(Via CNW) An Ipsos Marketing survey for Groupe Média TFO has found that “88 per cent of Canadians living in provinces with little access to French television programing say they strongly support offering more shows to French speakers and Francophiles.” What’s more: “56 per cent, said they would be interested in watching a French educational television channel, if it was offered by their service provider.”
The Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO) is an independent agency of the province’s government. It operates multiple platforms, including the TFO television channel that devotes 70% of its schedule to youth programming. What it says about itself and its mission is: “Groupe Média TFO believes every kid can be a smarty pantalon.”
TFO recently applied to the CRTC to both renew its existing licence and expand its reach across Canada. It has asked the CRTC for “must-offer status.” President and CEO describes what happened next: “The CRTC received 712 interventions regarding our licence renewal, and 709 of those letters were extremely supportive of the work we do and of our applications. The three who opposed our plans to expand TFO’s educational television programming reach are large cable companies who are already carrying our signal.”
The Ipsos survey asked respondents whether they were interested in their broadcast distributor providing access to educational programing in French. Fifty-six per cent said yes. And of that number, 77 per cent with children in French immersion programs strongly favoured more choice for quality French children’s shows.