English-language film and television production remains at an all-time low in Quebec, according to a new report published by the Quebec English Language Production Council (QEPC).
The Canadian Audiovisual Regional Production Report 1996-97 to 2019-20 shows that English-language Canadian content production in Quebec was equal to $166 million in 2019-20, an all-time low of just 7% of the $2.3 billion in total English-language Canadian content production. That number was consistent in three of five years prior to 2019-20, down from a record high of 26% in 1997-98.
Co-authored by Nordicity, the report offers a glimpse into how film and television production in Canada’s official languages varies region to region, made possible with financial support from the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Department of Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board of Canada and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) Montreal.
Based on all languages, the report says Ontario’s dominance of Canadian content production continued, hitting 47% in 2019-20, down slightly from its 2011-12 peak of 49%. Ontario’s share of English-language Canadian content production remained relatively steady at 62% in 2019-20 (down from its peak of 63% in 2011-12).
Regionally, between 2015-16 and 2019-20, domestic production in all languages grew on the Prairies (+14.47% CAGR), Ontario (+1.71% CAGR) and Quebec (+0.89% CAGR), and declined in British Columbia (-1.23% CAGR) and Atlantic Canada (-3.72% CAGR).
British Columbia remained the leader for Foreign Locations and Service (FLS) production at $2.346 billion in 2019-20, falling from 60% share to 45% over the last five years. Ontario, at $1.541 billion, hit 29% in total FLS in 2019-20, while Quebec saw growth from $282 million to $1.142 billion in 2019-20 (+41.86% CAGR), or 22% of the total.
English-language Canadian content production increased from $2.176 billion in 2015-16 to $2.304 billion in 2019-20 (+1.44% CAGR), driven by higher levels of English-language Canadian fiction production which reached 60%.
French official language minority (CLOSM: Communautés de langue officielle en situation minoritaire) production outside Quebec was at a record $55 million in 2018-19, before dipping to $54 million in 2019-20.
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