Watching the shows you love gets expensive. Each platform comes with its invoice. Quality productions are stored there. Our productions, created with talent, hope and perseverance, must compete with multi-million dollar American series whose marketing is as Hollywood as the budget. At the same time, cultures are making their way and capturing the attention of the eyes of the world.
Club illico, Crave and ICI Tou.tv offer us a preview of the series that their traditional channels will broadcast a few months later. But US platforms are still at the forefront of subscriptions. According to audience research firm GWI, Netflix dominated the third quarter of 2022 in terms of platforms with the most French-speaking subscribers in the country. Disney+ came in second, closely followed by Prime Video. This week, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) launched new initiatives to showcase Canadian talent. Registration in the heart of the world is an important factor. But what place do these giants of online listening reserve for Quebec series?
Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime
LOL: Who will have the last laugh? Richardson Zephyr
I originally wanted to write about the uniqueness of Quebec content on international platforms. To be honest, I hoped that we would be a fertile, inexpensive and creative ground for the interest of the giants. The invitation was sent to major international platforms. Only Prime Video management agreed to answer my questions. Since early 2023, Prime has multiplied announcements demonstrating its interest in developing original Quebec content.
“At Amazon, we listen to what our customers tell us they want to watch and combine that with viewership data to see what they watch and like,” said Magda Grace, director of Prime Video, Canada, Australia and News – New Zealand. From there we work hard to partner with the best developers in the industry who can bring something unique and different to our service.
Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime
Magda Grace, Director of Prime Video, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
“We want Prime Video to be a place where Quebec audiences can find the best series and films available, and we also want to be a place for Canadian talent and creators by providing stimulating environments in which to tell their stories.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
Just for one night with Dominic Paquet
“We recognize the quality of Quebec’s entertainment and media industry, and collaborating with Quebec producers and talent, as well as emerging creators, is what we are poised to do.”
Photo Agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
Show by Mathieu Dufour at the Bell Center
Quebec talent
In January, the platform LOL: Who will have the last laugh?, adapted from a Japanese format by production house Attraction, launched with a dozen local comedians and hosted by Patrick Huard. We recently learned that the Nuit Blanche series left by ICI Télé after one season will see a second life on the platform. This week it also hosted For One Night Only, the production of Just for Laughs.
“We are looking for an authentic perspective that focuses on diversity. Currently we are seeing the success of the humor with Canadian audiences. We believe there is a real opportunity there, but more than anything we want content that will resonate with Canadians and Quebecers first,” Ms. Grace continues.
Photo Agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
Just for one night with Mariana Mazza
“We know there are many incredibly talented creators in Quebec and we’re excited to be working with them. We’re drawn to creators who are passionate storytellers, do things differently, and have something to say. We want good stories that have the potential to connect.”
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Ten percent – call my agent
diffusion
Currently, Netflix acts more as a broadcaster than a producer. In 2020, the giant invested in the only Quebec original production to date, Until Decline. The platform has also acquired the international rights to The Perfect Family Guide. It also offers subscribers special recordings of Martin Matte and, more recently, Matt Duff performing at the Bell Center as part of the Just for Laughs Festival. Netflix has been affiliated with the National School of Humor since 2018 and funds comedy projects. Other partnerships are developing, notably with Wapikoni Mobile, but none of the productions officially land on the platform.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Until the fall
Some Quebec series benefit from some visibility since they have been given a place in their catalogue. Think you hear me?, For Sarah, trauma, life, life and Caleb’s daughters. However, thanks to numerous adaptations, Quebec productions enjoy an enviable success. A guy, a girl who will soon be reborn 25 years later on ICI Tou.tv has seen the birth of 30 versions in as many countries. “The Brotherhood”, “A Criminal Case”, “Me Weder”, “Revolution”, “Boomerang”, “Like Me!”, “Guys” are just some of the series that have recently been sold abroad. It is of course not to be neglected.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Squid Game
Become known
But having your place on an international platform keeps our culture and language alive in other areas. The series make us travel, break down borders. As a viewer, access to universes in Italian, Spanish, Indie and Korean makes the immersion even more believable. Spain has shown in recent years with La casa de papel that it can create excitement. Borgen highlighted the progressive nature of Danish society with a woman at the helm.
France stood out by opening artist agency vacancies in Dix pour cent (Call my agent). A series that allowed you to witness the games behind the scenes of a real star system. Lupine rose to the top of the charts and created the event around a classic work carried by a charismatic actor, Omar Sy. Italy stands out with series like Bang Bang Baby or Prisma, which present young adults with intense plots in elaborate universes. And what about South Korea, which in two or three years has become a new reference in the tele hook genre, without forgetting the boldness of its fictions. Think Extraordinary Attorney Woo, The Glory, and of course Squid Game, the huge worldwide hit. We can’t wait for Quebec to take an enviable place there.