Advanced Television

Report: Canadian content travels best

September 18, 2019

Television content produced or co-produced in Canada has the highest rate of global travelability –  the ability for local content to attract audience demand outside of the country where it was originally produced and aired –  compared to any other market, according to research conducted by Parrot Analytics on behalf of the Canada Media Fund (CMF).

Canadian content achieved global travelability of 22.4 per cent over the period of May 1st to July 31st 2019 compared to content produced in the US which achieved global travelability of 18.7 per cent over the same period. Travelability is an index of popularity relative to a project’s home market.

Parrot Analytics is the leading content demand analytics company that specialises in optimising TV industry workflows through its global demand data and analyses. CMF develops and finances the creation of original Canadian content and supports the Canadian media industry.

CMF has partnered with Parrot Analytics on a pilot basis to provide the Canadian media industry with data they have not had access to before to assess the impact of SVoD channels and new platforms on the Canadian production industry. In addition, having access to Parrot Analytics’ travelability data, CMF can identify content that travels best to inform the industry and identify new opportunities.

“We are eager to understand the content preferences of Canadians across multiple viewing platforms. For us, gaining insights into the success of content on all platforms is pivotal in this changing media landscape. Their insights into travelability is an example of how global TV demand data will give us the required strategic context to help Canadian producers better navigate the content landscape,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF.

“Our initial project with CMF was to take a 12-month view of Canadian content that had successfully traveled outside of the country and we were surprised to see that content produced or co-produced in Canada had significantly higher travelability rates than content produced elsewhere in the world,” Courtney Williams, Head of Partnerships, Parrot Analytics. “Of course, Canadian co-productions like Orphan Black and Vikings certainly have made an impact around the world, but seeing Canada’s dominance in this metric was impressive. We look forward to working with CMF to uncover other content trends that can inform the industry.”

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