Glossary

Advertising video-on-demand (AVOD): An Internet-based service that gives consumers free access to video content in exchange for being exposed to advertising (e.g. YouTube).

Average minute audience (AMA): The average number of persons watching a television program during any 60-second portion of that program.

Broadcaster in-house production: Refers to television programs made internally by broadcasters. It largely consists of news and sports programming, but can also include production in other genres.

Broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs): Includes cable, direct-to-home (DTH) satellite, and Internet protocol TV (IPTV) services that allow Canadian households and businesses to access licensed television programming services, including conventional television, discretionary television services and on-demand television services, by subscribing to channel packages and certain à la carte services.

Canada Media Fund (CMF): The Canada Media Fund (CMF) supports the creation of popular, innovative Canadian content and software applications. The CMF receives contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada's cable, satellite and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) distributors. The CMF is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the Canadian television and digital media industries through several programs.

Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO): The section within the Department of Canadian Heritage that co-administers (with the Canada Revenue Agency) the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) and the Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC). As part of this role, it is responsible for assessing television programs and films against a number of eligibility criteria, including a key creative point system, to determine if a film or television program is eligible to access the CPTC and thereby can also access other funding mechanisms.

Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC): The federal government tax credit program for supporting the production of films and television programs that qualify as Canadian content. The CPTC is equal to 25% of a production's "qualified labour expenditure" (QLE) in a given year. The QLE refers to the eligible labour expenses for the production, capped at 60% of the production's total costs, net of any assistance received.

Canadian programming expenditure (CPE): The monetary value of licensed Canadian broadcasters' spending on original or acquired television programs that qualify as Canadian content.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC): Canada's regulator of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors.

Conventional television / Conventional TV: Includes private and public broadcasters that maintain over-the-air (OTA) infrastructure to broadcast to households, although the vast majority of Canadian households now receive conventional television signals via cable television, DTH satellite television or IPTV providers.

Convergent Stream: A former funding stream of the CMF that used to provides financial support to the production of digital media components that are related to CMF-funded television productions in order to provide content on different digital media platforms. The CMF has initiated changes whereby the Convergent and Experimental Streams have been replaced with Ideation, Creation and Industry.

Coproduction: A film or television program made by producers from two or more countries and typically shot in those producers' countries. Coproductions are made in accordance with coproduction treaties between countries to ensure that they receive national treatment in each producer's country ("audiovisual treaty coproductions"). Note the coproduction section only includes statistics for audiovisual treaty coproductions.

Direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television: A BDU service under which households and businesses utilize a small aperture satellite antenna to receive television signals.

Discretionary services: Refers to television services that are only available via cable, DTH satellite and IPTV service providers, and typically provide sports, 24-hour news, movies, arts and other thematic programming. Discretionary services earn revenue from a combination of subscription fees and advertising. They may also be referred to as specialty television or pay television services.

Educational broadcasters: Refers to the four television broadcasting licensees controlled by provincial governments, which focus on the provision of educational programming. The four educational broadcasters include TéléQuébec, TVO, Knowledge Network (BC) and Groupe Média. TFO.

Experimental Stream: A former funding stream of the CMF that used to provides financial support to the production of interactive digital media content, software applications and web series that are unrelated to CMF-funded television productions. The CMF has initiated changes whereby the Convergent and Experimental Streams have been replaced with Ideation, Creation and Industry.

Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC): The federal government tax credit program for supporting the production of films and television programs that do not qualify as Canadian content. The PSTC provides a tax credit equal to 16% of a production's "qualified Canadian labour expenditures" (QCLE). The QCLE is equal to the eligible Canadian labour expenses for the production, net of any assistance received in respect of those expenses.

Foreign investment in production (FIIP): A measurement of the value of international financial participation in the film and television production sector in Canada. It includes foreign presales and distribution advances for all projects certified by CAVCO; estimates of presales and distribution advances for non-CAVCO-certified productions; and the total value of foreign location and service (FLS) production in Canada.

Foreign location and service (FLS): Includes feature films and television programs filmed in Canada primarily by foreign producers. It also includes the visual effects (VFX) work done by Canadian VFX studios for foreign films and television programs.

Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST): A type of internet-delivered television service that offers free, advertiser-supported, linear streaming channels programmed on a scheduled basis, allowing viewers to watch continuously curated content without a subscription.

Full-time equivalents (FTEs): A measurement of employment that converts the number of part-time workers or any workers working less than a full work year into the equivalent number of full-time workers.

Gross domestic product (GDP): The sum of the economic value-added generated within an industry or economy. The difference between the value of an industry's output and the value of the inputs it consumes from other industries.

Indigenous production: Production information was compiled, using the definition for Indigenous production established by the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO). An Indigenous production is defined as a production that is Indigenous controlled (minimum 51% ownership by person(s) who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis); and a project that is under the financial and creative control of Indigenous persons; two of the three key members of the creative team are Indigenous. Of note, some funding agencies have developed definitions that may vary slightly from the ISO definition.

Internet-based television services or Internet-based video services: Includes SVOD, AVOD and TVOD services.

Internet protocol TV (IPTV): A BDU service that is supplied to households and businesses through a broadband connection.

Linear content creation: The production of professionally produced audiovisual programming traditionally associated with television, including scripted and unscripted series and feature-length programming, regardless of whether the content is first exhibited via linear television channels or on-demand services.

On-demand services: On-demand services permit consumers to watch specific films or television programs whenever they want, rather than at a scheduled time (i.e. linear television). On-demand services can be offered over BDU platforms (SVOD, AVOD, TVOD and FAST).

Programs of national interest (PNI): Television programming that falls within the categories of drama and comedy; long-form documentary; English-language awards shows; and French-language music, dance and variety programming.

Spin-off impact: Refers to the sum of the indirect and induced economic impacts. The indirect impact includes the employment and GDP generated within industries that supply goods and services to the production sector. The induced impact includes the employment and GDP generated in consumer industries within the Canadian economy that benefit from the re-spending of wages earned by production sector cast and crew, and the workers employed in the supplier industries

Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD): A television service whereby consumers pay a subscription fee so that they can choose specific films or television programs to watch and when to watch them (e.g. Netflix, Disney+, Crave, Club illico, Amazon Prime Video, DAZN). Consumers typically access SVOD services over set-top boxes, smart TVs, computers or mobile devices.

Telefilm Canada: A Crown corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1968 with a mandate to invest in the production of Canadian films. Telefilm Canada now administers most of the federal government's programs for supporting the Canadian film industry. It also administers Canada's treaty coproduction agreements on behalf of the federal government, as well as the funding programs of the CMF.

Transactional video-on-demand (TVOD): An online service whereby consumers can pay a fee to download a specific film or television program (e.g. Apple iTunes). In some cases, TVOD can be used to rent a film or television program, where use of the download is restricted to a period of time.

Video-on-demand (VOD): A television service whereby consumers can pay a fee to choose specific films or television programs to watch, and when to watch them. In Canada, VOD is typically offered over BDU platforms (i.e. cable-TV, IPTV or DTH satellite).