Canada's private broadcasters increased their spending on foreign TV shows in 2007 and reduced spending on Canadian programming.

According to figures released by the federal broadcast regulator on Tuesday, private broadcasters spent $721.9 million on foreign programming in 2007, a 4.7 per cent increase from 2006.

At the same time, spending on Canadian programming was down 1.2 per cent at $616 million, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission reported in its annual release of financial statistics from the private broadcasters.

Spending on Canadian programming	$616 million
Drama	$74.2M
General interest	$103.5M
News	$324.8M
Information	$60.6M
Musical/variety	$23.8M
Sports	$8.6M
Game shows	$12.2M
Source: CRTC

The private broadcasters spent $74.2 million for Canadian drama, with the lion's share of spending in Canada going to news and general interest programming. That includes drama, news, information programs, music and variety, sports coverage and game shows.

Every year, private broadcasters such as CTV and Global bid on new TV shows being released by U.S.-based networks in an attempt to find the most popular Hollywood programming.

This comes at the expense of Canadian drama, says ACTRA, the union representing Canadian actors.

"Canada's broadcasters are spending seven times more on buying foreign drama than they spend on Canadian drama," ACTRA national executive director Stephen Waddell said in a statement.

"They are now spending more than half a billion dollars on U.S. Hollywood shows, as they annually bid up the prices against each other at the L.A. screenings. Canada's public airwaves are filled with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of U.S.-made drama programs and Canadian audiences, creators, and culture pay the price."

ACTRA has lobbied hard at the CRTC for a mechanism to force private broadcasters to spend on Canadian drama.

Spending on Canadian drama programs actually rose in 2007, up 4.5 per cent to $74 million — but spending on U.S. drama was seven times more at $505 million, he said.

The private broadcasters increased their profitability in 2007, according to the CRTC report. Revenues were stable at $2.2 billion for the industry, but profit before interest and taxes increased to $112.9 million from $90.9 million in 2006.

ACTRA argues the broadcasters can well afford to spend more to create made-in-Canada drama.

It blames a 1999 CRTC policy that allows broadcasters to count reality TV and celebrity news magazine programs toward their Canadian content requirements for the imbalance in spending.

The actors' union called on the CRTC to force broadcasters to spend seven per cent of their revenue on English-language drama.

The CRTC figures showed a reduction in personnel at private broadcasters, after consolidation in the industry including Bellglobemedia buying CHUM and CanWest Global buying Alliance Atlantis.

In 2007, private conventional television stations employed 7,873 people, down from 8,197 in 2006.