ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN

LOOKING AHEAD

Rapid changes in technology and consumer habits are challenging the entire Canadian broadcasting industry, and CBC/Radio-Canada felt the impact with pressures mounting in both the English-language and French-language markets. These pressures are not showing any sign of receding and they are deeply changing the media industry: the dominance of national and foreign players; the rise of content and production costs; the multiplication of sophisticated distribution channels and strategies; the changes in the regulatory framework (e.g. CRTC's Let's Talk TV) and media consumption habits; as well as the persistent decline in the conventional television advertising market.

As we are ramping up into Strategy 2020, CBC/Radio-Canada is making forward-looking choices. The Government of Canada's additional funding will provide the public broadcaster with the means to better face current and future challenges and pursue its own transformation to a new environment.

Our priorities in 2017-2018 include:

  • Digital and Multiplatform/Multiscreen – Continue to pursue our digital transformation through a multi-year strategy led by a focus on increasing audience reach and engagement, and building a stronger relationship with Canadians through understanding their digital preferences and behaviours.
  • Signature Events – CBC and Radio-Canada will continue to collaborate to build multiplatform signature events that bring Canadians together, such as the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Canada Day broadcast and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.
  • Canadian Entertainment – English Services will maximize the audience use of content on all platforms, commission premium scripted entertainment, offer documentaries that are bold, thought-provoking, point-of-view programs, and provide factual entertainment programming that focuses on revealing and reflecting Canadians to each other. French Services will continue investing in distinctive offerings to meet audiences' expectations, reaffirming Radio-Canada's role in showcasing Canadian culture and placing special attention on the renewal of our audiences.
  • Sports – We will continue to be a world-class home for high-performance and Olympic sports on traditional broadcast platforms as well as digital, and to nurture pioneering partnerships with Canadian sports organizations.
  • News and Regions – CBC News will refresh The National to reflect the latest TV News and Information audience consumption trends and continue the focus on digital content production and distribution. We will enhance international in-the-field coverage, and inform Canadians through fearless and independent reporting that's national in scope and deeply personal in relevance. CBC will continue to deepen our presence in and connection with the communities we serve, including the use of community events as our "fifth platform". We will embed the 2020 local strategy for mobile first in local markets, and we will extend local services where financially feasible. Radio-Canada will evolve Le téléjournal 22h as a show meant to provide insights on the news of the day. We will embed digital expertise in production teams and continue developing News and Current Affairs content accessible online, particularly on mobile platforms. Ongoing efforts to renew formats and audiences will translate to launching a young documentary producer fund and supporting initiatives of RAD and L'Accélérateur d'idées to refresh the way we tell the news to Canadian.
  • Radio and Audio – CBC Radio will develop new forms of storytelling to connect with audiences on multiple platforms, including offering content in new and relevant ways, such as digital audio on demand, as well as celebrating and privileging Canadian music artists with Canadian audiences. French Services will pursue the development of ICI RADIO-CANADA PREMIERE's programming, supporting reinvestment in original content across schedules, while deepening the offering of the exclusively digital radio service Première PLUS, using modern formats such as e-books to reach out to Canadians.
  • Archives Digitization – CBC/Radio-Canada has an incredibly rich archive of the stories and experiences of Canadians, mostly on film and tape. A major archival project is now officially underway. Over the next five years, teams from both CBC and Radio-Canada will begin preparing a sizeable portion of our archives for digitization, in a project that underscores our commitment to preserving our cultural heritage. CBC/Radio-Canada is investing in this mass digitization of our audio and video media to protect and preserve our archives, make them easier for our production teams to access and for Canadians to rediscover. The digitization of our archives is part of a responsible, proactive and content-conscious approach to public broadcasting. In fact, globally, CBC/Radio-Canada is recognized as an industry leader in archival preservation. One priority is our Indigenous language programming archive project that will have a special focus on ensuring Indigenous people have access to their stories.
  • We remain committed to transparency and accountability, and will continue reporting on our performance.

CBC Manitoba participates in the annual Winnipeg Pride Parade.