TVKIDS
Agnes Augustin, president and CEO of the Shaw Rocket Fund, told TV Kids Festival delegates about how the Canadian kids’ content sector is weathering the industry’s challenges.
You can watch Augustin’s keynote conversation with TV Kids’ Kristin Brzoznowski in its entirety here.
“Globally, we are seeing a contraction of children’s content, and it’s being felt everywhere,” Augustin said. Canadian producers have long known how to deliver high-quality fare with flexible funding structures, “but they are feeling the effects of the reduced commissioning and the issues of how we finance as kids are more online than they are on traditional linear television or even SVOD services. How we finance has been challenging. Canadian producers have always been innovative in how they find partners globally. It’s still very challenging, but we’re positioned well to build on those global partnerships to help create content.”
The Rocket Fund has been around for more than 25 years, advocating for the kids’ sector in Canada, Augustin said. “The Rocket Fund has been working with governments and regulators to not just prioritize children but to look at children as an audience group and not a genre. We have a strong regulatory system that could, I hope, help us make some change.”
Augustin highlighted the various ways the Rocket Fund is investing in and championing Canadian kids’ content. “I always say we’re the smaller fund against the big federal money, but we have a lot more flexibility. For close to eight years now, we have been able to finance digital-first content and work with our producers to help support them so that they can continue to create content.”
On the factors guiding the Rocket Fund’s funding decisions in the years ahead, Augustin noted: “We are experiencing reduced revenues, just like everyone, because our revenues are tied to a legacy business. Over the next two years, we’re trying to figure out how we can better serve our producers and new ways to finance. We’re working on new funding programs at the moment, and they likely won’t be traditional. How can we help you navigate the next two years with the money that we have? Stay tuned!”
The Rocket Fund also supports the sector through its research initiatives, Augustin said. “The research that we do informs how we do our business; it helps our producers in the community and the global community to work with Canada. Our goal in the next couple of years is to figure out how we can work with Dubit and other partners to expand what we do on the research.”
Brzoznowski then asked Augustin about the impacts of AI and how Canadian producers should be responding to it. “We know it’s here and will be part of our lives. McCrindle, which does research on Generation Alpha and Generation Beta out of Australia, says Gen Beta will be seamless between their digital world [and physical one], not just in screening but in health care and education. A lot of people don’t understand what AI is, especially for children. I am working with organizations globally to hopefully be leaders in talking about standards and practices for kids in the AI space.”
Augustin then shared her perspectives on the strategies needed to ensure the long-term success of Canadian children’s programming. “There was a commitment to children in television way back when everyone decided children needed to have access to meaningful and important content for who they are as people and who they will be in the world today. That got lost between business over the years. We had a very robust children’s industry when the business made sense. When the business didn’t make sense, the children’s genre was not prioritized. We need to ensure that there’s a priority for children and that we take a look at the world they’re in today. We just did a regulatory filing recommending that 20 percent of all spending on Canadian programming is for children’s content, regardless of platform, as an obligation. That is the number one answer. All the other things come under that, which is then how do we finance and have strong businesses?”
“Don’t forget the kids,” said Augustin as the session came to a close. “While kids are driving the content and generating it, they still need good narratives and direction. We know that kids need to be able to be given content to help shape their lives. It’s a commitment to children and then making sure that we have the financial resources to create great, strong, meaningful content that includes educators and research to make sure we are taking care of our children.”
