Ciné-cadeau celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, on the strength of a success that is repeated every holiday season. Four decades have passed, but Lucky Luke, Tintin and especially Asterix still offer Télé-Québec its best annual ratings. Despite this undeniable enthusiasm, the public broadcaster could however have to make difficult choices in the coming years if it wants to keep this traditional television show on the schedule.
It’s because the proliferation of digital platforms creates an escalation when it comes to renegotiating the rights to broadcast the classics. In the old world, when there were only three or four channels in Quebec, the price of licenses tended to drop the older a film got. But with the arrival of competitors like Netflix, Amazon or even Disney+, the value of the most coveted films is climbing, even exploding. “There are films that we are trying to renew and whose rights have tripled, whereas these are very old films that have been broadcast for several years”, irritates Nadine Dufour, vice-president of content at Tele-Quebec.
In this new, highly competitive market, the state-owned company, which has a very limited budget compared to its competitors, is aware that it is now utopian to demand exclusivity for all of Ciné’s programming -present. “We try to have exclusivity compared to other local players, such as Radio-Canada and TVA. But we know that we cannot ask as much for Netflix, for example, ”summarizes Mme From the oven.
What’s more, major distributors have been taken over in recent years by giants. Fox, among others, was swallowed up in 2017 by Disney, which obviously prefers to keep its catalog for its platform, rather than distribute broadcasting licenses to local channels.
It is because of this situation that Télé-Québec recently had to reluctantly part with the rights to the timeless Edward Scissorhands which, year after year, nevertheless rallied a good number of viewers during the Holidays. Should we now be worried about the Tales for All series or even about the Asterixes, which form the hard core of Ciné-gift? Nadine Dufour wants to be reassuring, without being in the language of wood: “We are really not there, because we know the importance of these films for the viewers of Ciné-gift. We are ready to put in the necessary money, but I won’t hide the fact that it puts pressure on our budget, which is limited. We have to make choices. There are certain films that we will not be able to renew, because the rights are really enormous. »
Nostalgia first
Télé-Québec is ready to move heaven and earth to keep control of the Asterix and Obelix, by far the most emblematic series of Ciné-gift. Good year bad year, The twelve labors of Asterix remains the most popular film on Télé-Québec’s schedule. Last year, this animated feature film released in 1976 rallied, on December 24, 530,000 spectators, allowing the public broadcaster to record for the second year in a row more than 20% of the market share in this time slot. .
Admittedly, the province was then plunged into yet another confinement which restricted large gatherings, but the fact remains that these are impressive figures for Télé-Québec. According to data from the Center for Media Studies, the channel reaches an average of 3% of viewers in normal times.
Asterix and Cleopatra, Asterix among the Bretons or Asterix and the Vikings are still among the channel’s largest audiences, winning between 10 and 15% market share each year. It’s much more than new features that Télé-Québec strives to add to the holiday season schedule. In the era of state-of-the-art 3D animation, it is therefore films based on comic books released in the 1960s and 1970s, which are technically very dated, which remain the most popular.
“Of course, animation techniques have evolved a lot, but a good story is still a good story. And when we talk about heartwarming history, nothing beats the old classics, ”underlines Nadine Dufour, who nevertheless wishes to point out that Télé-Québec renews its holiday programming every year.
New acquisitions include Mun. The Guardian of the Moonwhich won an award at TIFF in Toronto, or the Czech animated film Even mice go to heaven. “It remains that if it was just that, Ciné-gift, it would surely not have the same impact”, recognizes the vice-president of content for the channel.
The irreducible Gaul of traditional TV
Ciné-cadeau audiences are fueled by nostalgia. Moreover, even if the programming is mainly aimed at children, many parents and grandparents take a look at Ciné-gift. During the holiday season last year, Télé-Québec estimates that it got almost 19% of the market share from children, and almost 15% from their parents.
Ciné-cadeau can therefore be listened to as a family. But will this tradition continue, as traditional TV increasingly gives way to on-demand listening? Especially since most of the flagship films in the Ciné-cadeau programming, such as the war of the tuques or even the Asterixare available free of charge on the Télé-Québec website.
“It’s true that television viewing is crumbling, and we can’t get out of that. But Ciné-cadeau is one of the traditional television products that is likely to persist. Precisely because Quebecers are very attached to this brand. Maybe in the next few years there will be even more eavesdropping on the web and less on the air. But I’m convinced that the Ciné-cadeau brand will stay,” says Nadine Dufour, optimistic about the future.
Last year, the Télé-Québec website accumulated more than 2 million views during the holiday season, an increase of 55% compared to 2020.