export growth program that has proven successful, as well as increasing the funding available to producers in Québec looking to enter new markets.”

“The Quebecor Fund appreciates the CMF’s bold approach to strengthen its support for Québec producers who are firmly committed to exporting their works to markets outside Québec,” added Serge Thibaudeau, president and CEO of the Quebecor Fund. “Since the spring of 2014, several audiovisual producers have received support from the Quebecor Fund to move faster, further and more forcefully in their quest to gain their fair share of international markets. There is no doubt that with the new CMF-QF collaboration, the positive impacts of all this work will continue to multiply.”