Quebecor Fund: From the kindness of their CRTC policy

Quebecor Media has released the list of television producers who will get $2.4 million from its non-profit Quebecor Fund.

Of course, neither the release nor the fund’s website makes clear that the fund is a CRTC requirement for cable and satellite providers (like Quebecor’s Videotron) and this money isn’t being distributed out of the kindness of Pierre-Karl Péladeau’s heart. In fact, Quebecor has been fighting to change the way television is funded, shutting down the Canadian Television Fund (now the Canadian Media Fund) and allowing Quebecor to give its money only to productions for its networks.

Then again, this behaviour is hardly uncommon in the industry. Broadcasters and distributors alike keep to CRTC minimums for Canadian content, original programming and funding, and then boast how much good they do to a public that’s unfamiliar with CRTC policy. CTV’s Save Local campaign is an example of this, as is Shaw’s response to it.

But what gets me most about this release is this: the Quebecor Fund trumpets itself as supporting “shows that offer quality content and have undeniable durability” (as well as encouraging interactivity and new technologies).

The last item on the list of funding recipients: Occupation Double.

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