Despite persistent calls for its demise from key cable funders and a CRTC-imposed makeover, the Canadian Television Fund said it raised revenues by 5% to $288 million during its latest financial year.

Releasing its 2006/07 annual report this week, the industry fund said it supported 509 TV projects, with around $240 million being directed to programming by 66 broadcasters via broadcast performance envelopes.

The CTF, the main source of subsidies for independent producers of primetime series, said another $9.6 million went to develop 361 programs in English, French and aboriginal languages — $10.5 million was provided to French-language TV production outside of Quebec, or around 31 productions in five provinces, while $2.8 million was funneled to 15 aboriginal-language productions.

The annual report follows attacks earlier this year from cable giants Shaw Communications and Videotron, which led to a CRTC task force report that urged key reforms into how the industry fund is run.

The CRTC is also to hold hearings in February on further overhauling the CTF.

Despite those question marks over the CTF’s future, Valerie Creighton, president of the fund, was upbeat.

‘The past year was unquestionably a year of challenge and opportunity in the rapidly changing environment of Canadian television — but also one of incredible achievement for CTF-funded productions,’ she said in a statement.

CTF also outlined a series of new funding guidelines for 2008/09 that aim to streamline and simplify the CTF’s funding programs.

These include clarifying definitions on which programming is eligible for CTF funding, simplifying rules governing equity investments, and new rules on the production and broadcast of series.

Other changes include introducing a higher CTF maximum contribution for returning English-language dramas.

In response to past concerns about possible abuses of the CTF system, the fund stipulated that failure to comply with its guidelines, or providing false information, could make producers and/or broadcasters ineligible in the future.

The CTF insisted its revised guidelines followed an ‘extensive review’ of funding rules, not least in response to public criticism from Quebecor and Shaw.

‘Over the last few years we’ve seen the implementation of a series of changes to the way we fund, with the majority of projects now greenlit by Canadian broadcasters operating within a performance-weighted system,’ Creighton said.

The attacks by Shaw and Videotron threatened to upend the current business model for indie producers, who depend on annual contributions from domestic cablecasters and other content carriers to fill the fund’s coffers.

Following an overhaul of its governance and funding policies, the CTF said it aimed to ensure its financing produced popular Canadian TV.

‘We now fund under a system which aims to ensure that commercially and culturally successful shows are produced, marketed and seen by audiences in Canada and around the world, specifically in the genres of drama, children’s and youth, documentary, and variety and performing arts,’ Creighton said.

The first round of BPE applications opens on March 3.

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This story has been corrected. It said March 3 was the deadline for BPE applications, not the opening of the first round as noted above.