The proliferation of smartphones and tablets and the web has made the CBC shift its priorities and focus on the latter first, instead of TV and radio. The move will result in staff cutbacks, dinner-time news broadcasts and other CBC programming, says CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix:
“We used to lead with television and radio. Web came and then mobility came. We are reversing, we are inverting the priorities that we have,” Lacroix said, referring to the broadcaster’s 2020 strategy. “We’re going to lead now with mobility, we’re going to lead with whatever widget you use.
“You’re going to see an investment in mobility that’s going to rise as the investment in perhaps television … is reduced.”
Back in April the CBC announced funding shortfalls and revenue losses will result in $130 million cut from this year’s budget and remove 657 jobs over the next two years, plus also forfeit the public broadcaster’s ability to compete for pro sports broadcasting. Leading up to this announcement, Rogers won a bid for NHL broadcast rights in Canada, reducing CBC’s role in hockey and limiting its iconic Hockey Night in Canada telecast.
The CBC’s focus on mobile has resulted in some pretty amazing apps, such as the recent CBC Olympics app for the Sochi Games (it saw 636 million views and 2.5 million downloads) and the current 2014 FIFA World Cup app.
What are your thoughts on these CBC cutbacks? Are they a move in the right direction or not?
