CTV to revise CFCF benefits

Along with its approval of CTV’s acquisition of CF Television, the CRTC is asking the network to undertake significant revisions to its proposed tangible benefits package.

The CRTC has set the value of the transaction at $141.5 million, which includes long-term debt of close to $20 million, effectively representing a five-year benefits package of $14.1 million, instead of the $12.1 million proposed by CTV. The network has a little less than two months to present a revised proposal.

The CRTC stated it will accept a benefit allocation of $6 million over five years for the CTV Signature Series, including more than $3.8 million allocated to independent Quebec producers, and an expenditure of $1.3 million on grants to various Quebec and national organizations for training and the promotion of multicultural diversity in broadcasting.

However, following interventions by the Directors Guild of Canada and the CFTPA, the CRTC raised the issue of ‘excessive’ administrative costs associated with CTV’s proposed investment of $1.9 million in a Montreal program development office, and has asked CTV to demonstrate the ‘truly incremental’ nature of the benefit.

The commission also rejected CTV’s proposal to spend $3 million on a CFCF-TV investigative journalism unit. It says the denial is in line with its decision on Quebecor Media’s proposal following the takeover of TVA, and has asked CTV to reallocate the $3 million.

TQS benefits proposal

CRTC hearings into the Cogeco-Bell Globemedia joint-venture application for control of Television Quatre Saisons begin in Montreal Nov. 19. TQS’ new owners have proposed a benefits package of $7.4 million over six years, highlighted by an investment of $6.8 million in on-screen benefits allocated entirely to independent producers over and above the present minimum commitment of $4 million per year or $40 million over seven years, for a total of approximately $47 million.

The package also includes $592,000 for various training and support initiatives including a regional scholarship program, $82,000 to the Regroupement Quebecois sur le sous-titrage (subtitling), $150,000 to Ecole nationale de l’humour, $150,000 to the Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS) and $66,000 to Cinematheque Quebecoise for its TV archival and digitization programs.

Four Cdn. programs up for International Emmys

Four Canadian television projects have been nominated for this year’s International Emmy Awards.

Among the awards’ six categories, Canadian projects are competing in performing arts (Rhombus’ Don Giovanni Unmasked and Amerimage Spectra’s Music From The Red Violin), arts documentary (Ravel’s Brain, a Rhombus/Ideale Audience, Paris, copro) and children and young people (Street Cents from CBC Halifax).

Hollywood Squares emcee Tom Bergeron will for the second year in a row host the gala, to be held Nov. 19 in New York.

Trade Forum meets targets

This year’s Trade Forum – the business end of the Vancouver International Film Festival – had to cancel four of its 17 sessions because panelists from afar chose not to travel after the terrorist attacks in the U.S. last month.

Despite the cancellations and the last-minute scrambles to replace guests, Trade Forum organizers say they managed to meet their box-office targets, which were the same as last year.

Starting the four-day event on Sept. 26, the day before the festival began, and fresh programming brought new energy that offset some of the lost panels, says Trade Forum producer Melanie Friesen. Normally, the Trade Forum takes place midway through the festival.

The opening Financing Independent Film panel was the best-attended kick-off session ever for the Trade Forum, says Friesen.

And the inaugural Pitch Off West, sponsored by Vancouver’s CreativeCrib.com, was standing-room-only and featured six producers taking six minutes to pitch six executives such as Louise Clark, head of Western independent production for CTV. No broadcast licences, but lots of interest, say organizers.

Lawsuit ‘frivolous’ – Lions Gate

In a lawsuit filed in California’s Superior Court in L.A. on Aug. 31, Vancouver-based producers Endless Entertainment and Sea Dragon and their L.A. partner Rhino Films allege Lions Gate Films breached a distribution agreement for their spoof Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (formerly I Know What You Screamed Last Semester). They are seeking unspecified damages.

The plaintiffs produced the US$4-million ($5.9-million) comedy starring Tom Arnold and Tiffany Amber-Thiessen in L.A. in 1999 ahead of the larger-budget Miramax spoof feature Scary Movie by Keenen Ivory Wayans.

Among the complaints, they allege that Lions Gate entered into an agreement to release the feature theatrically weeks before the scheduled release of Scary Movie, which reportedly earned US$43 million in its opening weekend. They also allege that Lions Gate delayed and ultimately shelved plans to release the feature on the big screen and sent it directly to video and domestic cable. According to the plaintiffs, they are still waiting for full payment of a distribution advance of US$1.7 million.

Gord Keep, spokesman for parent company Lions Gate Entertainment in Vancouver, dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous and says Lions Gate has filed a motion to dismiss the case. The contract states that disputes will be settled by arbitration and not by the courts, he says.

Lions Gate inks output with Telemunchen

Lions Gate International Television has forged a long-term output deal with leading German broadcaster Telemunchen to distribute LG’s TV properties throughout the German-language European market.

Under the new agreement, Telemunchen will distribute all LG television programming, including network, cable and syndicated series, and MOWs.

Telemunchen, the second largest TV programming supplier in German-speaking Europe, has already purchased LG’s new syndicated action series Tracker.

Telemunchen was a major participant in LG’s $33-million preferred equity financing in December 1999.

SODEC honors La Fete

Productions La Fete is the recipient of the 2001 Prix SODEC d’excellence a la exportation (cinema and TV production), awarded annually to a Quebec business for outstanding achievement in export.

The jury named La Fete and its founder Rock Demers for the international success of the Tales for All family film series, and exporting ‘a highly specialized cinematographic collection to the four corners of the world.’

Since its launch in 1980, La Fete has produced and coproduced 25 feature films, and has started on a new round of the Tales for All collection, beginning with La Fortresse suspendue and Mon Petit diable.

The Prix SODEC includes a grant of $10,000.

Finalists in the film and TV category were animation specialist Productions Pascal Blais, launched in 1983, and exporter Filmoption International, established in 1979.

SODEXPORT, the Quebec agency’s export program, provided $1.2 million in assistance to 48 film and TV companies in fiscal 2001.

CAB Gold for Oliver

LONGTIME CTV Ottawa bureau chief and popular industry veteran Craig Oliver is this year’s winner of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcasting Excellence.

Past winners of the private-sector broadcasting industry’s most prestigious award include Citytv founder Moses Znaimer, CTV news anchor Lloyd Robertson, CanWest Global founder and chairman Izzy Asper, cable TV pioneer Ted Rogers and CHUM mogul Allan Waters.

Oliver has worked in many positions with CTV since 1972 and will receive his award at the CAB annual convention in Ottawa, Oct. 30.