Little upside in Canada yet from US writers strike

The anticipated surge in demand for homegrown TV as a result of the US writers' strike hasn't materialized as many had hoped. Canadian network and production house executives say we shouldn't be surprised.With the Writers Guild of America's strike now moving into its fourth month, holes are starting to appear in Canadian broadcasters' schedules. But as Barb Williams, CanWest Broadcasting's senior VP of programming and production, explains it takes time to get high-profile, primetime Canadian content written, financed and produced. "You can't be delivering that kind of content just because you suddenly need it," she tells Canadian Communications Reports. "Even if we have seven episodes of a Canadian show now that's doing well and we really wish we had 10, we can't necessarily in a few weeks get a production up and running and do three more." That's not to say there hasn't been any upside Cancon, she adds: "It has allowed the opportunity to schedule some Canadian content now in the winter season that maybe wasn't going to start until the spring. There's an opportunity to get it on the air sooner or to maybe give it a stronger timeslot than it otherwise might have because competition for those primetime slots is just not as tough given the lack of new US programming." The strike is also allowing publicity and marketing teams to help drive larger audiences to those new Canadian shows, she adds. "It's providing the opportunity for new Cancon to be well scheduled, well promoted and well sampled, and that's very exciting." Of course, the longer the strike drags on the more holes will appear in broadcasters' schedules, increasing the opportunities for Canadian content producers here and in the US. Shaftesbury Films chairman and co-CEO Christina Jennings says the Toronto-based producer is feeling pressure to stick to schedules on shows in production to ensure they are ready for the upcoming fall season, which has already been impacted by the strike. Shaftesbury is also negotiating with US networks to distribute its ReGenesis and Murdoch Mysteries series, as well as one other it can't disclose. But Jennings doesn't attribute an increase in Cancon exports entirely to the strike. "There's been a lot of media attention about the writers strike creating these sorts of huge opportunities for Canadian producers and broadcasters, but I think what's interesting actually is the times are changing," she says. "All that the writers strike really in my opinion has done is just hurried up what actually would have happened anyway." Jennings believes America's venerable model of producing all its own content was on the verge of diminishing because of the cost-savings associated with international co-productions. And as that happens, she says Canada is the most likely partner because there's no language or accent barrier to overcome. "We often talk about it as a seat at the table, and the Americans are now realizing that if they can find the right partner then sharing the costs of a production is the smart thing to do," Jennings says. "It's exciting times and hopefully for all those out of work writers and actors the strike will settle soon." Similarly, while January-launched shows like Global's The Guard are reporting high ratings, there's no way to tell if that is due to a lack of new US shows. Williams says even if Cancon ratings are slightly inflated because of the strike, the shows will ultimately succeed or fail on their own merits. Until the strike is resolved, broadcasters and producers will continue to operate in a reality where they don't know the market demands will be from one day to the next. "Honestly it's a very daily assessment at this point and it's impossible to predict," says Williams. "It's a really different experience than we've been through before."

Little upside in Canada yet from US writers strike

Broadcast | January 31, 2008

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