By David Farrell
Schitt’s Creek, Anne with an E lead Canadian Screen Awards pack
CTV’s Schitt's Creek, currently running its sixth final season, is up for a leading 26 trophies at next month's Canadian Screen Awards, with the CBC coming-of-age story Anne with an E, which was cancelled in late November after three seasons, is next with 17 nominations.
The Song of Names, a Crave Original Film from Serendipity Point Films produced in association with Bell Media Studios, received an outstanding 9 nominations, the most of any nominated film. The drama tells the story of a child befriending a Polish violin prodigy whose parents leave him in his family's care. The two boys become like brothers until the musician disappears. Forty years later, he gets his first clue as to what happened to his childhood best friend. The film is directed by François Girard and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht.
In a separate release, Bell Media announced having garnered 229 total nominations, comprising 142 television and digital nominations and 85 nominations for Bell Media-supported films, as well as the two previously announced Special Awards for Crave and Anton Koschany. CTV is the proud Premium Partner of the Canadian Screen Awards and the title sponsor of the Non-Fiction Programming and Creative Fiction Storytelling galas on March 23 and 24.
"While we strive to support and celebrate Canadian content every day, being recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television is testimony to the unwavering passion for your work which year after year raises the bar for not only the industry in Canada but around the world," Bell Media president Randy Lennox said in a statement yesterday. – CP, Various
'The news industry is in trouble': Canadian media outlets team up to demand tax and regulatory changes
In a plea for long-demanded tax and regulatory changes, a large group of news companies is expressing grave concern about the future of the “vibrant media ecosystem in Canada” and the “health of news and of democracy.”
Among the changes requested by the media companies are modifications to Canadian tax rules for digital companies, changes to copyright protection and beefed up competition regulation. – Stuart Thomson, National Post
Stingray launches Country channel in Canada
Montreal based music, media and tech firm Stingray has announced the premiere launch of Stingray Country, a music video television channel dedicated to Country music for Canadian TV subscribers. Programming highlights include verticals covering Hot, Smooth and Throwback videos, a Country Hot 20 countdown, and Tailgate Party that mixes “today’s upbeat hits and unforgettable country favourites”
In a statement released yesterday, Mathieu Péloquin, Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications of Stingray, said: “We are thrilled to introduce our latest TV channel, Stingray Country, to Canadian country music fans. With a growing millennial fan base including both men and women, country music’s popularity is spreading across all regions of the map. The premiere of Stingray Country is the perfect showcase for our ability to offer content reflecting the trends and music scenes.”
The media panel’s report deserves a full airing
The proposals flow from the premise that the Canadian media system is a public service. In this sense, we need to think about media the way we think about education, or health care, as sectors to be overseen in the public interest, for the public good. – Marc Raboy, The Star
Global markets shudder as Apple’s warning deepens coronavirus fallout
Apple, which counts on greater China for nearly a fifth of its revenue, warned investors Monday that it is experiencing an iPhone supply shortage as Chinese factories have been slow to come back to life. The tech giant, whose success over the past decade has been tethered to its ability to harness China’s massive labour force and sprawling network of component manufacturers, also said demand for its products in China had been significantly hurt by store closures. The few stores that have remained open are operating on reduced hours “with very low customer traffic.” – Taylor Telford & Thomas Heath, Washington Post
