The Canadian federal government has revealed how its C$600m (US$425m) funding relief package for the audiovisual and audio industry will be dispersed, with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and film funder Telefilm among the major beneficiaries.
Marc Miller
Taymaz Valley via CC
The eagerly awaited announcement, made by the Department of Canadian Heritage on Sunday, will see the CMF, which is Canada’s main TV and digital funder, overseeing C$213.4m of the funding package while Telefilm receives C$68.5m and the Indigenous Screen Office C$51m.
In addition, a group of Certified Independent Production Funds (including the Black Screen Office, Canadian Independent Screen Fund, Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, Bell Fund, Independent Production Fund, Telus Fund, Quebecor Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, Vox Fund and M.É.D.I.A Fund) will receive a combined C$44m. The Independent Local News Fund gets C$80m, the Commercial Radio News Fund C$11.5m, the Community Radio Fund C$7.5m and “services of exceptional importance” C$42.1m.
The remaining funds will go to Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting (C$10m) and Canada History Fund (up to C$5m).
Confirmation on how the money will be dispersed comes five months after the government announced the controversial C$600m funding injection.
While it is certainly a lifeline for the local TV and film industry, the money was also announced at the same time the government seemingly reversed course on years-long efforts to regulate global streamers.
At the time, the government claimed that imposing local spending mandates on US-based SVoDs could mean costs were passed on to consumers during a cost-of-living crisis. However, it is also widely known that the Online Streaming Act, the piece of legislation designed to regulate global streamers, was a trade irritant in Canada’s negotiations with the US.
On Thursday, prime minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party tabled its 2026/27 budget, which confirmed the C$600m for the first time.
While the money has been allocated within the Canadian government’s fiscal 2026/27, which ends on March 31, the various funding organisations (except Telefilm) will not be required to disperse all of the additional funding by that date.
The Department of Canadian Heritage on Sunday said the funds would “provide stability and direct support to the sectors while longer-term policy, regulatory and market conditions evolve.”
It also said the CMF’s job is to “rapidly deploy the new funding through enhancements to existing programmes and the introduction of new initiatives that will support the entire value chain of the industry: from training, to creation, to production, to promotion, to sector and business development.”
The CMF, which is a not-for-profit organisation, is jointly funded by the government and contributions from Canada’s major television providers. However, as revenue from the latter continues to fall, so too does the CMF’s annual budget, which stood at C$362.6m in fiscal 2026/27.
With its additional funding, specific areas of focus for the CMF will be French-language programming, kids and young people’s content, interactive digital media and distribution/export initiatives, said the government.
“Strengthening our audio and audiovisual sectors is at the core of protecting Canada’s sovereignty, our culture and our languages,” said Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.
“With this crucial support, we will provide direct funding and much-needed stability so that our country’s artists, storytellers, creative entrepreneurs and cultural organisations can continue creating Canadian content that reflects who we are and helps us remain masters of our destiny.”
