What the rise of Netflix could mean to Canadian content creators…
Everyone with a wireless modem knows that Netflix has disrupted the entertainment industry, changing the way we watch movies and TV, and it will soon make the broadcast system as we know it vanish.
For Canadian creators, this could be a good thing. Though there’s a handful of Canadian hit shows, we still live in the U.S.’s shadow. Aside from how Canadians and our country are represented on TV, are we able to define what it means to be Canadian, at all? The first and probably only quality that comes to mind is politeness, which has become synonymous to producing safe, boring programming.
We’re living in The Golden Age of Television; the list of shows “you have to watch” is never ending, and there is something for every niche audience and their interest. Genres, styles, themes, and tones are getting mixed together, and it’s awesome. Stranger Things made sci-fi lovers out of viewers who would typically think the genre is too complicated or nerdy. The story is unlike any other, but of course, its specificity was misconstrued as risky to broadcasters, as the creators were told it should be either a children’s show or it should focus on the detective . The Duffer brothers stuck with their vision instead, leading them to Netflix, where the heart of its original programming beats to rhythm of distinct, particular and radical stories. The major difference between Netflix and a broadcasting network is that its shows don’t share similar tones and themes. What really is the link between Orange Is The New Black, Master Of None, Narcos and The Crown? Each are unable to be solely categorized, they’re somewhere between one show you’ve watched and another, due to extreme creativity and innovation. If good TV lies in the unheard and untold, then it is time to figure out what makes the Canadian experience unique, making it meaningful on a global scale.
The CRTC’s “Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015–86” will have broadcasters spending more on high-quality programming instead of simply reaching a quota. Is this a promise for good change? Not really, considering this change will also allow more international talent to come in and take Canadian creative positions. It’s great that the government has recognized that some sort of change is needed, but more needs to be done to establish a Canadian presence in film and TV, otherwise the nation will be forgotten as a whole. The entertainment industry may be trivial to some, but to most, pop culture is what teaches us of the world. As Canadian writers and creators of all sorts, we must look to our differences to find stories that will interest the world.
The CRTC has yet to regulate streaming services, and even if they choose to, it seems like the solution depends on the growing success of Netflix and other popular streaming services (like Amazon Prime) to potentially lead to a Canadian headquarters. CraveTV is a great Canadian streaming service, but it lacks in original content. Shomi had original content, but only lived for a mere two years. It’s not about creating a Canadian Netflix; it’s about exploiting the service’s separation from government regulations and showing the world who we are. But we’re getting there — Netflix already has partnerships with the CBC for projects like an Anne Of Green Gables remake and a miniseries based on Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace. Canada has realized that the old rules had to go in order to create amazing content. What they have yet to realize, is this new, never before told stories have been with us all along, it is just a matter of looking within.
