CBC ups doc spend by £3.75m but shutters channel

Canadian broadcaster CBC is shuttering its subscription-based Documentary Channel at the end of August and replacing it with a FAST offering, while also upping its local doc spend by C$7m (£3.75m).

It was not immediately clear what CBC’s current doc spend is but the broadcaster said the additional funding would support a range of formats, including more feature-length films, CBC said.

The broadcaster aims to use the increased investment to create more opportunities “for a diverse range of storytellers at all levels”, from emerging digital creators to established filmmakers.

Dedicated pathways and new initiatives will be launched to support younger talents, with more details set to be announced at the Banff World Media Festival in June.

The FAST channel will launch in Autumn and succeed the Documentary Channel, which will end broadcast on 31 August. CBC said it was closing the network because of “significant shifts in linear television consumption habits” and declining subscribers.

Despite the imminent closure, Jennifer Dettman, CBC’s executive director of unscripted, said the broadcaster’s commitment to original Canadian documentary storytelling “is stronger than ever.”

CBC added that the investment in programming would deliver an increase in the number of docs that it commissions, with shows alos set to appear within established strands such as The Passionate Eye, The Nature of Things and Absolutely Canadian.

Content will run across both the upcoming FAST channel and streamer CBC Gem, which already offers more than 700 docs on demand.

Dettman added that the changes will enable CBC “to modernise how we deliver high-quality documentaries, making it easier than ever for Canadians to discover the very best in home-grown storytelling.”