CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, the pubcaster’s recently rebranded licensing division, is aiming to build a name for itself on the international stage with its largest MIPCOM slate.

The pubcaster is representing nearly 400 hours of new content launched just for the Cannes market, and a vast catalogue of library titles. Its focus is on feature and short documentaries, and French-language dramas and unscripted formats.

“We had many discussions with our producer [partners] and we realized there is a need for unscripted or documentary content,” Olivier Trudeau, senior director of distribution and partnerships at CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions, told Playback Daily, adding that many of its partners continue to work both CBC & Radio-Canada, alongside other Canadian distribution companies, to bring their content to international audiences.

While the pubcaster’s distribution arm has long sold its original content to local and international partners (including second-window, VOD platforms and in-flight rights), bringing its content to new audiences had become an even greater priority in the digital age.

“With the emergence of digital players and digital properties, [distribution is] an activity that has taken a strategic role for us because we need to reach Canadians and our audiences where they are, on the platform of their choice,” Olivier Trudeau, senior director of distribution and partnerships at CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions, told Playback Daily. “Distributing our content on multiple platforms such as YouTube, social media, Netflix or even internationally have taken a bigger role in this organization.”

To differentiate itself in the local and international markets, and within the Canadian industry, the pubcaster needed to rebrand the Media Solutions group division, said Trudeau.

He added that export has become an increasingly important part of CBC’s mandate, given former Minister of Heritage Melanie Joly’s focus on bringing Cancon to the world. “It’s now clear that we are here to support the export of Canadian content,” he said.

“We’re there to support the monetization of content as well as the promotion and visibility of the content because, broadly, as a public broadcaster we’re not like the privates. We’re always there to support the industry and make sure Canadian content is a brand internationally.“

Discussing its French-language slate, Trudeau said content is often developed specifically for the local market, without the involvement of international distribution partners or financing. For CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution then, the goal is to help bring these titles – and in some cases, formats – to global audiences.

As announced last year, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution has also also teamed with Keshet International, Cineflix Rights, Nordic World and France Télévisions Distribution to distribute select French-language Canadian productions internationally.

Titles in the pubcaster’s catalogue include two Barry Avrich films: Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, which will have its broadcast debut on the documentary Channel in November, and The Reckoning: Hollywood’s Worst Kept Secret, which aired on the channel in August. French-language scripted series include junior hockey drama Demain Des Hommes, and Olivier, about a child abandoned at birth and the families who take him in.