Domestic Supply to Global Demand: Reframing the Challenge of Canadian English-Language Television Drama
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DOMESTIC SUPPLY TO GLOBAL DEMAND: REFRAMING THE CHALLENGE OF CANADIAN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION DRAMA by Irene S. Berkowitz A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2016 © Irene S. Berkowitz 2016 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract DOMESTIC SUPPLY TO GLOBAL DEMAND: REFRAMING THE CHALLENGE OF CANADIAN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION DRAMA DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, 2016 IRENE S. BERKOWITZ COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE RYERSON UNIVERSITY AND YORK UNIVERSITY As online TV delivery disrupts conventional TV broadcasting and unbundles TV cable channels, allowing consumers to choose programs and TV brands more directly, hit content is “king” more than ever before. This dissertation offers a new analysis of Canadian English-language TV drama content’s failure to mature into a popular genre or robust economic sector since its introduction in the 1960s, and suggests ways that the Canadian English-language TV drama value chain might be strategically adjusted in response to global market disruption, by strengthening the development phase. The problem is approached with two methodologies: value chain analysis and qualitative field research. Findings identify weak links in the value chain and propose that the Canadian English-language TV drama content model is structurally flawed and has inhibited maturation of the sector. The study theorizes a TV drama value chain composed of 3 functional segments (develop, produce, distribute) and identifies the root of the Canadian drama problem as the creation phase, known in TV as development, analogous to the R&D phase in other industries. The theorization explains why decades of policy attention and subsidies targeted to the production phase have not substantially improved domestic or global market performance of Canadian English-language TV drama. Moreover, the reframing reveals that development and distribution are functionally linked, while the production phase is the most separate. Theorization and field research concur that a strong imperative for financial returns is essential for successful creative results, from the earliest moments of development. Conversely, a weak link to monetization negatively impacts asset creation, impairing the development phase and, in the case of Canadian English-language TV drama, inhibits its capability to compete effectively in a 21st-century drama attention economy that increasingly rewards creative excellence. Interviews with stakeholders occupying elite development positions in the Canadian and Hollywood TV drama industry confirm an urgency to upgrade development to foster transformation of Canada’s TV drama model, from one purposed for domestic supply to one driven by global demand, and in so doing, future-proof Canadian TV drama for the digital age. Against the backdrop of Canada’s unique geo-cultural position vis a vis the U.S., characterized by brain drain of high-performing Canadian TV drama creators to Hollywood and attempts by Canadian English-language TV drama to compete with Hollywood hits, this research contributes to debates on cluster upgrading, localglobal linkages, and economic diasporas that focus on iii value capture of highly skilled professionals who seek career acceleration in global escalator regions. Findings are applicable to any nation upgrading domestic creative industries which, like TV drama, are characterized by an imperative for innovation excellence in R&D-intensive global value chains. Keywords: brain drain, broadcasting policy, Canadian television, cluster upgrading, creative industries, economic diasporas, global value chains, Hollywood, localglobal linkages, prime time television, showrunners, television development, television disruption, value chain, value chain evolution (VCE) iv Acknowledgments I am profoundly grateful for the support of so many distinguished individuals in the Ryerson and York University communities, as well as for the entirety of the Communication and Culture program and purpose. The dedication of my Research Supervisor, Dr. Charles H. Davis (Associate Dean, Scholarly Research and Creative Activities; E.S. Rogers Sr. Research Chair in Media Management and Entrepreneurship; Professor, RTA School of Media, Ryerson University), whose title indicates the array of demands on his time, was unfailing in the provision of guidance, encouragement, and wisdom from the moment this project took shape, kicking off with an award-winning essay. My equally esteemed Committee, Dr. Greg Elmer (Ryerson University Bell Globe Media Research Chair and Professor of Communication and Culture/Radio and Television Arts, RTA School of Media) and Peter S. Grant (Canada’s foremost telecommunications and entertainment lawyer, distinguished media author, and York University Professor) have been most generous and invaluable contributors to this process. Dr. Paul S. Moore, Director of the Ryerson University Joint Program in Communication and Culture, provided remarkable, timely encouragement, as did Interim Director Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof. Each of my Professors in preliminary course work, including Dr. Wendy Cukier (Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ryerson University); Dr. Joy Cohnstaedt; Professor Trina McQueen (Adjunct Professor, Schulich School of Business, former President and COO, CTV); Professor Ken Engelhart (Senior VP, Regulatory, Rogers Media); Professor Liora Salter (Professor, York University, Osgoode Hall Law School); and Dr. Michael Murphy (Professor, RTA School of Media and York-Ryerson Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture) each and all illuminated arenas of knowledge crucial to achieving this goal. The consultations of Ryerson University colleagues, including Dr. Kim Bates (MBA Program Director, Ted Rogers School of Management) and Emilia Zboralski (PhD Candidate, Communication and Culture), have been so important to this journey. I am indebted to Margaret Kennedy (retired CRTC officer) and Pip Wedge (Executive Director, Canadian Communications Foundation, former Vice President, CTV Television Network) who, on the recommendation of Ken Engelhart (Adjunct Professor, York University Osgoode Hall Law School and former Senior VP, Rogers Communications Inc.), generously provided time and expertise regarding the origin of simultaneous substitution. Jay Wolofsky (Communication and Culture Research Librarian) and Natalya Androsova (Dissertation Boot Camp Leader) imparted new skills, precisely when they became essential. Without the support and expertise of the Ryerson University Public Relations Department, including Michael Forbes, Kate Marshall, and Suelyn Toye, I would not have been able to respond to requests to publicize this research. Without the administrative excellence of Jo Ann Mackie and Mark Poulin, this dissertation would not have been completed. Many others in the Ryerson University community, who helped along the way, go unmentioned; I thank each of you. Outside of Ryerson, and in addition to media outlets, v which requested my perspectives in recent months, I would like to thank Cher Jones (Socially Active), David Zitzerman (Goodmans LLP), as well as professionals at the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Media Production Association, who graciously responded to my requests for information and documents. I also thank a number of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) professionals, who expressed interest in this research, especially during the 2014 Let’s Talk TV proceedings. Profound thanks to CRTC, for recognition of observations included in this thesis, on March 12, 2015, in Broadcast Regulatory Policy 2015-86. On a personal level, I would like to thank certain friends, especially Sandy, Rhonda, and Elise, without whose constant encouragement this effort would not have been completed. Finally, and above all, to each member of my precious family, thank you for your unfailing support and (often tested) patience: Mom, Dad, Stuart, Bob, Eileen, Rebecca, Andrew, Julie, Rory, Emily, Matthew, Dylan, Lucas, Lily and Charlie. You are my daily blessings and my divine inspiration. vi Dedication “So what you’re doing, you are now trailblazing.” (Respondent, Canadian, A-list Hollywood showrunner) This dissertation is dedicated to each and all of the informants. You are the stars of this story. Each of you was incredibly generous with your precious time, brilliant insights, compelling perspective, and passion for the topic of TV drama development. Each of you works at an elite level in this complex and often hidden arena. Many of you are Canadian creators who have ascended to eminence in Hollywood, through a combination of extraordinary talent and unimaginable levels of dedication, discipline, and hard work. As well, profound thanks are extended