Ottawa, April 10, 2014: At their appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Transportation and Communications yesterday evening, the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) and Canadian Media Directors’ Council (CMDC) called for the continuation of advertising as a key revenue source for the CBC.

“In Canada advertising is the primary resource that sustains the broadcasting system and we see CBC continuing to be an important player for agencies and their advertiser clients,” says Bob Reaume, Vice President, Policy & Research at the ACA. “CBC provides vital competition in moderating prices in a market where there are already few players.”

While there is no doubt the recent loss of Hockey Night in Canada is going to be a challenge to replace both in audience and revenue, there are other sport alternatives. CBC has demonstrated this with their coverage of the Sochi Olympics, delivering against the standards of multi-platform sponsorship programming demanded in today’s marketplace. Branded entertainment sponsorship is another area where the CBC is uniquely positioned to take advantage.

Anne Myers, President, MediaVest Canada and representing CMDC states: “The relative influence of Radio-Canada on the French advertising ecosystem is even more pronounced than in English Canada. As a result, SRC’s commercial inventory plays a very significant role in making Quebec broadcast audiences accessible to Canadian advertisers, and in ensuring competitive pricing practices are governing that marketplace.”

This is the time for CBC to seize the opportunity to seek out and establish a new and distinctive Canadian content strategy, not hang up their skates and go home.