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 $350K budget for English-language projects and a minimum $150K budget for French-language projects. The 2016-2017 CDMI budget was $10.5M, a reduction of $2.5M from 2015-2016.

The CDMI supported 63 projects in 2016-2017, a decrease of 20 from last year, signaling larger budgets per project. CDMI accounted for 37.1% of convergent DM funding, a five-year low due to the CDMI budget reduction. The average commitment in this incentive was 60.9% of project financing while the average budget was $393K, 2.0 times higher than the average budget for convergent DM components that did not access the CDMI. This program triggered production budgets valued at $24.7M, a decline from last year’s $26.9M, despite the rise in budget per project, due to the drop in projects funded.

Note: Average budgets do not include Variety & Performing Arts, to preserve confidential information.

Drama projects received commitments of $4.5M or 43.1% of CDMI funding, triggering $10.6M in production activity and 26 projects. Dramas received the largest share of funding in all of the past three years. Documentary and Children’s & Youth received the next largest portions of funding, at $3.8M and $1.8M, respectively. English Drama had the highest average budget, at $693K per project over 11 projects.