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I am curious about the world of Francophone entertainment in Quebec. Who produces most of the French-language music, movies, and television in Quebec? Do Quebecers consume much entertainment produced in France? Do they prefer the local stuff? Or American content dubbed into French?
Successful Anglophone Canadian entertainers often migrate to the USA in pursuit of much bigger paychecks. What about Francophones? Do they head for Hollywood, too? (But wouldn't they face a serious language/accent barrier?) Do any go to France? (But there's an accent barrier, too. And I don't think the French have much interest in anything Quebec-related). Or do they stay at home, satisfied with being big fish in a small pond?
The short answer is a huge chunk of the stuff is locally-produced in Quebec.
It's easier to describe things by cultural area.
TV: I believe that about 85% of the TV market is dominated by local productions in French. TV shows from France are available as well and the odd one may be popular but generally their ratings are fairly marginal. That said, TV concepts from France are often imported and made into Quebec versions. And Quebec TV concepts are also frequently remade in France. American shows dubbed into French would be the second-most common source of TV programming, but it's behind Quebec-made stuff in popularity. On any given week 18 or 19 of the top 20 rated TV shows here are made in Quebec.
Movies: Hollywood dominates quite a bit with probably 75% of the market. Quebec films can be anywhere from 10% to close to 30% of the market depending on the year. It is not uncommon for Quebec films to top the box office. French films from France are more popular than French TV shows, and they can sometimes top the box office as well. Overall the market for movies from France is probably in the 5-7% range depending on the year. A few percentage points go to films from other countries too.
Music: 50% or so of the music sold here is French-language. Of these 50 points, probably 40-45 are from Quebec and the rest is mostly from France. Most of the other half of the music market is taken up by music in English (American and other origins), although music in other languages like Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. gets more traction here than elsewhere in North America.
Books: the vast majority of book sales are in French. About half the market is Quebec books, with the other half probably evenly split between books from France and those translated from other languages (mostly from English).
Theatre: Quebec-written plays are very common but don't dominate completely. The French classics are frequently presented as well as are contemporary plays as well. Productions of translated works from English and other languages are common as well.
Books: the vast majority of book sales are in French. About half the market is Quebec books, with the other half probably evenly split between books from France and those translated from other languages (mostly from English).
Is it always feasible for a French-language version of a book or journal to be created for the Quebec market? Suppose you are a French Canadian who is a railroad enthusiast. Will you be able to find a French-language version of the American journals (we call 'em magazines down here) Trains or Railfan and Railroad? Or academic journals found in university libraries?
[quote=Acajack;32898681]The short answer is a huge chunk of the stuff is locally-produced in Quebec.
It's easier to describe things by cultural area.
TV: I believe that about 85% of the TV market is dominated by local productions in French. TV shows from France are available as well and the odd one may be popular but generally their ratings are fairly marginal. That said, TV concepts from France are often imported and made into Quebec versions. And Quebec TV concepts are also frequently remade in France. American shows dubbed into French would be the second-most common source of TV programming, but it's behind Quebec-made stuff in popularity. On any given week 18 or 19 of the top 20 rated TV shows here are made in Quebec.
Why aren't TV shows from France more popular? Are cultural differences too great? And why would the French remake Quebec TV shows? (I know the phenomenon is common in English-speaking countries: American TV shows based on British concepts, and vice versa).
I looked at BBM ratings for Quebec, and it looks like many of the top-rated shows fit two categories: they're relatively cheap to produce, and they place "local flavor" at a premium. These would include talk shows, game shows, reality shows, and talent competitions. Is that an accurate description of Quebec's TV favorites? It would seem to be an obvious niche to fill in a small market with a very distinctive culture.
[quote=Acajack;32898681]The short answer is a huge chunk of the stuff is locally-produced in Quebec.
Movies: Hollywood dominates quite a bit with probably 75% of the market. Quebec films can be anywhere from 10% to close to 30% of the market depending on the year. It is not uncommon for Quebec films to top the box office. French films from France are more popular than French TV shows, and they can sometimes top the box office as well. Overall the market for movies from France is probably in the 5-7% range depending on the year. A few percentage points go to films from other countries too.
It's not surprising that Hollywood dominates movies in Quebec, given that the costs of production are so much higher, compared to television.
In Montreal, are there many people who attend both French- and English-language movies? Or are the two markets clearly separated?
In terms of the career paths of Francophone entertainers, what you describe sounds like a pretty nice little world. (And there's also a lot of cultural subsidies, right?) Given that the barriers to success in either Hollywood or France would be high, do many still try to make the jump to a wider audience?
I looked at BBM ratings for Quebec, and it looks like many of the top-rated shows fit two categories: they're relatively cheap to produce, and they place "local flavor" at a premium. These would include talk shows, game shows, reality shows, and talent competitions. Is that an accurate description of Quebec's TV favorites? It would seem to be an obvious niche to fill in a small market with a very distinctive culture.
The link for the first week is not an accurate depiction because a lot of the Quebec series are on hiatus for Christmas holidays. The second one gives a more realistic picture.
Is it always feasible for a French-language version of a book or journal to be created for the Quebec market? Suppose you are a French Canadian who is a railroad enthusiast. Will you be able to find a French-language version of the American journals (we call 'em magazines down here) Trains or Railfan and Railroad? Or academic journals found in university libraries?
There are generally no direct translations of magazines. Quebec magazines tend to dominate the market and you can also buy French magazines and also American ones in English are not hard to find in many parts of Quebec either.
Why aren't TV shows from France more popular? Are cultural differences too great?
The cultural differences are significant for sure, but my sense is that one of the reasons is that Quebec TV was very quick out of the gate in the 50s and 60s and cornered its own market extremely quickly before anyone else could muscle in on it. (Whereas if you look at films, French film has a bigger foothold here and has for quite some time, and Quebec cinema only got rolling in the 1970s.)
To use an example, English Canadian TV, though it started up around the same time, for whatever did not secure its place in the people's hearts and minds in the early days of TV, and the American product basically took over the anglophone Canadian market and has dominated it ever since, and domestic TV in English has always struggled to attract viewers.
And why would the French remake Quebec TV shows? (I know the phenomenon is common in English-speaking countries: American TV shows based on British concepts, and vice versa).
For the same reason you have British and American remakes of each other's shows. Language on TV is often colloquial, and there reference markers (historical, cultural, societal, etc.) are usually different.
That doesn't mean that people can't watch a show from the other country and "get it", but if you want a bigger success it's better to do a local remake.
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