TV & Film News – Production volumes down 18.5% year-over-year

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) Profile 2024: An Economic Report on the Screen-based Media Production Industry in Canada indicates total TV and film production volume was down by 18.5%, compared to last year. According to the report, between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, the media production sector in Canada created 179,130 jobs, and generated $9.58 billion in production volume, contributing $11.04 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2023/24. Despite pandemic growth in 2021/22 and 2022/23, total production volume declined by 18.5% in 2023/24, which the CMPA says reflects a significant downturn in economic activity across domestic and foreign production in Canada, driven in part by two lengthy U.S. labour strikes, and a slowdown in commissioning of Canadian content – most notably in English-language television – from broadcasters. Read more here.

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) have ratified their first-ever Independent Production Agreement, establishing terms, conditions, and rates for musicians engaged on English-language independent productions in Canada. The three-year agreement, which commenced Jan. 1, expires Dec. 31, 2027. 

Crave has confirmed a Season 2 order for its original comedy series, The Office Movers, set to go into production in 2025. Ranking as one of Crave’s Top 20 titles during its release weeks, the announcement comes on the heels of a successful first season. Created by and starring Canadian comedians and brother duo, Jae and Trey Richards, The Office Movers follows two brothers navigating the chaotic world of Toronto’s commercial office moving industry. 

Crave has confirmed that the puck drops on Season 4 of its smash-hit original comedy series SHORESY on Friday, Jan. 24. The six-episode fourth season premieres with two episodes on, followed by one new episode on subsequent Fridays. Crave has also announced that SHORESY has been renewed for a fifth season, going into production later this spring. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, the new season follows Shoresy (Keeso) as he explores life after hockey, and the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs contend with the distractions of summer.

Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ will mark the 25th annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, live from Canmore, on Saturday, Jan. 18. Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada matchups, featuring all seven Canadian NHL teams, are available to stream for free in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Tagalog, Gujarati, and Spanish, with Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition airing live on OMNI, and Hockey Night in Canada in Cree live on APTN. Ron MacLean hosts along with Sportsnet’s David Amber, Elliotte Friedman, Kyle Bukauskas, Kevin Bieksa, Jennifer Botterill, Kelly Hrudey and Evanka Osmak. Randip Janda, Taqdeer Thindal, and Gurp Sian also host Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition live from Canmore. Special guests include Calgary Flames alumni Lanny McDonald, Colin Patterson, Matt Stajan, Curtis Glencross, and Jay Bouwmeester as well as NHL alumni Andrew Ference.

APTN and Sportsnet have teamed up once again to bring NHL hockey back to APTN and now APTN Languages. This season, viewers can once again experience Hockey Night in Canada in Cree, with play-by-play commentary from Clarence Iron, joined by analysts Earl Wood, John Chabot and Jason Chamakese. For the first time, APTN will also broadcast three games in Inuktitut, hosted by Pujjuut Kusugak and David Ningeongan. The schedule kicks off Saturday, Jan. 18, in Plains Cree with the Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames for Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.

National Film Board (NFB) animation, composer and sound designer Normand Roger and late animator and producer Eunice Macaulay, will be honoured by ASIFA-Hollywood with its Winsor McCay Award for career achievement, to be presented at the 52nd Annie Awards next month. The International Animated Film Society/ASIFA-Hollywood is a California non-profit established over 35 years ago to promote and encourage the art and craft of animation. Born in Montreal, Roger began his career as a freelance film composer in 1971 for the NFB. The films he’s worked on have garnered 13 Academy Award nominations, including six Oscar wins. Macaulay, who passed away in 2013, held nearly every position in animation over her 17-year career at NFB, which she joined full-time in 1973. Her NFB highlights include co-writing and co-directing the Oscar-winning short Special Delivery (1978) with John Weldon. 

Blue Ant Media has launched its free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, Declassified, on VIZIO WatchFree+ for U.S. users. Declassified features stories and revelations from conspiracies and catastrophes to engineering and ancient civilizations. The deal, led by Julio Sobral, SVP, Channel Distribution, Blue Ant Media, is an expansion of the brand’s existing partnership with VIZIO, in which Declassified joins Blue Ant free-streaming brands, Love Nature, Love Pets, Homeful and HauntTV.

Sinking Ship Entertainment has announced its new tween series Media Stamped has been sold to HITN, one of the leading Spanish-language networks in the U.S. The partnership will bring Media Stamped into over 35 million homes across the U.S., amplifying the show’s mission of teaching media literacy to young audiences. Commissioned by Telus in Canada and produced in partnership with the global advocacy group Global Citizen, the series also received support from the Shaw Rocket Fund. Created and hosted by writer and media advocate Nicole Stamp, Media Stamped equips 9 to 12-year-olds with the tools to analyze media content critically and thoughtfully, empowering them to become informed digital citizens. The series will premiere on HITN in the second quarter of 2025.