Quebecor Fund announces list of funded production companies and programs

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 14, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced the names of the Canadian production companies that will receive funding under the 35^th round of the Fund's Main Television Production Assistance Program (MPAP), following October 2, 2017 submissions. In this round, Quebecor Fund will disburse a total of more than $2.3 million. Of that amount, nearly $1.3 million is being granted under MPAP's Convergent Production component to the following producers: Productions Version 10 / Slalom Productions inc., La Voix Télévision inc. (Productions Déferlantes), PVP DOC VI inc., TVA Productions II inc., Untamed Productions inc. The five selected productions will air on the Canadian broadcasters ICI Radio-Canada, TVA Group, TV5 Québec Canada, Évasion (Groupe Serdy). Under MPAP's TV Format and Concept Development component, four projects have been selected to receive more than $1 million in funding. The producers are Productions KOTV inc., Encore Télévision inc., Productions Squeeze inc. and Serdy Vidéo II inc. The broadcasters supporting the development of these projects are TVA, Télé-Québec and Zeste Diffusion (Groupe Serdy).

Since its inception in 1999, Quebecor Fund's MPAP has supported 250 projects involving 79 production companies, 43 Canadian broadcasters and 32 foreign broadcasters with grants totalling nearly $77 million.

Over that time, Quebecor Fund has distributed more than $67 million to support the multiplatform component of the Convergent Production funded projects (amounting to 72% of the total sums invested in multimedia by the participating production companies) and more than $7.5 million to support the television component of the same projects, for a total of nearly $75 million in Convergent Production funding. Of the funding granted to date by Quebecor Fund to support television and multiplatform production, 26% has gone to programs for children/youth, 24% to documentaries, 40% to variety/performing arts, and 10% to drama.

With its new MPAP TV format and concept development component launched in March 2017, Quebecor Fund provides repayable grants to support projects in all genres that have received a financial commitment from a recognized French-language broadcasting programming undertaking (BPU). To date, more than $2 million has been disbursed.

Quebecor Fund also has an Export Assistance Program (EXAP), which supports export initiatives by funding the development of audiovisual content adapted for non-Québec and international markets as well as marketing efforts. Since its inception in March 2014, $6 million has been invested in 21 export business models with 15 partner companies.

PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER THE CONVERGENT PRODUCTION COMPONENT:

Mehdi & Val and Zone Jeunesse Radio-Canada interactive installation

• Productions Version 10 inc. / Slalom Productions inc. - Canadian broadcaster: ICI Radio-Canada

In the adventure series Mehdi & Val, two young Franco-Ontarians, Valérie, 9, and her step brother Mehdi, 11, travel between the present and the Middle Ages to have fun, explore and help out Roselyne and Tristan, two villagers of their own age. The Mehdi & Val and Zone Jeunesse Radio-Canada interactive installation offers kids a new digital entertainment experience. The content developed for the platform, powered by LÜ, includes 8 games.

La Voix (season 6)

• La Voix Télévision inc. (Productions Déferlantes) - Canadian broadcaster: TVA

La Voix will be back on our screens in February 2018. Once again, four coaches will occupy the iconic chairs and decide, without peeking, who will become the next Québec voice. Season 6 of La Voix adds an interactive component tailored to audience viewing habits. The full website and mobile site will optimize the user experience on all devices with seamless navigation and compelling, engaging content, such as a live pre-show.

Des bateaux et des hommes

• PVP Doc VI inc. - Canadian broadcaster: TV5 Québec Canada

Des bateaux et des hommes plunges viewers into the seafaring life, exploring the lifestyle of the men and women who spend most of their time on boats, in the four corners of the world. The series website lets visitors board different types of boats that ply the waters of the St. Lawrence and takes them on a virtual tour of the craft.

Salut Bonjour (season 31)

• TVA Productions II inc.- Canadian broadcaster: TVA

During 30 years on the air, the pace-setting morning show Salut Bonjour has maintained a close relationship with its audience by staying true to its mission of informing and entertaining at the same time. To continue serving its loyal viewers, Salut Bonjour is adopting a new strategy by becoming a full-fledged brand with its own platform that delivers content about the show's four core subject areas: cooking, home and family, wellness, trends and beauty.

Mordu de la pêche (season 7)

• Untamed Productions inc.- Canadian broadcaster: Évasion (Groupe Serdy)

From the limpid, shark-infested waters of Indonesia to the alarming rivers of Tanzania, Cyril is willing to jump in and go for the prize, testing his mettle against the ferocious tigerfish, fishing for Texas catfish with his bare hands, or fighting dogtooth tuna to exhaustion. On the web, Mordu de la pêche is taking a more biting approach. There will be a "Subscriber" zone to rent full episodes and a webmagazine with an expansive selection of fascinating content with strong viral potential.

Quebecor Fund

Quebecor Fund, a non-profit organization, is a private fund that was established through Videotron Ltd., which provides nearly $7 million annually in broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to the Canadian industry. Its mission is to support the development, production, marketing and export of high-quality content and its exploitation on various platforms. Quebecor Fund's three programs have paid out a total of more than $93 million.

The Board of Directors is responsible for all decisions pertaining to the Fund, including its priorities, and is entirely and exclusively responsible for its funding decisions. The date of the next round of funding under the Main Television Production Assistance Program (MPAP) is Tuesday, April 3, 2018. For more information, please visit www.quebecorfund.ca.

SOURCE Quebecor Fund