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Film and TV production in Canada grew to new high in 2011: Report: The Wire Report, Feb 01, 2012; The volume of all film and television production in Canada hit an "all-time high" in 2011, says a new report commissioned by the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ) and the Department of Canadian Heritage. Click here to read more.
Need to Open Doors, Raise Ceilings in Broadcast, Film and TV Production Industries: Mediacaster Magazine, Jan 27, 2012; There's still a glass ceiling on the screen based industry in Canada (...) Prepared by Nordicity Group, the study looks at workforce trends in film and television production, film and television distribution, broadcasting, and interactive digital media, with a particular focus on women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups. Click here to read more.
The Canarie Network Effect = Jobs: canarie.ca, Jan 23, 2012; CANARIE, Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network, today announced further results from an economic benefits analysis conducted by Nordicity Group Ltd. and Bytown Consulting. The study's authors concluded that federal government investments in CANARIE have created 820 full-time equivalent jobs per year since CANARIE's founding in 1993. Click here to read more.
Constant discounts eat at profits and threaten new wireless players: Wind Mobile: LuAnn LaSalle, The Canadian Press, Dec 20, 2011; MONTREAL - Constant discounts in the mobile phone industry by new wireless companies can't last and will lead to a consolidation of the industry, predicts the CEO of Wind Mobile (...) However, Nordicity Group has refuted the OECD study and said Canada's wireless rates were competitive internationally due to more players in the domestic market. Click here to read more.
The CBC's conundrum: Change isn't easy, but the public broadcaster needs to try: Scott Stinson, National Post, Dec 09, 2011; The latest indication of the CBC's commitment to the status quo is a study released last week titled "Why Advertising on CBC/Radio-Canada is Good Public Policy." The study, commissioned by the public broadcaster and conducted by Nordicity Group, examined what would happen if the CBC were to forego advertising revenue, as is the case with the BBC in the U.K. and PBS in the United States. The paper's assessment of an ad-free CBC was bleak: a negative financial impact of more than $530-million. Click here to read more.
Elimination of advertising on CBC/Radio-Canada services would be bad public policy: Nordicity: Indiantelevision.com, Dec 03, 2011; MUMBAI: A new study by Nordicity Group reveals that advertising does not detract from Canada's public broadcaster's mandate and that there is no good public policy reason to eliminate advertising from its television services. In fact, most public broadcasters around the world carry advertising or are engaged in commercial activities. Click here to read more.
Radio-Canada dépense pour se conforter!: Guy Fournier, Le Journal de Montréal, le 01 décembre 2011; Chaque fois que la SRC/CBC commande une étude, c'est pour se conforter dans ses choix et recueillir des arguments qui lui permettront de défendre le statu quo et ses façons de faire. Elle vient, par exemple, de demander au Groupe Nordicitée de lui trouver des arguments pour contrer ceux qui souhaiteraient que notre télévision publique abandonne la publicité commerciale. Un sujet dont à peu près personne ne parle, mais on ne sait jamais… Click here to read more.
CBC Would Lose $532M if Ads Disappeared: themarknews.com, Nov 29, 2011; A report commissioned by the CBC concludes that if the public broadcaster were to stop airing advertisements, as a competitor or two would very much like, the Crown corporation would lose $532 million a year and not be able to survive in its current form. Click here to read more.
CBC Funding: New Ad Campaign Imagines World With Broadcaster Owned By An American (VIDEO): The Huffington Post Canada, Nov 29, 2011; What if the CBC was sold to a washed-up American wrestling promoter who renamed The National, The N-ACTIONAL and bikini-clad women delivered the weather? Click here to read more.
Grim scenario for CBC if ads dropped, study says: Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail, Nov 29, 2011; Removing advertising from the CBC would greatly lower the quality of the public broadcaster's programming and eliminate about 3,600 jobs in independent Canadian television production, according to a new study. Click here to read more.
Study: Eliminating Ads on CBC Would Harm Canadian TV Industry: Kristin Brzoznowski, World Screen, Nov 29, 2011; A new study from the Nordicity Group, commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), reveals that advertising does not detract from the public broadcaster's mandate and that there is "no good public policy reason to eliminate advertising from its TV services." Click here to read more.
A new study on CBC/Radio-Canada and advertising: Sarah Lue, cbcrcblog.com, Nov 29, 2011; A new study by Nordicity Group Ltd. reveals that advertising does not detract from the public broadcaster's mandate and that there is no good public policy reason to eliminate advertising from its television services. In fact, most public broadcasters around the world carry advertising or are engaged in commercial activities. Click here to read more.
CBC study: Ad-free pubcaster would be bad public policy: mediaincanada.com, Nov 29, 2011; CBC/Radio Canada's Nordicity Group study says ending its dependence on TV ad dollars would produce a net financial impact of $533 million for the Canadian TV business. Click here to read more.
Forcing CBC to stop buying ads would lead to thousands of job cuts, the loss of Hockey Night in Canada, and more.: themarknews.com, Nov 29, 2011; A report commissioned by the CBC concludes that if the public broadcaster were to stop airing advertisements, as a competitor or two would very much like, the Crown corporation would lose $532 million a year and not be able to survive in its current form. Click here to read more.
Radio-Canada tient à sa pub: Vincent Brousseau-Pouliot, La Presse, le 29 novembre 2011; A report commissioned by the CBC concludes that if the public broadcaster were to stop airing advertisements, as a competitor or two would very much like, the Crown corporation would lose $532 million a year and not be able to survive in its current form. Click here to read more.
Radio-Canada tient à ses publicités télévisées: Hugo Prévost, pieuvre.ca, le 29 novembre 2011; La Société Radio-Canada a tenu à défendre ses acquis, mardi, en publiant deux documents d'analyse portant sur la diffusion de publicités sur ses réseaux de télévision. Aux yeux du diffuseur public canadien, les messages publicitaires font partie intégrante de son fonctionnement, et leur élimination sur les ondes radiophoniques, si elle est un acquis depuis de nombreuses années, ne peut pas s'appliquer à la télévision. Click here to read more.
Cutting ads on CBC/Radio-Canada would be "devastating": Nordicity report: cartt.ca, Nov 28, 2011; Banning advertising from CBC/Radio-Canada would not just be bad public policy, it would result in serious ramifications for advertisers and the country's independent production sector, says a new study from Nordicity Group Ltd. Click here to read more.
CBC would be 'eliminated' as a private broadcaster, Lacroix says: The Wire Report, Nov 28, 2011; CBC/Radio-Canada would be devastated if it dropped advertising and eliminated entirely if moved to operate as a private company, the public broadcaster's president and CEO, Hubert T. Lacroix, said at a communications conference Monday. Click here to read more.
Elimination of advertising on CBC/Radio-Canada services would be bad public policy: Nordicity: newswire.ca, Nov 28, 2011; A new study by Nordicity Group Ltd. reveals that advertising does not detract from the public broadcaster's mandate and that there is no good public policy reason to eliminate advertising from its television services. In fact, most public broadcasters around the world carry advertising or are engaged in commercial activities. Click here to read more.
Study: Ending TV Ad Revenue Would Undermine CBC: The Hollywood Reporter, Nov 28, 2011; The Canadian pubcaster released a commissioned report that projects a $533 million hit to the domestic broadcast industry if Ottawa ends its dependence on advertising dollars. Click here to read more.
CBC study: Ad-free pubcaster would be bad public policy: playbackonline.ca, Nov 28, 2011; CBC/Radio Canada released a Nordicity Group study that concluded ending its dependence on TV ad dollars would produce a net financial impact of $533 million for the Canadian TV business. Click here to read more.
CANAIRE releases outstanding Five Year Report, up for Renewal Mandate in 2012 with Government of Canada: techvibes.com, Sept 08, 2011; The Ottawa based CANAIRE, Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network has released the results of its program evaluation over the last five years and is up for re-funding from the Government of Canada. While you can download the full the report here by Nordicity and Bytown Consulting, I'll go through some key takeaways. Click here to read more.
CANARIE releases independent evaluation: The Wire Report, Sept 08, 2011; Research network CANARIE released a five-year program evaluation Wednesday conducted by Nordicity Group Ltd. and Bytown Consulting. Click here to read more.
Minority Canadian co-productions not generating enough jobs: Report: Cartt.ca, Aug 29, 2011; Majority treaty co-production and Canadian production generate more than double the number of Canadian jobs than minority co-production, according to a report commissioned by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) (...) The Nordicity study, called The Employment Intensity of Film and Television Production in Canada, found that Canadian TV production volume in 2009 - 2010 was worth just under $2 billion to the Canadian economy, and the sector generated 47,300 full-time-equivalent jobs, including 18,600 directly in the production of Canadian TV shows. Click here to read more.
Minority Canadian co-productions not generating enough jobs: Report: The Wire Report, Aug 24, 2011; The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) issued a study by Nordicity Tuesday that said majority treaty co-productions and Canadian productions each generate more than double the jobs in Canada than minority co-productions. Click here to read more.
Canadian screen co-productions costing jobs at home, study finds: Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail, Aug 23, 2011; The cops on Rookie Blue and the medics on Combat Hospital are working twice as hard for the Canadian economy as those dissipated aristocrats on The Borgias (...) The report prepared by research company Nordicity for ACTRA and the Writers Guild of Canada measures how many jobs are created by different kinds of film and television productions involving Canadians. Click here to read more.
Majority TV Co-production Is a Major Canadian Employer: Broadcaster Magazine, Aug 23, 2011; Majority treaty co-production and Canadian production generate more than double the number of Canadian jobs as minority co-production. This from a Nordicity report released today by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of Canada (...) ACTRA and WGC commissioned the Nordicity study because, despite the Canadian co-production policy's call for balance between minority and majority productions, the Canadian market has been swamped by minority co-productions. Click here to read more.
Wires crossed on rates: Chris Gerritsen, Calgary Herald, Aug 20, 2011; While we appreciate your desire to educate those who may use their devices outside Canada, this reporter's use of flawed OECD data creates a picture that is simply not accurate (...) According to the recent Nordicity report, Canada's average per-minute wireless costs are the 11th lowest in the OECD. Click here to read more.
Finding Ottawa's niche in the global gaming world: Ottawa Business Journal, Aug 17, 2011; Relatively low wages, combined with provincial tax credits, are helping put Ottawa on the map in the emerging video gaming industry, a recent study concludes (...) A study for the department by global consulting firm Nordicity Group Ltd. identified Ottawa as one of the "emerging" video gaming cities in Canada. Click here to read more.
How Canada's public broadcaster stacks up: Globe and Mail, Aug 14, 2011; The ad-free American public television broadcaster operates on a different model; it receives some government operating funding but also depends heavily on direct government, corporate and philanthropic sponsorships of programs, and on subscribers' contributions (...) A 2009 Nordicity study, which also included National Public Radio, pegged American public broadcasting at a cost of $4 per citizen. Click here to read more.
Investment Case for Games Development Clusters in Canada" Nordicity, New Media Manitoba, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada: gamesindustry.com, June 28, 2011; On June 9th, 2011, Nordicity in association with New Media Manitoba and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) presented key findings from the Investment Case for Games Development Clusters in Canada. Click here to read more.
Retransmission Fees on the Agenda to Pay for PSB Plurality?: Davide Morisi, London School of Economics and Political Science, June 24, 2011; Discussing the role of public service content (PSC) in the digital media landscape keeps raising the old unsolved question: can the market deliver? A Westminster Media Forum conference on June 22nd focused the market failure question on public service plurality: with ad revenues in a long term decline at Channels 3, 4, and 5; how to support public service content that competes with the BBC? (...) Even if there is no evidence that "PSBs with access to ad revenues realise higher audience", according to research carried out by Dustin Chodorowicz from Nordicity, Channel 4's flexible model was presented as an effective solution to the uncertainties of the future digital media landscape. Click here to read more.
New report claims Canadian wireless costs below OECD average: Digital Home, June 23, 2011; Over the years, it has become an article of faith among Canadians that this country had some of the most expensive wireless voice and data rates in the world (...) Wading into the debate is a new report by Nordicity which concludes that Canada's wireless rates are very competitive when measured against OECD countries. Click here to read more.
OECD Wireless Rankings More Accurate than in the Past, but Still Not Representative of International Wireless Costs: newswire.ca, June 23, 2011; Nordicity International Wireless Market Comparison Report highlights and addresses the significant limitations of the OECD's latest wireless price rankings. Click here to read more.
Value far beyond the broadcast: value for many, and value for money: Hubert T. Lacroix, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada,
June 21, 2011; Every dollar that Canadians invest in public broadcasting creates almost four dollars in economic value (...) This is particularly motivating when one considers – as indicated in the Nordicity study – that among the 18 countries included in the analysis, Canada stands to benefit the most of all from public broadcasting. Canada's need is the greatest. Click here to read more.
Telus' Honorable Flacks: Dave Burstein, dslprime.com, June 18, 2011; The OECD report says the U.S. and Canada have some of the highest wireless prices in the world. Canadian wireless carrier Telus doesn't like that conclusion, so hired Nordicity to do a survey using different assumptions than OECD. The Nordicity survey found Canadian prices, measured Nordicity's way, are actually lower than the OECD average. No surprise; there are so many different wireless plans and so many different way to measure a good analyst can "prove" many contradictions. Click here to read more.
Take "limited" OECD wireless report with grain of salt: Nordicity: Perry Hoffman, Cartt.ca, June 18, 2011; THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC Co-operation and Development (OECD) biennial study on comparing wireless markets should be viewed for what it is: a limited analysis comparing four wireless plans in Canada with other OECD nations, says a new report from Nordicity. Click here to read more.
Cellulaire : l'OCDE a tort, croit une étude: Pieuvre.ca, June 17, 2011; Le Canada est parmi les pays où les utilisateurs de la téléphonie sans-fil paient moins cher pour leur service vocal que la moyenne des pays de l'OCDE (...) Au dire de Nordicity, la plus récente étude sur les forfaits cellulaires réalisées par l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économique (OCDE) oublie de tenir compte de plus facteurs relatifs au marché canadien, ce qui classe le Canada dans les derniers de classe. Selon le rapport, l'OCDE n'établit son palmarès qu'en se fiant à quatre forfaits cellulaires offerts uniquement par deux fournisseurs, soit Bell et Rogers. Click here to read more.
Report challenges notion that Canadians pay too much for wireless: Stefania Moretti, Toronto Sun, June 17, 2011; Cellphone rates in Canada are lower than the international average despite the country's vast coverage areas, according to a new report paid for by Telus Corp that challenges the widely held view that Canadians pay too much for wireless (...) Canada's is the least densely subscribed network in the developed world, with just 12 subscribers for every square kilometre of coverage, the Nordicity International Wireless Market Comparison Report found. Click here to read more.
Nordicity report challenges OECD findings: The Wire Report, June 17, 2011; Canada's wireless providers operate in the "least densely subscribed network of any developed wireless market" and Canadians pay less for wireless services than the international average, a new report from Nordicity says (...) Nordicity said Canada is now served by three national and six regional wireless providers, which results "in one of the most competitive market structures of any developed wireless market." Click here to read more.
Report challenges notion that CDNs pay too much for wireless: Stefania Moretti, CANOE, June 17, 2011; Cellphone rates in Canada are lower than the international average despite the country's vast coverage areas, according to a new report paid for by Telus Corp that challenges the widely-held view that Canadians pay too much for wireless (...) The Nordicity report flies in the face of numerous reports that have found Canadians pay some of the highest mobile rates in the industrialized world. Click here to read more.
Canadian cell phone rates are lower than international averages despite the least densely subscribed network in the developed world: newswire.ca, June 17, 2011; Nordicity International Wireless Market Comparison Report comprehensively analyzes competition in Canada's wireless industry relative to other developed countries. Click here to read more.
Terence Corcoran: Canadian wireless market among most competitive, and at below-average costs, says new study: Terence Corcoran, National Post, June 16, 2011; Nordicity report counters OECD warped results and loopy methodolgies, finds Canadian market above average on most if not all counts. Click here to read more.
Nordicity and Environics join WIFT-T on industry study: Emily Claire Afan, Playback Online, May 19, 2011; Looking to complete a study on employment trends in Canada's screen-based media industry, Women in Film & Television Toronto (WIFT-T) commissioned Nordicity and Environics as research partners (...) "The purpose of the study is to make data available to industry decision makers, providing them with a snapshot of the current workforce while identifying future needs, concerns and skills gaps," said Susan Ross, WIFT-T industry study chair, in a statement. "Our hope is that this research will drive policy and promote educational programs on a national level." Click here to read more.
Screen Based Media under the Microscope as Jobs, Skills, Impacts Researched: mediacastermagazine.com, May 19, 2011; A new study of employment trends in Canada's screen-based media industry will be conducted for Women in Film & Television - Toronto (WIFT-T) by Nordicity and Environics (...) Nordicity is a leading international consulting firm that provides economic, strategic and policy analysis, and development services to both public and private clients in the cultural, media, entertainment and ICT industries. The firm has an established record of research and analysis in the film, television and broadcast sectors and, increasingly, in the interactive media sector. Click here to read more.
Nordicity Partner, Stuart Jack, to deliver games industry presentation to Ottawa cluster: Generator - Ottawa Digital Media Cluster, April 27, 2011; Join us at this Generator event and find out how Ottawa's Digital Media Cluster is ranked globally and against other Canadian cities. Also, hear from two of Ottawa's fastest growing digital media companies and learn from their strategies and experience. Click here to read more.
Spectrum war highlights communications conference: Howard Solomon, ITWorld Canada, March 28, 2011; Everyone knows wireless use in Canada is soaring. But a communications conference has heard sharply differing opinions on whether carriers face a crisis coming and what Ottawa should do about it (...) On one side was Ottawa wireless consultant Stuart Jack, who told the conference in Toronto on Monday that demand "is just chewing up any available bandwidth carriers have" in major cities (...) To paint a picture at the beginning of the conference of the country's infrastructure needs in the future, Jack, a partner with the wireless consulting firm Nordicity, noted that wireless demand has "far outstripped" what had been predicted before the 2008 wireless spectrum auction. Click here to read more.
CHRC and Nordicity examine impact of tech on culture: Playback, Feb 24, 2011; It's no secret that technology is changing on the overall cultural sector, and the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) and Nordicity has decided to find out what that impact is - and they want content creators to have their say. Click here to read more.
New Study Aims to Measure Impact of Digital Technology on the Culture Sector: What's Goin On Magazine, Dec 14, 2010; The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) recently launched a pan-Canadian study on the Impact of Digital Technology on the Cultural Sector (...) During the next eight months, Nordicity will hold consultations across Canada with leaders in the cultural sector to identify Human Resources issues in the sector through surveys and interviews. CHRC Board member and Steering Committee Chair, Pat Feheley, noted that "the impact of digital technology is probably the biggest single issue facing the cultural sector at this time. Click here to read more.
Broadcasting Commission seeks to widen revenue net: Jamaica Information Service, Nov 11, 2010; The Broadcasting Commission is proposing an "equitable" license fee for all players in the sector, to finance its regulatory system (...) Speaking at a press conference at the Commission's headquarters in New Kingston on Wednesday (November 10), Dr. Dunn outlined a number of proposals for the reformation of the electronic media policy, laws and regulations. The recommendations are based on an August 2009 Media Policy Report compiled by the Canadian research company, Nordicity Consulting Group, and sanctioned by the Commission. Click here to read more.
RJR's future profitability looks shaky: Jamaica Observer, Oct 20, 2010; RJR Group's profitability will remain fragile due to rising expenses, proposed government fees and regulation, according to management (...) The BCJ has employed the services of Canadian consultants, Nordicity, to examine this proposal, which would finance the BCJ's budget. However, a portion could go into a fund to support local programming. Click here to read more.
Models for Broadcasting Regulation - Financial Stability for the Broadcasting Industry: Stuart Jack, Partner, Nordicity
Commonwealth Broadcaster, July - September 2010; The financial stability in the domestic broadcasting industry can only be ensured by a wide range of regulatory initiatives. The structure of the broadcasting industry inherently provides better economic returns for certain segments (distributors vs. broadcasters vs producers) even though all segments are integral to industry success. It is therefore necessary to use regulatory measures to ensure financial stability for all segments of the industry. This article considers 'best practice' regulatory initiatives in Canada, the US and the UK, by examining their origin, implementation and relative effectiveness. However the applicability of these 'best practices' to other jurisdictions varies depending on the market maturity and regulatory environment. Click here to read more.
RJR objects to $100-m broadcasting fee: Jamaica Observer, July 07, 2010; RJR Group executives objected to a proposal that would see the radio and TV conglomerate to pay five per cent of its revenue as a licence fee equivalent to $100 million to its regulator (...) The BCJ has employed the services of Canadian consultants-Nordicity to examine this proposal which would finance the BCJ's budget, however a portion could go into a fund to support local programming. Click here to read more.
Regional Integration No Longer an Option - Mottley: Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service,
July 05, 2010; Regional integration is no longer an option for Caribbean states, but the only way the region will be able to secure and maintain economic and social development, says Leader of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party, Hon. Mia Mottley (...) Other speakers at the forum include representative from Nordicity Consulting Group in Canada, Stuart Jack; Adjunct Professor and Director, Business Strategy Research, Columbia Business School, Dr. Raul Katz; Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, Dr. Hopeton Dunn; and Journalist and Communications Consultant, Dr. the Hon. Barbara Gloudon. Click here to read more.
Was it good for you too? Talking about quality.: Cecilie Stranger-Thorsen, Nordic Game, April 29, 2010; "Public service broadcasters have traditionally been given the responsibility to guide us through big technical changes, but both the broadcasters and the film institutes have missed the train when it comes to cross-media. The independent producers must be given the responsibility to drive this development, and they need new funds to do it."(...) Inspired by Chodorowicz presentation of the new, 2,5 billion SEK cross media fund, the panel agreed on the need for politicians to rethink the mandate for the public funds, and that taking cross-media production seriously demands more funding. Click here to read more.
Building digital Canada: Telecom Trends, April 13th, 2010; Click here to read more.
Hubert T. Lacroix: Words won't fix the CBC's business model: National Post, April 01, 2010; Anyone following the fallout from the CRTC’s recent decision on value-for-signal is sure to have noted CBC/Radio-Canada’s forceful reaction (...) The BBC has public funding of $7.5-billion a year, France Television and Radio France together receive $4-billion, Germany $10.7-billion and PBS and NPR in the U.S. receive $1.2-billion from government sources (Nordicity study, fiscal 2007 numbers). Click here to read more.
Collaboration Nation Inspiring Innovations for Digital Britain: March 31, 2010; Nordicity is a strategy, public policy and economic analysis consulting firm in the digital, creative and ICT industries. We work with the private and public sectors to make business and policy decisions, and to understand the impacts of policy and regulatory developments. Click here to read more.
Carr to drive Film New Zealand forward: Screendaily.com, Feb 16, 2010; Gisella Carr has been appointed chief executive of Film New Zealand (FNZ), which is responsible for promoting the region as a location for filming and production (...) Carr replaces Sue Thompson, the former Park Road Post, who has been acting head of FNZ since Judith McCann stepped down from the top job in September. McCann has reactivated her consulting firm MPics, which now has a formal relationship with international firm Nordicity, headquartered in Canada. Click here to read more.
OCAD's Strategic Innovation Lab to lead major foresight project '2020 Media Futures': ocad.ca, Feb 16, 2010; The Ontario College of Art & Design’s Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) today announced it will lead a multidisciplinary strategic foresight project called 2020 Media Futures: Strategic Foresight for Ontario’s Cultural Media Industries, designed to understand and envision what media may look like by the year 2020 – what kind of cross-platform internet environment may shape media and entertainment in the coming decade and how Ontario firms can take action today toward capturing and maintaining positions of national and international leadership (...) “In this unprecedented project, initiated and shaped through a close collaboration among Communitech, Nordicity and sLab, we will draw on distinct and diverse capabilities within our own communities and from across the Creative Cluster throughout the foresight scenario process. Click here to read more.
In-depth: Canada’s tax system: Develop, Feb 09, 2010; In Canada, there has been widespread use of refundable expenditure-based tax credits for film and television production (...) So why is the multi-pillar approach – adopted by Ontario and sought by the UK – so important? In Nordicity’s view, the UK film tax credit cannot be simply copied into the video games development industry. Click here to read more.
McCann resurrects mPICS: encore, Feb 02, 2010; Cautious, McCann said she was already working with clients in South America, New Zealand and Australia, but declined to reveal further details about these projects (...) According to McCann, other than the geographical location, the new mPICS now has a relationship with Nordicity (an international consulting firm specializing in economic and financial analysis, business strategy solutions, and public policy and regulatory affairs), which gives them the ability to offer more complex economic analysis. Click here to read more.
mPICS Is Back In Business, With New International Links: Voxy, Feb 01, 2010; Judith McCann is back in business with mPICS, her highly-regarded international consulting firm, which is now based in Wellington. She brings with her the five-year track record of the mPICS Group which she led from Canada until her appointment as CEO of Film New Zealand in July 2004 - a position from which she stepped down in September having ensured that the industry-led national film office was positioned to take on its new strategic directions (...) mPICS Group (NZ) also offers a unique new relationship with Nordicity, a leading international consulting firm specializing in economic and financial analysis, business strategy solutions, and public policy and regulatory affairs, with whom Ms McCann has worked previously. The firm is led by Peter Lyman, co-founder and, from 1998 to 2002, national lead partner for the Information Communications and Entertainment/Media practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. Click here to read more.
Thoughts on the Westminster eForum: Gamer/Law, Jan 22, 2010; The Westminster eForum discussion in London on 20 January 2010 went over a lot of ground, from digital distribution to games education to tax breaks (...) There was also an interesting presentation from Dustin Chodorowicz of Nordicity regarding the Canadian experience of games tax breaks and the lessons the UK could learn from it. Click here to read more.
MédiadeNovo proposes 'non-simultaneous substitution' ad fix: Marketing Magazine, Jan 18, 2010; A group headed by former Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O'Farrell is dangling a $97 million carrot in an apparent attempt to get broadcasters and the CRTC to embrace its plan to open up U.S. ad avails to Canadian advertisers (...) In a December report prepared for the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, consultancy Nordicity pegged the amount lost by broadcasters because of this practice at $97 million a year–an amount validated by the Association of Canadian Advertisers. Click here to read more.
Is there a future for Canadian TV?: macleans.ca, Oct 19, 2009; In late August, employees at CHEK-TV in Victoria gathered in the parking lot for one last goodbye. After 53 years on the air, Canwest Global Communications was about to pull the plug on the money-losing television station in a desperate and ultimately futile attempt to stave off collapse (...) According to a CRTC report prepared by the Nordicity Group, a communications research firm, the number of people in the all-important 18-to-34 age group who tune in to conventional television fell just 2.4 per cent between 1998 and 2007. Click here to read more.
Canada's digital strategy needs "coherent and holistic approach": Cartt.ca, Oct 02, 2009; A unified vision of Canada's digital future is crucial in the development of a national digital strategy, says a discussion paper issued by consulting firm Nordicity (...) "Canada can ill-afford to languish on its aging digital laurels”, said Nordicity senior partner Peter Lyman, in an announcement. We have the opportunity to draw upon suggestions already made in other jurisdictions and improve upon them. We suggest the creation of a national digital panel that will report directly to a special cabinet committee over the course of 12 to 18 months in order to establish and implement a coherent digital strategy." Click here to read more.
Canada Lacks – But Desperately Needs – National Digital Strategy: Mediacaster, Oct 01, 2009; Countries around the world recognize the need for a National Digital Strategy, but Canada has not yet seen the light (...) According to a new issues discussion paper released today from Nordicity, a unified vision for Canada's digital future is crucial. Click here to read more.
Canada needs a coherent and holistic approach to creating a national digital strategy: Nordicity: TMCnet, Oct 01, 2009; Must be backed by government at highest levels Countries around the world are recognizing the need for a National Digital Strategy, but Canada has not yet embarked on this process. Digital technologies are bringing about transformative change in society; and, according to a new issues discussion paper released today from Nordicity, Canada must develop our own strategy to remain competitive. Click here to read more.
Consulting Firm Nordicity Calls for a National Digital Media Strategy: Village Gamer, Oct 01, 2009; Countries around the world are recognizing the need for a National Towards A National Digital Strategy, but Canada has not yet embarked on this process. Digital technologies are bringing about transformative change in society; and, according to a new issues discussion paper released today from Nordicity, Canada must develop our own strategy to remain competitive. Click here to read more.
Canada needs a coherent and holistic approach to creating a national digital strategy: Nordicity: newswire.ca, Oct 01, 2009; Countries around the world are recognizing the need for a National Digital Strategy, but Canada has not yet embarked on this process. Digital technologies are bringing about transformative change in society; and, according to a new issues discussion paper released today from Nordicity, Canada must develop our own strategy to remain competitive. Click here to read more.
Canada needs a coherent and holistic approach to creating a national digital strategy: Nordicity: AlphaTrade Finance, Oct 01, 2009; Countries around the world are recognizing the need for a National Digital Strategy, but Canada has not yet embarked on this process. Digital technologies are bringing about transformative change in society; and, according to a new issues discussion paper released today from Nordicity, Canada must develop our own strategy to remain competitive. Click here to read more.
Writers Guild's Position on TV Policy: Broadcaster, Sept 15, 2009; The Writers Guild of Canada filed with the CRTC its position on TV policy in Canada and its ideas for a revised regulatory framework that will apply to the conventional and specialty broadcasters (...) To strengthen its economic argument in favour of Canadian drama, the WGC and its partners asked Nordicity to expand and refine its March 09 “Analysis of the Economics of Canadian Television Programming” study. Click here to read more.
CanWest talks bogged down by revival of Australian TV fortunes: ReportonBusiness.com, Aug 28, 2009; CanWest Global Communications Corp.'s efforts to restructure its debt have come up against a series of glitches in the past few weeks that are delaying a deal with bondholders (...) A 2006 study by consultancy Nordicity Group Ltd. determined the tax benefits from this provision are worth between $93-million and $132-million to the broadcasting sector. Click here to read more.
Upstart targets big boys of satellite TV: Grant Robertson and Karim Bardeesy, The Globe and Mail, Aug 19, 2009; The Canadian broadcast industry is witnessing its own version of the space race, with three rival companies vying to launch a new kind of scaled-down satellite TV service aimed at penny-pinching consumers (...) Peter Lyman, a senior partner with Nordicity Group Ltd., a consulting firm that studies the industry, said the cost to sign up for free satellite television is more expensive than buying a new digital antenna. Click here to read more.
Shaw Rocket Fund’s Agnes Augustin: Funding the fight for kids TV: Playback Magazine, July 20, 2009; TAgnes Augustin is an ardent advocate of Canadian children's programming (...) In conjunction with the CFTPA and the Alliance for Children and Television, the fund recently sponsored a Nordicity study that found that between 1998/99 and '07/08, the volume of Canadian production in the children's and youth genre dropped 34%. Click here to read more.
Canadian Kids Fare at Risk, Study Says: Mansha Daswani, World Screen News, June 10, 2009; Canada's broadcast regulator is holding off on introducing new conditions that would change how the country's big television networks buy programming from Hollywood studios (...) according to The Case for Kids Programming: Children’s and Youth Screen-Based Production in Canada, prepared by Nordicity Group for the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Alliance for Children and Television. Click here to read more.
Canadian kids TV production at a ten-year low: TBI Vision , June 10, 2009; Canadian kids TV production slumped to a ten-year low in the latest measurement period and smaller budgets have made Canadian shows less competitive internationally, according to a report from research company Nordicity. Click here to read more.
Protect Quality of Children's TV Urges Study: Broadcaster, World Screen News, June 10, 2009; Canada’s reputation as a world leader in the production of quality children’s and youth programming is at risk, according to a comprehensive study released today by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, the Shaw Rocket Fund and The Alliance for Children and Television. The Case for Kids Programming: Children’s and Youth Screen-Based Production in Canada – 2009 Edition was prepared by Nordicity Group Ltd. Click here to read more.
BANFF 2009: Fewer shows and less money for kids programming: Norma Reveler, Cartt.ca, June 10, 2009; Less children’s and youth programming is being produced in Canada on lower budgets and with less public funding, according to the report, “The Case for Kids Programming: Children’s and Youth Screen-based Production in Canada – 2009,” which was released at the Banff World Television Festival (BWTF) on Tuesday (...) The report was prepared by Nordicity Group for the CFTPA, the Shaw Rocket Fund, and the Alliance for Children and Television. Click here to read more.
Study: Canuck kids TV is 'under threat': C21Media, June 10, 2009; Canada's central role in the global children's television production industry is under threat, according to a new study published here today (...) The report, titled The Case for Kids Programming: Children’s & Youth Screen-Based Production in Canada - 2009 Edition and prepared by Nordicity Group, was published to coincide with the annual Banff TV Festival here in Banff, Canada. Click here to read more.
The unions address the renewal hearings: Playback Magazine, May 25, 2009; Although he's proven himself to be no lightweight in recent months, CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein doesn't appear to be prone to fits of gratuitous violence (...) TAccording to a joint study by the Nordicity Group, released in time for the hearings by the producers association, ACTRA, the DGC and WGC, Canadian programming is not the burden that broadcasters claim. Click here to read more.
CRTC delays new rules for buying US TV shows: Grant Robertson, Globe and Mail, May 15, 2009; A new study reveals that Canadian children’s and youth content production fell to a ten-year low of C$257 million in 2007/08, after peaking at C$389 million in 1999/00 (...) The study by the Nordicity Group was commissioned by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writers Guild of Canada, and ACTRA – the union representing actors. Click here to read more.
BNN (Business News Network) : Stories: Business News Network, May 15, 2009; Canada's broadcast regulator is holding off on introducing new conditions that would change how the country's big television networks buy programming from Hollywood studios (...) The study by the Nordicity Group was commissioned by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writers Guild of Canada, and ACTRA – the union representing actors. Click here to read more.
Saving local culture one witness at a time: A report from inside the political struggle to rescue Canadian television: Art Threat Magazine, May 2009; The wind was brisk and the day bright. In front of the Canadian Parliament, dapper men and women in their suits and skirts shimmied about, their hands holding flapping ties and dresses down against the wind, faces as serious (no doubt) as the webs of imaginary and real intrigue they weave as minions and titans on The Hill (...) Nordicity Group Ltd. 2006. “Analysis of government support for public broadcasting and other culture in Canada.” Prepared for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / La Societe Radio-Canada. Click here to read more.
Labor groups issue study: Playback Magazine, May 7, 2009; Canadian programming is not the burden that broadcasters claim, according to a study released Thursday by groups including ACTRA, the WGC and the DGC (...) The groups -- citing research from Nordicity Group -- argue that large broadcast conglomerates that own both conventional and specialty channels are "well-positioned" to profit from domestic programming. Click here to read more.
Canadian programming can be profitable, report says: Tech Media Reports (subscription), May 7, 2009; Conventional broadcasters and their specialty television channels are still well-placed to be profitable through Canadian television programming, according to a Nordicity report commissioned by the Writers Guild of Canada, the Directors’ Guild of Canada, ACTRA, and the CFTPA. Click here to read more.
New Study Shows Canadian Programming Can Pay its Way - Broadcasters do get bang for their bucks: Canada NewsWire (press release), May 7, 2009; A new study prepared by consulting firm Nordicity Group Limited shows that Canadian television programming can be, and is, profitable for Canadian broadcast groups. Click here to read more.
Time to re-think CBC funding?: Sarah Barmak, The Toronto Star, March 15, 2009; Private networks are reeling, newspapers are struggling, so maybe we need public broadcasting after all. But as with public transit, is there a better way? (...) Measured per capita, Canada had the third lowest level of public funding of 18 Western countries in 2004, according to a 2006 Nordicity study commissioned by the CBC. Our $28 per inhabitant was ahead of only New Zealand and the U.S., and far below the $80 average across 18 countries. Click here to read more.
A beleaguered CBC should ask itself: Who cares?: Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mail, March 13, 2009; Heritage Minister James Moore rejected more funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. this week (...) Only New Zealand supports its state-financed public broadcaster less, according to a study by the Nordicity Group, a consulting firm specializing in broadcasting. Click here to read more.
CBC tunes in to new reality: Craig Offman, National Post, March 13, 2009; Around two months ago, the CBC had a revealing dust-up with a local paper (...) According to a 2008 study conducted by the media research firm Nordicity Group, the CBC's $34 annual per-capita subsidy is the third-lowest among 18 Western countries - less than half of its French counterpart, which is $77. Click here to read more.
CRTC Releases Study Of OTA Local News: broadcastermagazine.com, Jan 2009; In the context of the 1999 Policy Framework for Canadian Television, the Commission released OTA broadcasters from regulatory obligations to produce a specific number of hours of local news based on the assumption that there would be a strong, sustained business model for conventional OTA broadcasters to produce local news (...) The CRTC engaged Nordicity Group Limited to study economic and audience trends of over-the-air private broadcasters' local news programming. Click here to read more (login required).
Interactive Media Industry Survey Now Online: mediacastermagazine.com, Dec 2008; A new survey on the Canadian interactive media industry will set the stage for important industry hearings on the nature and the future of digital media in Canada planned for the New Year (...) Nordicity has been contracted by the association to conduct the survey, analyze the results and then report on its findings. Click here to read more (login required).
Visually affecting the industry: Playback Magazine, October 13, 2008; Refusing to rest on the laurels strewn on them for their work on films and TV shows like The Incredible Hulk and Stargate: Atlantis, digital producers in Ontario and British Columbia have taken matters into their own hands, forming associations to represent their interests in Canada and abroad (...) In tandem with media-consulting firm Nordicity, CASO generated a survey of its industry in Ontario, which was released last month at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The survey estimates that visual effects studios employed 1,600 to 1,900 people in the province in 2007. Click here to read more.
Ontario Industry Survey Reveals Picture Of VFX And Animation Economy: Animation World Network, September 19, 2008; Computer Animation Studios of Ontario Association (CASO) President Neil Williamson announced the results of the first animation and vfx industry survey Thursday night at a reception held during the Ottawa International Animation Festival (...) Conducted by Nordicity Group, the project received funding assistance from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), York University, Royal Bank of Canada, the City of Toronto -- Economic Development, and CASO. Click here to read more.
TV dominates CG industry: James Careless, Playback Magazine, Sep 18, 2008; OTTAWA -- Curb your enthusiasm about the web: TV and movies still pay the bills for Ontario's computer animation and VFX industry. So says a study released at the Ottawa International Animation Festival Thursday night (...) The study, commissioned by the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario Association and compiled by Nordicity Group, found that TV series and commercials accounted for 62% of the computer animation industry's 2007 revenues, with feature films bringing in another 16%. Meanwhile, VFX studios got 29% of their 2007 income from TV series/commercials, with another 44% coming from feature films. Click here to read more.
Study calls for film, TV production centre: The Ottawa Citizen, July 11, 2008; The amount of film and television production in the Ottawa region is significant enough that a multipurpose production centre is needed, a consultant's study recommended (...) The region is developing into a secondary market for film and television productions, said the feasibility study released yesterday by The Nordicity Group for the Ottawa-Gatineau Film and Television Development Corporation. Click here to read more.
Aussie rules eyed for media mergers: Grant Robertson, Globe and Mail Update, August 6, 2007; In the aftermath of three major takeovers in the Canadian broadcasting sector, federal regulators appear poised to consider revamping the rules on media consolidation, using a system pioneered last year by the Australian government. The CFTPA, (…) commissioned Nordicity Group Ltd., a consulting firm, to study the Australian method.; “The application of Australia's points system to seven Canadian media markets shows that the approved and proposed merger transactions should raise serious concerns about cross-media ownership and media diversity,” Nordicity said. Click here to read more.
Broadcasters, BDUs and regulators, don’t forget your Jim exercises: Kurt Eby, Decima Reports, July 5, 2007; Jim seems like a regular guy. He went to university, found a job after graduation, pays rent and would like to own a home someday. But in spite of his regularity, Jim does not have the patience, money, or need for our regulated broadcasting system.; The idea of Jim as the model TV-to-Internet-shifter comes from Nordicity Group Ltd.'s Terri Wills, who presented the idea at the Insight Telecommunications and Broadcasting Conference in May. It stems from her time working in strategy at BBC where they would use focus groups and create case studies to better understand media consumption habits. Click here to read more.
The future of TV? On-demand, and online: James Lewis, Decima Reports, June 22, 2007; Perhaps the most telling aspect of the final session at this year's Banff World Television Festival, billed as a critical look at ‘The Future of Television,' was that it ended with an hour-long talk about the Internet. The panel discussion aimed to address three key questions raised by Nordicity Group Ltd.'s Banff Green Paper 2007 Click here to read more.
Report: Internet threat to TV not imminent: Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, June 7, 2007; TORONTO -- The emerging Internet may be turning traditional broadcasting upside down, but it won't kill the TV star anytime soon. That's the conclusion of a report commissioned by the Banff World Television Festival to spur debate during this year's TV/new-media gabfest,which gets under way Sunday. Click here to read more (login required).
Internet won't kill the TV star, but it could cause disruptions: Grant Robertson, Globe and Mail, June 6, 2007; The Internet has been touted as a rival that could destroy network television, but a new report on the Canadian TV sector suggests the two are destined to live side by side - though not necessarily in harmony (...) "The Internet may be best currently to deliver news clips, but your satellite or cable package [is] best to deliver Corner Gas in HD." The 40-page report was compiled by the Nordicity Group Ltd., an independent consulting firm. Click here to read more.
Big TV changes ahead, says report: Playback Magazine, June, 6 2007; "TV did not destroy radio, as radio did not destroy newspapers," it reads. "There will likely be some form of co-existence." The 41-page report by Nordicity Group -- "Green Paper II: The Future of Television in Canada" Click here to read more.
Seven must-attend sessions: Playback Magazine, May 28, 2007; This year's Banff World Television Festival is so content-rich that narrowing down which sessions to attend might be harder to solve than a murder on CSI. Nonetheless, we've done our investigating, and below present seven must-see events. Too bad you can't set your PVR, because some of the sessions overlap (...) This open-ended forum, in which audience input is being encouraged, will look at the updated version of Nordicity Group's Green Paper on the Future of Television in Canada, introduced at the close of last year's event. Click here to read more.
Nordicity talks media mergers and the future of television with TVO’s Steve Paikin: May 2007; Click here to read more.
Grab kids growing up digital: Nordicity: Decima Reports, March 16, 2007; The Nordicity Group recently released a report on the future of children’s programming. In the section dealing with the current state of the industry, an excerpt from which appears below, Nordicity argues that the genre is the perfect vehicle for reaching younger demographics in the on-demand, multi-platform era. Click here to read more.

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