Alan Sawyer: La crise du système de radiodiffusion canadien
Le texte suivant a été écrit par Alan Sawyer, un blogueur indépendant important dans l’industrie:
I certainly don’t speak for BDUs but if I did here’s what I’d say to conventional broadcasters:
You buy content and sometimes you create it yourself. You sell advertising that you wrap around that content. Then you give that away for free over the air (and often on the Internet, too). You hope that at the end of the day the advertising revenue you receive exceeds the costs of content and distribution – and for the longest time, it did just that, handsomely.
The airwaves are a public good. In exchange for a right to use a portion of that scarce resource, you must carry some Canadian content. The CRTC says so. Fair enough, right?
Lately, though, you like to spend more and more of your money on U.S. content. If a U.S. broadcaster is airing the same program as you at the same time, I must replace the U.S. signal with your signal so that you preserve the advertising effectiveness of the content in which you’ve invested. You benefit greatly from that. The CRTC says I must do that. Fair enough.
I spend massive amounts on wire (cable / IPTV) or birds in the sky (satellite) and distribute your signals for free, helping you to reach a larger advertising audience (and therefore allowing you to charge higher advertising rates). I do that on a localized basis (to the extent that I am able). You benefit greatly from that. I must do that. The CRTC says so. Fair enough.
As part of the broadcasting system, I must contribute back to the industry. A percentage of my revenue comes right off the top and goes to the CTF to help create the Canadian programming that you wrap your advertising around. You benefit greatly from that. I must do that. The CRTC says so. Fair enough.
I also administer and contribute to independent production funds to help you finance content creation through outright grants and/or equity investments. You benefit greatly from that. I must do that. The CRTC says so. Fair enough.
Local programming is hurting. You spend so much on foreign content that you can’t afford to spend enough on local stations and content. I now also make contributions to the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) specifically to help « maintain and improve the quality of local television programming ». You stand to benefit from that. I must do that. The CRTC says so. Fair enough.
So, through the CTF and the independent production funds I make a significant financial contribution to support your operations already – and not just your conventional OTA operations but also your profitable specialty channels, too. And, through the LPIF I further support your local OTA endeavours.
