The Gémeaux Awards are surviving the controversies, but they still seem to be a little down. Broadcast live on ICI ARTV until last year, the Sunday afternoon opening ceremony, which rewards artists and artisans of the small screen, will not be shown on television this year. The reason given? Low audience ratings.
The information was communicated at the very end of the document detailing the list of finalists to the 39it is Gemini Prize, early July.
It was in the wake of the cuts at Radio-Canada that the decision was made to cancel the television broadcast of the Opening Gala.
The decision was made in early February, before the Crown corporation was excluded from the list of federal entities forced to cut their spending by 3.3%.
“It wasn’t something that was very popular with the public. We talked about it with the Gémeaux a long time ago. For them, it was a done deal,” explains Sophie Morasse, general manager of Télévision de Radio-Canada, in an interview with The Press.
Declining figures
The Gémeaux gala consists of three awards ceremonies: the Industry Gala (formerly relayed on the Radio-Canada website and on the Gémeaux Facebook page, and which will no longer be broadcast anywhere), the Opening Gala, and then the televised celebration on Sunday evening, which will be hosted by Pierre-Yves Lord on September 15, live on ICI Télé and ICI Tou.tv.
Trophies in the so-called “technical” categories (research, editing, sound, costumes, hair, etc.) are awarded at the Industry Gala. The Opening Gala is where the largest number of statuettes (46) are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT), organizer of the Gémeaux.
Held a few hours before the appointment glamour Sunday evening, on the ground floor of the Complexe Desjardins, isolated by curtains for the occasion, the happening The opening ceremony (formerly known as the Avant-Première) sees the authors, directors and supporting actors of series parade through the halls for brief thanks. Game shows, talk shows, magazine shows, reality TV shows, etc. are also crowned.
With several headliners appreciated by the general public being in the spotlight, isn’t it contradictory that a portion of an event that is supposed to promote Quebec television is not accessible to viewers?
Our mandate is to make a good TV show. The Academy also has choices to make with the budget it has. We won’t hide the fact that TV is in a difficult context… We try to make the best budget choices to give visibility.
Sophie Morasse, Director General of Radio-Canada Television
In 2022, the average audience for an Sunday afternoon in the fall on ICI ARTV was 18,000 viewers, compared to 32,000 for the Opening Gala. On September 17, 2023, the Opening Gala was watched by 18,000 people, compared to 19,000 for the other Sunday shows, from August 21 to September 17.
“At the level of specialty channels, we always look at the subscription versus the cost of the schedule. We do several galas, and we wanted uniformity in what we give as visibility to our partners,” explained Sophie Morasse.
Let us recall that last year, in addition to removing the Gala Québec Cinéma from its schedule, Radio-Canada abolished the special red carpet broadcasts that preceded its various awards ceremonies.
The Gémeaux organization has also just been shaken by controversy, as some producers (Aetios, ALSO, Duo Productions) have decided to no longer register their works, shocked by several operating methods.
Asked to comment on the situation, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television simply invited the public to follow its social networks during the various ceremonies to learn the highlights.
The role of the public broadcaster
According to Stéfany Boisvert, a professor at the School of Media, specializing in television and popular culture, it would be wrong to minimize the impact of such an initiative on the part of the public broadcaster.
Radio-Canada’s decision can be understood, but understanding does not necessarily mean excusing. Galas like the Prix Gémeaux are important cultural events for the promotion and visibility of local culture, even if audience ratings are down.
Stéfany Boisvert, professor at the School of Media
Mme Boisvert points out that in the era of viewing platforms encouraging rapid consumption, the “shadow artists” acclaimed in off-air galas find themselves “invisible”.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to know who directed or produced a film…”
“Radio-Canada’s choice shows what happens when you leave a public broadcaster in a relationship of perpetual dependence on advertising revenue,” adds Mr.me Boisvert: In a context where certain programs are getting lower ratings, there is a tendency to want to remove them from the programming. Whereas, on the contrary, one of the mandates of a public broadcaster is to promote local culture, regardless of its commercial appeal. This mandate is difficult to reconcile with a mandate to make money through advertising revenues.
The Gémeaux evening previously offered a short recap in images of the highlights of the industry and opening galas. Radio-Canada says it is looking for a solution to publicly salute the winners of these first two parts.
The Gala of the 39it is The Gémeaux Prize will be broadcast live on ICI Télé and ICI Tou.TV on Sunday, September 15, at 8 p.m.