Regulatory certainty, funding stability key focuses for new CMPA board

Getting the implementation of the Online Streaming Act over the finish line and ensuring consistent funding for programs that support the creation of Canadian content are at the top of the agenda for the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA). The trade association announced its newly appointed board of directors for the 2025-2027 term earlier this month. The 23-member board was elected by the CMPA membership and will be chaired by Kyle Irving, co-owner and executive producer of Winnipeg-based Eagle Vision. “I believe very much in Canadian independent producers, what we represent, and the stories we tell, and I'm really excited to take on the job at this very interesting moment in time,” said Irving, who previously served on the executive as co-vice chair and focused heavily on industrial relations, in an interview with The Wire Report. CMPA president Reynolds Mastin said in a release that the organization, with Irving’s leadership, “is ready to meet the challenges ahead …. From the political arena to the courtroom to the CRTC, we will uphold Canada’s cultural sovereignty, and defend the investments secured through the Online Streaming Act, which Canada’s independent producers and stakeholders from across the entire industry have worked a decade to achieve.” Also joining the board are eight new directors, including Tex Antonucci, Tanya Brunel, Jennifer Fulop, Brian Hamilton, Jenna MacMillan, Marsha Newbery, Mary Sexton, and Blake Tohana. Regulatory modernization ‘home stretch’ A key priority for the new board is the implementation of the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) and the broader modernization of Canada’s regulatory system. Irving emphasized that the Broadcasting Act had previously gone unchanged for approximately 30 years, during which viewers' content consumption shifted dramatically toward online platforms and streaming services. The modernization effort aims to ensure that major global streamers contribute some of what they gain from the Canadian market back to the system, mirroring the long-standing requirement for Canadian broadcasters. This contribution is designed to bring overall industry support for independent Canadian production back to historic levels. Brian Hamilton, head of Vancouver-based Omnifilm Entertainment and a returning board member (who last served on the board in 2021), said in an interview with The Wire Report that he decided to rejoin because of “how pivotal a moment this is for setting the foundation and setting our production companies up for success as the rules of the road change dramatically.” “I feel like the next two years, which is my current board term, feels like the home stretch in terms of establishing the rules of the road and modernizing the regulatory system that profoundly affects all of our businesses,” he continued. Hamilton emphasized that modernizing the system is imperative not only for economic reasons but also for strengthening Canada's ability to reflect the country’s diversity and tell its own stories. Public opinion research recently conducted by Pollara and commissioned by the CMPA highlights Hamilton’s point. The group’s study found that 87 per cent of surveyed Canadians support the Online Streaming Act. Further, 87 per cent agreed that Canadian content and stories should be owned and controlled by Canadian companies. Despite the support, the industry faces instability until the CRTC completes its work and any related court proceedings are concluded, explained Irving. Securing funding and addressing Telefilm’s ‘sunset clause’ Beyond regulatory reform, the CMPA board is focusing heavily on ensuring long-term financial stability for cultural institutions such as Telefilm Canada. The board plans to hold the Liberal government to promises it made on the campaign trail to increase funding for the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm, the National Film Board, and the Canadian Arts Council. A major immediate concern is eliminating the “sunset clause” on an additional $50 million currently allocated to Telefilm. Irving stressed that continued support for the Crown corporation is vital because Telefilm’s investments have a "multiplier effect" that creates jobs, generates revenue, and leads to Canadian content that is created, owned, and exported worldwide. The constant uncertainty regarding this funding stream forces Telefilm to live in "limbo," said Irving, hindering its ability to plan long-term and set budget levels. Irving argued that Canada’s production sector, which employs about 180,000 people, requires stability to assure international partners that its systems and funding are reliable. “There's nothing that our industry hates more than instability and uncertainty,” he asserted. Irving argued that the “consistency” that allowed Canada’s production sector to grow into “a $12 billion industry that employs 180,000 people” existed because producers have “been able to say to the world, ‘our industry here is solid, our systems are solid, our funding is reliable, and you can count on us as partners.’” Protecting vulnerable genres The board must also contend with the decline of certain vulnerable programming sectors, particularly children’s and family content. Hamilton noted that Canada was once “among the world leaders in children’s programming. “Whether that was animation or live action, our content was admired and sought after around the world. Fast forward to today, the broadcasters in Canada who focused on kids content are either going off the air or under extreme stress.” However, the business models for the segment have fractured, partly because the CRTC changed rules that incentivized broadcasters to spend money on creating and exhibiting kids content, leading many Canadian “anchor” broadcasters to “have a lower appetite for commissions…,” said Hamilton. The loss of these anchor broadcasters — traditionally the first source of financing — makes it significantly harder to secure international partners, as distributors often inquire about the Canadian partner early in the pitching process, he explained. Hamilton concluded that ensuring "Canadian kids to grow up watching Canadian stories" is an "extremely important" element of national culture that is now a "real concern" for the CMPA. phalentm@thewirereport.ca

Regulatory certainty, funding stability key focuses for new CMPA board

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By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|October 14, 2025

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Regulatory certainty, funding stability key focuses for new CMPA board

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