Quebec television is struggling to win over immigrants who have recently settled in the country. According to a recent study, TVA and Radio-Canada still manage to reach the vast majority of viewers born here, but the two major French-speaking networks are receiving poor scores among newcomers. And the lack of diversity in our productions cannot alone explain this gap.
The Media Technology Observer (OTM), a division of CBC/Radio-Canada, looked last year at the listening habits of nearly 4,000 people who arrived in the country less than five years ago. The results were then compared with those of a survey of native-born Canadians. Le Devoir was able to get its hands on figures that specifically concern Quebec.
It appears that 70% of Quebecers born in the country had listened to TVA in the month preceding this survey; 64% for ICI Radio-Canada Télé. However, only 16% of newcomers said they had tuned into the public broadcaster at least once during the same period. TVA does a little better with 22% among immigrants who arrived in the country recently. As for Noovo, one in two Quebecers born in the country said they had watched the channel, compared to barely 6% of newcomers.
“The TV industry in Quebec suffers from a very strong prejudice that it is not inclusive, that it remains very white,” says Stéfany Boisvert, professor at the UQAM Media School. “When we do studies, we realize that this is no longer entirely true, that there have been a lot of efforts in terms of diversity in recent years. Even among my students who were born in Quebec, this is often cited as a reason to justify that they are not subscribed to Quebec platforms. It will take years for the industry to get rid of this stereotype. »
According to Mme Boisvert, whose work focuses, among other things, on the representation of minorities on screen, the low audiences of Quebec TV channels among newcomers can be partly explained by this persistent negative perception. But not only. Moreover, the OTM study indicates that TV channels in English Canada do not obtain stellar scores among newcomers, even if they have a reputation for putting more emphasis on cultural communities. in their programming.
The gap between recently arrived immigrants and people born in the country is, however, much less spectacular in English Canada than in Quebec. “People who were born in Quebec are still very attached to their TV channels. In English Canada, even native Canadians tend to shun Canadian channels. It’s been like this for a very long time. Many people have gotten into the habit of listening to American TV instead,” underlines Stéfany Boisvert.
Multiple reasons
All this to say that diversity alone cannot attract the attention of newcomers. For them to watch Quebec TV, we still need to offer them programs that speak to them.
“Yes, there are efforts that have been made on Quebec television in recent years for diversity. But these are mostly cosmetic changes. As long as we do not make shows specially designed for newcomers, Quebec television will not reach them. For the moment, the major networks prefer to focus on the majority, and that is understandable, as long as visible minorities do not exceed a certain percentage in the population,” says Jean-Yves Roux, general director and founder of Natyf TV. .
This channel launched in 2018 specifically targets cultural communities, especially Afro-descendants, with its programs on gospel music and even hip-hop culture. Natyf TV will soon be included in the basic package, which will undoubtedly allow it to expand its audience.
Jean-Yves Roux especially has second and third generation immigrants in his sights. Those who have lived in Quebec for several years as well. But newcomers, the very people who are the subject of this OTM study, are not part of Natyf TV’s main target group.
Because in recent years, technology has made it much easier for them to stay connected to the media in their country of origin. No need to pay a fortune for a satellite signal that gives access to foreign channels. “Technology gives immigrants more options. And for Quebec and Canadian TV networks, it has become even more difficult to please those who have just arrived in the country,” summarizes Mr. Roux.
What common culture?
The OTM data tends to demonstrate that newcomers remain attached to the cultural productions of their country of birth. Across Canada, more than half of them consume content that is neither in English nor French. This does not prevent them from watching programs in one of the two official languages. The fact remains that the study shows that allophone newcomers spend more time on average on content in their mother tongue.
“I dare to believe that it is still possible, even in the digital age, to have common references. But it is clear that the incentives for newcomers to watch local content are less,” seconded Professor Stéfany Boisvert.
Note that newcomers also differ from people born in Canada in terms of the types of content they watch, both on TV and on platforms. Although fewer of them watch news and information programs, they are more interested than native-born Canadians in fashion, technology, physical activity, especially religion. Barely 5% of Canadian-born viewers watch religious content, compared to 26% of newcomers.