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Media Studies · Media Studies: Reading, Questioning and Creating Media

Behind the Scenes: Production, Marketing and Distribution in the Media Industry

1.6About 70 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain how production factors such as budget, ownership, business model and regulation influence the media industry.
  • I can explain how marketing and distribution factors, including algorithms, shape what reaches audiences.
  • I can apply the CRTC's MAPL system and explain why Canadian-content rules exist.

Words to know

production
The making of a media text, including funding, ownership, crew and technology.
marketing
Creating demand for a media product through trailers, ads, social media, merchandise and timing.
distribution
How media texts reach audiences: theatres, broadcast, streaming, platforms and stores.
media concentration
When a few large companies own many media outlets.
convergence
When one company owns several stages or platforms of media production and distribution.
CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which regulates broadcasting in Canada.
Canadian content (CanCon)
Rules requiring broadcasters to air a share of Canadian-made content.
gatekeeper
A person, company or algorithm that decides what content reaches audiences.

Hook: why is that movie everywhere?

This month, one animated movie seems to be everywhere: trailers before every video, toys in cereal boxes, a song on every playlist, the characters on a fast-food cup. Meanwhile, a small Canadian film you heard was excellent is playing in one theatre, for one week.

Is the first movie simply better? Not necessarily. Expectation 1.6 asks you to explain how production, marketing and distribution factors influence the media industry, and therefore what reaches you.

Production factors

  • Budget and funding: big budgets buy famous actors, special effects and huge marketing. Money comes from studios, advertisers, subscriptions, investors, public funding and sometimes crowdfunding. In Canada, organizations such as Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund help finance Canadian films, TV and digital media.
  • Ownership: who owns a company shapes its priorities. Media concentration means a few large companies own many outlets. Convergence (or vertical integration) means one company owns several steps, for example the studio, the streaming service and the channel, so it can promote its own content everywhere.
  • Business model: ad-supported media need attention, so they favour content that keeps people watching. Subscription services need you to keep paying. Public broadcasters such as CBC/Radio-Canada, which is funded largely by Parliament, have a mandate to serve Canadians, including content in English and French.
  • Technology and time: cheap phones and editing apps let independent creators produce media; tight deadlines shape news.
  • Regulation: laws and regulators set rules.

Regulation in Canada: the CRTC and Canadian content

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulates broadcasting in Canada. One of its best-known rules: most commercial radio stations must ensure that at least 35% of the popular music they play each week is Canadian content (CanCon). The goal is to make sure Canadian artists are heard alongside very large American and international industries.

How does a song count as Canadian? The CRTC uses the MAPL system.

MAPLM Music composed by a CanadianA Artist (main performer) is CanadianP Performance recorded or performed wholly in Canada (or broadcast live here)L Lyrics written by a CanadianMeets at least 2 of 4 = Canadian content
The MAPL system the CRTC uses to decide whether a song counts as Canadian content on radio. A song must meet at least two of the four conditions.
Worked example

Let's test songs with MAPL

Do these invented songs count as Canadian content? (a) A song written (music and lyrics) by a Canadian songwriter, performed by an American singer and recorded in Los Angeles. (b) A song performed by a Canadian band, recorded in Toronto, with music and lyrics written by British songwriters. (c) A song performed by a Canadian artist, recorded in Nashville, with music and lyrics by American writers.

  1. (a) M = yes (Canadian composer). A = no (American singer). P = no (recorded in L.A.). L = yes (Canadian lyricist). 2 of 4: counts as Canadian.
  2. (b) M = no. A = yes (Canadian band). P = yes (recorded in Toronto). L = no. 2 of 4: counts as Canadian.
  3. (c) M = no. A = yes. P = no. L = no. Only 1 of 4: does not count, even though the singer is Canadian.
  4. Industry effect: because stations need Canadian content, recording in Canada or working with Canadian songwriters has real business value, which supports Canadian studios and writers.

(a) Yes, (b) Yes, (c) No. Regulation like MAPL is a production and distribution factor: it changes what gets recorded, where, and what plays on the radio.

Marketing factors

Marketing is how producers create demand before and after release:

  • Trailers, teasers and posters, often released in stages to build hype.
  • Social media campaigns and influencer partnerships (which should be clearly labelled as paid).
  • Merchandise and tie-ins: toys, clothing, fast-food promotions, video games.
  • Release timing: blockbusters often open in summer or over holidays; award-hopeful films often open in the fall.
  • Franchises, sequels and remakes: familiar stories are seen as less risky, which is one reason so many are made.
  • Audience data: test screenings and online data tell producers what to cut, change or promote.

Distribution factors

Distribution is how texts reach audiences:

  • Where: theatres, broadcast TV, radio, streaming, app stores, social platforms, bookstores.
  • Gatekeepers: whoever controls distribution decides what gets offered. A film without a distributor may never reach theatres.
  • Algorithms and recommendations: streaming and social platforms use your data to decide what to show you, so what is promoted on the home screen gets watched much more.
  • Windows: a film may go to theatres first, then to rental, then to streaming.
  • Regional rights: a show may be available in one country but not another because of licensing deals.
PRODUCTIONbudget, crew,technology, ownerMARKETINGtrailers, posters,influencers, merchDISTRIBUTIONtheatre, TV,streaming, appsAUDIENCEwatches, shares,buys, ratesFEEDBACK: ratings, views, sales and data shape what gets made nextFrom idea to your screen (and back again)
The media industry as a loop. Production, marketing and distribution all shape what reaches the audience, and audience data flows back to influence what gets produced next.
Just for fun

Riddle: Why did the Canadian band record its album in Toronto?

Because it wanted a P in its MAPL... and that's just good planning.

Hands-on activity

Follow the money and the marketing

You need: internet access with a grown-up's OK, or newspapers and flyers; paper and a pen.

  1. Pick one current popular media product (a movie, series, game or album).
  2. Production: find out who produced it and who owns that company. Does the owner also own the platform where it appears?
  3. Marketing: list every way you have seen it marketed (trailers, ads, merchandise, food tie-ins, influencers). Note when each appeared.
  4. Distribution: where can you get it? Is it on a platform owned by the same company?
  5. Optional: listen to 30 minutes of a Canadian commercial radio station and tally Canadian and non-Canadian songs (you may need to look up the artists).
  6. Write a paragraph explaining how two of these factors influenced the product's success.

What to look for: specific facts gathered from reliable sources, a clear distinction between production, marketing and distribution, and a paragraph that explains cause and effect (Because the studio also owns the streaming service, the film was featured on its home screen, which...).

Your turn

1

Name one production, one marketing and one distribution factor.

2

What is media concentration?

3

What does the CRTC do?

4

What does MAPL stand for, and how many conditions must a song meet?

5

A song is performed by an American singer, recorded in Montréal, with lyrics by a Canadian. Is it Canadian content?

6

Why do studios make so many sequels and remakes?

7

How do algorithms influence what audiences watch?

More practice: warm-up

1

Who funds CBC/Radio-Canada mainly?

2

What does convergence mean in the media industry?

3

Is a movie trailer marketing or distribution?

4

Is a streaming service marketing or distribution?

5

What percentage of popular music must most commercial radio stations make Canadian content each week?

More practice: on your own

1

Explain how an ad-supported business model might influence the content of a free video platform.

2

Why might CanCon rules matter for a small Canadian music industry?

3

A big studio owns a movie, the streaming service, and a cable channel. How could this help its movie and hurt a small independent film?

4

Explain how release timing is a marketing decision.

5

Is a song by a Canadian performer, recorded in London, England, with music and lyrics by British writers, Canadian content? Explain.

Challenge

1

Choose a real media product. Explain how at least three production, marketing or distribution factors shaped its success or failure.

2

Some people argue that CanCon rules are no longer needed because anyone can upload music online. Evaluate this view.

3

You produce a low-budget Canadian short film about a winter festival in your town. Design a marketing and distribution plan with at least four specific strategies and explain why each suits your budget and audience.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a distribution factor?

2.

A song has Canadian music and a Canadian performer but was recorded in New York with American lyrics. Under MAPL it...

3.

The CRTC is...

4.

Which business model most depends on keeping your attention?

5.

Why are franchises and sequels attractive to studios?

6.

A home screen algorithm is best described as...

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: expectation 1.6: explaining how a variety of production, marketing and distribution factors influence the media industry. Topics include budgets and funding, ownership and convergence, business models, the CRTC and Canadian-content rules (MAPL), marketing campaigns, and algorithms as gatekeepers.

How to help at home:

  • When a movie seems to be everywhere, list together all the places you've seen it advertised.
  • On the radio, guess which songs are Canadian and check.
  • Discuss: "Why does this streaming service put its own shows first?"

Common difficulties:

  • Mixing up marketing and distribution. Marketing creates demand; distribution delivers the product.
  • MAPL counting: remember it's two of four, and a Canadian singer alone isn't enough.
  • Assuming success equals quality. Encourage your teen to consider money and access.

Facts used: the CRTC regulates Canadian broadcasting; most commercial radio stations must make at least 35% of popular music aired each week Canadian; MAPL requires two of four conditions. CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's public broadcaster, funded largely by Parliament. Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund help finance Canadian screen content. Songs and films in the examples are invented.