With Netflix, Paramount and Prime Video, Canadian TV Is Having a Moment, but It’s Still Tough Going
variety.comAmber Dowling From the outside, Canadian television is having a moment. Over the past 18 months, major streaming services — Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney+ and Apple TV+ — have established Northern presences via offices, execs or PR teams.
Canadian broadcasters are also stepping up. During upfronts and a series of meetings in Toronto last week, public broadcaster CBC boasted more than 4,000 hours of new programming.
Bell Media confirmed an additional 210 hours of English and French-language original content, bolstering its original library to more than 1,000 hours.
Corus Entertainment announced 25 new and returning series across its brands. Even Rogers Sports & Media, which has historically commissioned fewer hours of originals than its competitors, confirmed original programming for the OMNI channel and the return of “Canada’s Got Talent” and “Hudson & Rex” while announcing the upcoming “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.” According to Canadian producers however, getting a TV series off the ground in Canada is harder than ever.
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