MIPCOM 2012: Canadians Ramping Up Presence at TV Market Amid Dwindling Government Subsidies

MIPCOM will be a must-attend launch-pad for the Canadians -- and not just because
 of the global TV bazaar’s Focus on Canada during the four-day confab (Oct. 8-11) on the French Riviera.

our editor recommends

7 Hot Shows at MIPCOM

Canada's Fremantle Corp. Unveils Spanish Language Catalogue for MIPCOM 2012

MIPCOM 2012: Sony Snaps up Business Reality TV Show Format

CBS Studios International to Celebrate 'NCIS' at MIPCOM

Billboards soon to be erected along the Cannes Croisette for Lionsgate’s Nashville, Entertainment One’s Saving Hope and Cineflix’s Copper only underline how dwindling government subsidies at home have spurred Canadians to go out into the world to drum up business as never before.

STORY: 7 Hot Shows at MIPCOM

The high-end dramas and miniseries from the Great White North vying for the attention of
foreign buyers next week will mostly be international co-productions, often with
 Hollywood stars and U.S. and U.K. partners, that help secure additional
 financing and foreign markets for a particular show.

“We¹re becoming more global and opening our minds to different concepts and
different ways to finance and sell our shows,” Prentiss Fraser, senior vp worldwide sales and acquisitions at Entertainment One, said as the 
producer gets ready to showcase Primeval: New World, Saving Hope and The
 Walking Dead series in Cannes.

New Canadian business models to help American and European partners
 achieve budgets include U.S. networks paying modest license fees for
 Canadian-made dramas.

The Canuck producers then trade that U.S. network participation in 
American-style series for higher license fees from foreign buyers --­ often 
after the shows bowed in the States with promising initial ratings.

STORY: MIPCOM 2012: Promoters Bullish on Market Outlook Despite European Recession

The U.S. networks see little downside if the Canadian shows fail.

And if Canadian-made series like Flashpoint and Rookie Blue connect with 
audiences, the American and other foreign broadcasters have a primetime hit
 on their hands. 

While in Cannes for the trade show, Canadians will be carving out roles as intermediaries
 between the Americans and the Europeans and throwing tax credits and other
 soft money back home into the bargain.

“What they see is a country that really has a worldwide sensibility in
terms of producing content, and then they see a country that has a 
tremendous infrastructure in supporting growth, and all is supported by
 government tax credits and subsidies,” Vince Commisso, president and CEO of
animation producer 9 Story Entertainment, said of his industry's 
increasing appeal globally.