Radio-Canada's special program dedicated to Quebec cinema posted hungry ratings Sunday night. It replaced Gala Québec Cinéma, which the public broadcaster canceled last year due to declining ratings. However, the awards ceremony's last broadcast still attracted more than twice as many viewers as the special In a Cinema Near You, hosted by Karine Vanasse.
In a Cinema Near You was shown at 8 p.m., the time slot normally occupied by “Everybody Talks About,” and aimed to promote Quebec films coming to theaters in 2024. Several interviews with directors and leading actors from local cinema formed the framework for this one-hour special show.
But in the end there were only a few spectators. According to preliminary data compiled by the company Numeris and published by Le Soleil TV columnist Richard Therrien, “In a Cinema Near You” reached nearly 188,000 people on Sunday night. This is undoubtedly one of the worst ratings Radio-Canada has recorded on a Sunday night. And above all, it is much less than the 468,000 viewers who saw the Gala Québec Cinéma during its last broadcast on Radio-Canada in June 2022, a time of year much less auspicious on television than January.
After being abandoned by the public broadcaster, Gala Québec Cinéma was able to rise from its ashes in December on Noovo, a channel that typically has a much narrower reach than Radio-Canada or TVA. However, the ceremony hosted by Jay Du Temple last month still managed to attract 465,000 people to their televisions at the peak of the evening, which is significantly more than the attention that Dans un cinema fast at your home attracted.
“Of course we always want more,” admitted France Beaudoin, who produced this particular show. “The idea was to draw attention to the films and the artists in advance. We really received a lot of messages from people telling us that they can't wait to see this or that film… We are proud of the result. This doesn't seem to be in question at all. “There are so many factors at play…” the producer added in writing.
Strong competition
France Beaudoin hopes that the show can at least meet its audience on the Tou.tv platform. Radio-Canada management said it was pleased with the program led by Karine Vanasse, who “executed her mandate very well,” we emphasized.
We also remind you that the competition was strong on Sunday evening between 8 and 9 p.m. La voix's 10th anniversary special on TVA surpassed the million viewer mark, according to preliminary data. Shortly afterwards, the first interview in four years with fallen rocker Éric Lapointe was broadcast and achieved ratings of over 800,000.
Still, we can assume that the ratings for “In a Theater Near You” didn’t live up to the network’s expectations. Despite all this, Radio-Canada is committed to broadcasting another program dedicated to Quebec cinema next year. However, this could occupy a different time slot than Sunday evening.
“We can confirm that another program focusing on current and future film productions will be added to Radio-Canada's lineup next year. “It will also be broadcast in prime time, but consideration is currently being given to whether it would be appropriate to include it on a date where it is more likely to maximize viewership,” said Marc Pichette, radio public relations director. Canada.
Controversial decision
The public broadcaster caused a stir when it canceled the Québec Cinéma gala last year. Many in the industry had accused the state-owned company of deviating from its cultural mission. Radio-Canada then concluded that a special broadcast was a better tool for promoting local cinema than a gala.
Poor ratings for “In a Theater Near You” led Québec Cinéma general manager Dominique Dugas to say Radio-Canada was wrong. A televised gala remains the best formula to promote local films, he is even more convinced of this today. “The program broadcast by Radio-Canada on Sunday was very good. As someone who cares about the impact of our cinema, I can only be sad that so few people were there. But it also shows that we were right to fight to save our gala. A special show can never replace a gala,” he concludes.
Paradoxically, the year just past was particularly good for cinema in Quebec, which accounted for more than 10% of moviegoers in 2023, compared to 7% in 2022. At the box office, it was the most lucrative year since 2017.