Quebec producers have unique advantages in a shifting media landscape and should seize on the opportunity change presents, CRTC topper Jean-Pierre Blais said at an industry conference on Friday in Montebello, Quebec.

“You are at a crossroads. What will you do? Will you rest on your laurels, trapped in nostalgia, glorifying the past? Or will you take advantage of your situation to forge ahead and seize this golden opportunity?” Blais said at the annual convention at the Association quebecois de la production mediatique.

In a world where “content is king, the viewer is now emperor,” Blaise pointed to the success of shows like 19-2, Mensonges and Serie noire as examples of Francophone producers’ proven ability to make content people want to watch. He referred specifically to the ratings success of the fourth season of Unite 9, which had an average audience of over 2 million viewers per episode in Quebec, which has a population of just over 8 million.

“The affinity Quebecers have for the content produced here is a unique phenomenon in our country. Quebec audiences love not only their actors and actresses, but the industry’s other stakeholders as well, such as its directors, authors and screenwriters,” Blais said.

He also pointed to Montreal-based Incendo as an example of a company that operates in an internationally focused manner, and as a model for other Quebec producers to follow.

“This company has agreements with major channels all over the world. It sells them broadcast rights to made-for-TV films that are predominantly scripted and directed by Canadian professionals. These productions are also filmed in Montreal, where the company relies on a team of 60 film technicians and professionals,” Blais said.

Quebec also benefits from a low penetration of online audiovisual services from abroad, Blais noted, as the French language market is harder for services like Netflix to penetrate. As such, there is great opportunity for new players who want to make their mark in the digital sector, as services like Tou.tv, Illico.tv and the National Film Board have already done, Blais said.

He did concede, however, that the Quebec industry faces some unique challenges, such as a narrow market which limits opportunities for advertising support and repeat airings. Blais also said public funding is not what it once was, but urged producers to not be nostalgic for an era where cash from public funders was flush.

“You have the means to rise above those challenges. They are all the more reason to welcome change with open arms and think globally. You are now competing with the whole world, and that opens the door to international audiences you didn’t have access to before,” Blais said.

In his speech, Blais said only 1.7% of production budgets for French-language projects are funds invested by French-language producers. As such, he echoed sentiments expressed in the Let’s Talk TV decisions that producers need to look to mount large-scale productions via partnerships to compete in a global media market.

“We believe that there would be significant benefit in pooling our resources and investing jointly in large productions to show the world what we can do,” Blais said.

In his speech, Blais also referred to two pilot programs unveiled in a March 12 Let’s Talk TV decision which aim to provide a more flexible framework on how the regulator defines Canadian content.

Under the first pilot program, the CRTC will recognize live-action drama and comedy productions based on best-selling novels by Canadian authors as Canadian content. Under the second pilot program, the CRTC will recognize as Canadian live-action drama and comedy series with a budget of at least $2 million per hour.

While Blais admitted that both of these programs are targeted at the English-language market, the regulator is still open to proposals conceived by Quebec producers outside those parameters.

“We are aware that the realities of the French-language market are different, and we are therefore open to proposals other than those set out in the decision,” Blais said.