Convergent Digital Media Incentive

The Convergent Digital Media Incentive (CDMI) is designed to support convergent or second screen digital media production in Canada. This program is part of the Canada Media Fund’s (CMF) Convergent Stream. Funding from this program is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is targeted to high-value projects, requiring a minimum $100K budget.

To encourage and further stimulate a higher volume of  digital media production, the program allocation was bolstered from $10.0M to $15.0M in 2012-2013, while the sum of funds drawn from the CDMI and broadcaster financing to these projects were accorded credit toward the calculation of the subsequent year’s performance envelopes. The program allocation was fully utilized in 2012-2013.

Funding by Genre 2012-2013

The CDMI supported 87 projects; these projects comprised a 39.0% share of the total number of funded convergent digital media projects.  CDMI projects accounted for 68.2% of convergent DM funding. The average commitment in this program was $179K while the average budget was $256K, almost three times higher than the average budget for convergent DM components that did not access the CDMI. This program triggered production budgets valued at over $22M.

Documentary projects captured 43.4% of English CDMI funding, triggering $6.3M in production activity and 18 projects, highest of all language-genre categories, reversing a trend seen in previous years when children’s & youth and drama projects were prevalent. French drama and English children’s & youth received the next largest portions of funding, at $2.1M and $3.6M, respectively.

Note: All percentage shares shown are based on absolute amounts, while financial results in tables and charts are rounded to the nearest $M.

CDMI funding comprised 26.1% of total CMF digital media funding in 2012-2013, which, in addition to the $35.1M provided through the Experimental stream, has reached a total of $57.5M this year, growing 35.2% from last year.