Program directory · National Film Board
Distribution of works and audience engagement
- Department
- National Film Board
- Program code
- BSP01 (NFB)
- Core responsibility
- Content accessibility and audience engagement
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2025-26 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
This program makes National Film Board works available to Canadian and international audiences in their chosen formats. To this end, the National Film Board has an extensive national distribution network that brings together numerous public and private partners as well as community organizations. Films produced and distributed by the National Film Board can be viewed on a variety of Canadian and international broadcast networks, at festivals, during community screenings, in cinemas and schools and through various cultural and social organizations, and can also be obtained from libraries and the online store. The program also uses distribution platforms such as NFB.ca|ONF.ca, YouTube, social media, and an array of video on-demand and subscription platforms to meet emerging audience needs. These various distribution channels let the National Film Board reach out to its audiences, prompt discussion and encourage debate on issues of importance to Canadians. The National Film Board has also been recognized for generations in schools as a reliable provider of educational content. Its online educational offer, available in both official languages, includes activities and teaching resources tailored to the needs expressed by major players in Canada’s education sector.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution of works and audience engagement | This program | 2018-19 – 2027-28 | $50.3M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Number of NFB educational resources available on digital platforms; Number of visits to NFB websites by educators and students | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Number of titles available on the NFB's educational platform; Number of views from the educational and institutional sectors | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 11,500,000 | 2019 | 12,501,527 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 9,000,000 | 2020 | 12,273,296 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 9,000,000 | 2021 | 17,418,201 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 10,000,000 | 2022 | 12,534,943 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 10,000,000 | 2023 | 12,324,680 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 10,000,000 | 2024 | 7,448,259 The lower number of recorded interactions between the NFB and its online audiences was attributable to two main causes. First, the NFB’s transition to Google Analytics 4, which applies stricter rules for counting sessions, reduced this number considerably. Second, the ban on platforms owned by Meta Platforms Inc., such as Facebook, limited the NFB’s ability to engage audiences on these platforms. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 12,000,000 | 2025 | 6,527,471 The decrease in the number of interactions between the National Film Board and its online audiences over the course of the year can be attributed to three main factors. First, the NFB’s transition to Google Analytics 4, which applies stricter rules for counting sessions, significantly reduced the number of recorded sessions. Second, the temporary suspension of the NFB’s newsletter for subscribers… | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 7,700 | 2023 | 8,448 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 7,700 | 2024 | 9,252 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 8,870 | 2025 | 9,118 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 4,200 | 2019 | 4,368 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 4,500 | 2020 | 4,888 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 4,700 | 2021 | 5,388 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 5,000 | 2022 | 5,737 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 5,900 | 2023 | 5,915 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 6,100 | 2024 | 6,508 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 6,300 | 2025 | 7,602 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 500,000 | 2023 | 807,298 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 500,000 | 2024 | 1,241,114 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 1,700,000 | 2025 | 1,236,940 The decrease in the number of visits by students and teachers to NFB websites over the course of the year can be attributed to three main factors. First, the NFB’s transition to Google Analytics 4, which applies stricter rules for counting sessions, significantly reduced the number of recorded sessions. Second, the temporary suspension of the NFB’s newsletter for subscribers contributed to a decr… | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 56,000,000 | 2019 | 73,711,564 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 63,000,000 | 2020 | 81,335,869 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 70,000,000 | 2021 | 72,757,041 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 70,500,000 | 2022 | 64,059,352 The decrease in global views can be attributed to several factors. These include a noticeable drop in views on the YouTube channel following a change in the NFB’s distribution strategy. In addition, the impact of the pandemic, which generated a large number of views in the previous year, gradually diminished in 2021–2022. Finally, the methodology for calculating non-theatrical views based on hist… | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 55,000,000 | 2023 | 59,348,229 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 50,000,000 | 2024 | 57,240,612 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 52,000,000 | 2025 | 57,287,709 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 1,430 | 2019 | 1,225 The target for number of titles available on the NFB's educational platform was 1,430 works. In 2018–2019, 1,225 titles were available on the CAMPUS education platform—205 fewer works than planned. This can be explained by the fact that a large number of Indigenous works, usually available on the educational platform, were made available online free of charge on the Indigenous Cinema portal at NF… | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 1,430 | 2020 | 998 The target (1,430) for number of titles available on the NFB’s educational platform, CAMPUS, was established based on the benchmark of 1,400 titles. In 2019–2020, 998 titles were available exclusively on CAMPUS. This number, 432 fewer titles than the target, can be explained by the fact that many titles were made available online free of charge on NFB.ca and are no longer exclusive to CAMPUS. In… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 1,200 | 2021 | 1,024 The NFB has reviewed its Education strategy and is now working to make more educational films accessible across its digital platforms instead of only exclusively on CAMPUS. The 2020-2021 result of 1024 is due to the fact that more educational resources (including films) were made available on other NFB platforms. A new indicator has been submitted for 2022-2023, to measure the NFB’s educational r… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 1,000 | 2022 | 1,053 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 5,000,000 | 2019 | 4,760,381 The target for number of views from the educational and institutional sectors was 5,000,000. The result for this indicator in 2018–2019 was 4,760,381 views. The difference between target and result can be explained by the decline in the NFB’s DVD sales to the institutional and educational sectors in recent years. Many views by the education sector are now occurring through new platforms such as Y… | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2020 | 2,476,005 The target for number of views from the educational and institutional sectors was 4,000,000. The result for this indicator in 2019–2020 was 2,476,005 views. The difference between target and result can be explained by the decline in the NFB’s DVD sales to the institutional and educational sectors in recent years. Many views by the education sector are now occurring through new platforms such as Y… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 4,000,000 | 2021 | 2,003,473 The methodology is outdated, as it calculates views from DVD sales, which have been decreasing because of new technologies. The results have therefore also been decreasing and do not reflect the new digital reality. A new indicator has been submitted for 2022-2023. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 1,200,000 | 2022 | 1,486,514 | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $9.9M | $4M |
| 2019-20 | $9.5M | $4.2M |
| 2020-21 | $8.9M | $8.3M |
| 2021-22 | $8.9M | $7.8M |
| 2022-23 | $7.8M | $8.2M |
| 2023-24 | $6.8M | $7.7M |
| 2024-25 | $8.3M | $10M |
| 2025-26 | $7.1M | — |
| 2026-27 | $7.2M* | — |
| 2027-28 | $7.2M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 77 | 79 |
| 2019-20 | 75 | 73 |
| 2020-21 | 75 | 74 |
| 2021-22 | 72 | 74 |
| 2022-23 | 72 | 72 |
| 2023-24 | 71 | 69 |
| 2024-25 | 71 | 65 |
| 2025-26 | 67 | — |
| 2026-27 | 67* | — |
| 2027-28 | 67* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $9,912,366 | $7,930,764 | $7,930,764 | |||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $9,480,633 | $8,610,016 | $8,610,016 | |||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $8,893,751 | $8,977,468 | $9,005,056 | |||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $8,905,447 | $8,937,747 | $8,937,747 | |||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $7,848,529 | $7,682,177 | $7,646,106 | |||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $6,789,943 | $6,814,943 | $6,988,943 | |||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $8,326,593 | $6,501,386 | $6,501,386 | |||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $7,118,888 | $7,164,732 | $7,164,732 | |||||||
| Actual | $4,047,041 | $4,229,176 | $8,286,255 | $7,786,268 | $8,226,301 | $7,692,373 | $10,048,364 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
