To say the BCE-Astral transaction has people talking is an understatement.
Mario Mota wrote an article for Cartt.ca about the hundreds of millions available for Canadian television programming development and production.
He talks about how the industry needs to maximize those dollars to strengthen the Canadian system in the long term, and push for non-simultaneous substitution (NSS). NSS would give Canadian broadcasters flexibility in scheduling US programs, rather than having to simulcast with the American networks, so prime times would be available to air Canadian shows.
John Gill, NSI CEO responded to the article with a letter to the editor: A big opportunity, yes, but more training is needed for our storytellers.
John shares in the excitement of the flowing money but challenges the industry to consider the importance of training the next generations of content creators in order to continue the tradition of great Canadian television programming.
It always comes down to great stories = great TV.
