Toronto-headquartered news media firm Postmedia Network is moving into the screen content space, establishing a studios division in partnership with U.S. content and marketing company Contend.

Postmedia — which owns and operates more than 130 brands across print, online and mobile platforms including newspapers The National Post and The Financial Post — said the venture is intended to “harness the potential” of Bill C-11, which requires foreign-owned online undertakings to contribute to the Canadian broadcasting system.

Both partners in the new venture have significant U.S. ties. Contend is L.A.-based and Postmedia’s majority stakeholder is U.S. media-centric hedge fund Chatham Asset Management. However, they maintain that all intellectual property will be “created, owned and produced by Canadians,” according to a joint release issued last week (Sept. 5).

A slate is currently in development with Canadian creators and producers, including film, television and short-form projects. At present, the onus is on “compelling real-life stories and memorable historical events that have shaped the nation,” ranging from documentaries exploring historical happenings to true crime and sports-adjacent content. In addition, the companies will collaborate on offering brands and potential ad partners “original advertiser-sponsored IP formats… targeted to create stand-alone content ecosystems for brands.”

Postmedia will also access its considerable archives for the purposes of content licensing and coproduction, and the partners say the initiative will make use of “new digital technologies,” such as the SmartStage virtual studio tech, to aid in “more sustainable, cost-effective and innovative” production for news and other content.

Speaking to Playback sister publication Media in Canada, Contend founder and CEO Steven Amato says the plan is to marry Postmedia’s “treasure trove of unique stories ripped from the headlines” with audience insights in order to develop content, and, from there, determine the right home for each project.

“We will distribute on whatever platform is right for that audience — streamers, broadcast, theatrical, LinkedIn, you name it,” he says.

In 2022, Postmedia linked up with Toronto-based prodco Antica Productions for a strategic partnership that similarly saw the companies collaborate on projects derived from Postmedia’s journalism content.

With files from Greg Hudson

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

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