Under current threat of privatization, tvontario appears to be working hard to keep the government wolf from the door. Two recent deals indicate the network is adopting strategies to take control of its financial future, keep revenues up and expenses down.

Last week, tvo completed a sale of programming to La Cinquieme in France for $800,000. The sale was for a block of tvo’s curriculum programming and its science series Global Family.

tvo director of communications Sharon Salson says the sale marks the first transaction of a three-year partnership tvo signed with La Cinquieme in 1995. ‘This is a major sale for us,’ says Salson. ‘We had anticipated a $200,000 sale, but the deal expanded when they wanted Global Family.’

tvo also has a partnership with China’s Oriental Television (otv), which purchased the series Inquiring Minds last year. Currently the two networks are in production with A Tale of Two Cities, a series on Toronto and Shanghai.

‘There is a hunger for programming in other parts of the world, particularly China, and we are putting a lot of energy behind developing (sales and coproductions) in that area,’ states Salson.

Meanwhile, Montreal-based Cinar has announced an alliance with tvo, whereby the network will air 134 half-hours of Cinar children’s programming, including 82 of which will be Canadian premieres.

Under the new deal, tvo will be broadcasting series such as Arthur, Space Cases and The Country Mouse and the City Mouse during the popular tvo kids block beginning in the fall. Arthur and Space Cases currently air on pbs and Nickelodeon respectively, while Mouse has yet to air on any network.

‘This type of alliance is a breath of fresh air, considering the limited number of opportunities currently available in the Canadian television marketplace,’ says Louis Fournier, vp of distribution and marketing at Cinar.

‘It’s getting increasingly competitive for acquiring programs,’ says Salson. ‘These acquisitions diversify the schedule and maintain our quality without the production costs.’

Although Cinar does not want the cost of the purchase released, Salson says the volume buy was a way of ‘maximizing efficiencies’ for the cash-strapped network. ‘It certainly cost less than if it was a one-off purchase,’ she says.

‘In this business environment, we are finding new ways of doing things more cheaply and efficiently. International sales, coproductions and deals like the one with Cinar enable us to lower our costs and reduce dependence on government funding,’ says Salson.