In a surprise move that comes into effect this Thursday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is rewriting the rules when it comes to indie producers accessing Certified Independent Production Funds.

Among the changes, the CRTC is:

• Eliminating the requirement that producers obtain a broadcast licence or development agreement to receive CIPF funding.
• Allowing and encouraging CIPFs to allocate funding for script and concept development.
• Allowing and encouraging CIPFs to allocate funding for promotion and discoverability.
• Allowing CIPFs to fund productions achieving at least six Canadian certification points (down from eight), and include the pilot projects recognized by the Commission.
• Including co-ventures in productions eligible to receive CIPF funding.

Responding to the new policy framework, Andra Sheffer, CEO of the Independent Production Fund, states:

“The Independent Production Fund has long been an advocate for the support of Canadian content for platforms other than television and because of its endowment, has been able to fund scripted series designed for the web. Therefore, the IPF is encouraged by the CRTC decision to allow other certified Funds which receive their funding from BDUs, to potentially finance projects with no broadcast licence. This will provide the flexibility that our system needs to keep up with evolving production and business opportunities and the demands of modern audiences. Web content allows for innovation and experimentation in story-telling – we have seen it in the web series we have funded over the past 6 years. With few gatekeepers and risk-adverse broadcasters, it encourages new talents to explore and create new forms of story-telling and content that do not typically work on the traditional television platform.”

There are over a dozen Certified Independent Production Funds in Canada.

My take: I think this is a clear signal that the CRTC and Heritage Canada (see ‘by ministerial portfolio’) want to diversify media production and divorce it from television. We shall have to wait and see how the CIPFs respond and how they change their programs.