Quebecor issues slate of proposals to help distressed private TV broadcasters

Private television is in crisis, according to one broadcaster. The owner of Quebec’s TVA Group is proposing a series of measures to counteract the situation. Quebecor Inc. president Pierre Karl Péladeau released the fall schedule for his French-language network on Tuesday, Aug. 26. At the same time, he called on the federal government and the CRTC to initiate moves to help the sector. His first proposal is to disallow Canadian firms from being allowed to deduct spending on advertising via foreign platforms from their taxes. Coupled with that would be an incentive to encourage advertising on domestic platforms. The mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada should be reviewed, he stated, with all advertising on television being eliminated. TVA estimates that such a move would free up $270 million for the private sector. The Crown corporation last underwent a mandate review in 2024, which resulted in a series of recommendations being presented by then-Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge. Her proposals are now being considered by her successor, Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Steven Guillbeault. CBC and other public broadcasters should be excluded from the Canada Media Fund, Péladeau added. Public broadcasters are already heavily subsidized by governments and do not need the funding, he maintained. The Journalism Labour Tax Credit should be reformed to include broadcasters, the network stated. Currently only certain outlets are eligible. Lastly, TVA wants the CRTC to reduce the regulatory, financial, and administrative burdens placed on it and other domestic broadcasters. “or some years now, we have not been able to discuss our content without mentioning the challenges facing our industry,” Péladeau said in the news release. “The situation is a crisis, not just for TVA but for all private broadcasters. And it is affecting not only our television industry but our entire culture.” According to the company’s financial reporting, ad revenue was down by $1.4 million or 1.8 per cent, mainly in TV, for the first quarter of 2025. It recently laid off an additional 30 workers, mostly in the television sector. Its Q2 report concentrated on the telecom side of the business. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) was happy to see the Quebecor announcement. “The CAB appreciates M. Péladeau’s strong statements on the state of the Canadian media sector,” CAB president Kevin Desjardins wrote The Wire Report. “We believe his passionately stated frustration at the government’s slow approach to meaningful change is reflective of much of the rest of the industry. Indeed, most of the measures outlined by M. Péladeau align directly with the CAB’s proposals in our submissions to government in recent months.” Péladeau’s statement came one day after DHX Television Ltd., parent company of Wildbrain, announced it was shuttering its children’s programming channels after losing undue preference filings at the CRTC. WildBrain CEO Josh Scherba said it has “deliberately positioned our business to align with changing consumer habits, including a strategic exit from the declining broadcast space in Canada.” ppark@thewirereport.ca

Quebecor issues slate of proposals to help distressed private TV broadcasters

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By Paul Park
| August 26, 2025

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Quebecor issues slate of proposals to help distressed private TV broadcasters

Broadcast | By Paul Park | August 26, 2025

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By Paul Park
| August 26, 2025