Media Analysis Report Hot Docs 2013

1. Media Analysis ReportHot Docs 2013 March 3 to May 11, 2013

2. Key Findings • Media exposure in Canada for Hot Docs was 60.4 million impressions during the ten-week survey period ending May 11, 2013. • Coverage during the festival run for the period of April 24 to May 4, 2013, represented 57% of total exposure for the ten weeks, while 33% of exposure appeared in the weeks leading up to the festival launch, and 10% occurred in the five days following the festival’s run. • Tone of coverage for Hot Docs was largely favourable, as the festival saw no negative coverage in the sampled outlets, while only 1% of total exposure for films shown during the festival was negative. Explicitly positive coverage of Hot Docs (including all film reviews) accounted for 51% of total exposure. • Outside of Canada, total exposure for Hot Docs was 6.5 million impressions. Coverage in the United States accounted for 80% of the festival’s profile outside of Canada. • Among films shown at the festival, the opening film The Manor had the highest profile in Canadian media coverage, while outside of Canada, Unclaimed led coverage. Unclaimed was also the second most-visible film in Canadian coverage, as reports focused on the controversy related to the identity of a missing American Vietnam war veteran. • Media initiatives contributed 19% of the festival’s Canadian media during the sample period. • Hot Docs was mentioned in a total of 943 items carried by 90 Canadian media news outlets and, outside of Canada, in 167 news items carried by 29 outlets in six countries.

3. Media Coverage of Hot Docs • Hot Docs experienced a Canadian media profile of 60.4 million impressions for the ten-week period of March 3 to May 11, 2013. • Total exposure for Hot Docs peaked on April 25th, following the opening night of the eleven-day festival, particularly as Toronto-based media outlets outlined multiple films scheduled to play during the festival’s run. • In terms of media activity, the number of items featuring Hot Docs was concentrated in digital entertainment and lifestyle outlets, led by Toronto Film Scene, Realscreen, Exclaim.ca, and Twitch, although among them, only Twitch ranked among the top ten outlets in terms of audience exposure. • Audience exposure was highest in newspapers, led by the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and Now Magazine. • Where data was available, the equivalent advertising value of Canadian media coverage was $2.37 million. “Activity” represents number of items that mentioned Hot Docs for the ten weeks ending May 11, 2013.

4. Daily Exposure Exposure measured in millions of impressions.

5. Topics • Films shown both during the festival and at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema outside of the festival tended to be the main focus of media references to Hot Docs, as scheduling, programming announcements, and film reviews combined to account for just over one-half of all coverage (51%). • Interviews with filmmakers accounted for a further 26%, led by items featuring participants affiliated with Unclaimed. • General reports on the festival accounted for 14% of all coverage, led by reports noting the longevity and success of the festival as it celebrated its twentieth anniversary. • Festival awards were the subject of 3% of all coverage for the ten-week survey period, with reports most-prominently noting awards given to Dragon Girls, Notes on Blindness: Rainfall, The Circle, and Cloudy Mountains. Percentages based on exposure in Canadian media, measured in audience impressions.

6. Top Outlets Top 20 outlets by exposure • Media exposure for Hot Docs was highest in the Toronto Star, which carried a total of 96 items (print and digital combined) and accounted for 42% of total exposure for the festival. • Exposure was next-highest in the Globe and Mail (print and digital combined), albeit at less than half of that witnessed in the Toronto Star, followed by the CBC (television and digital combined). • Among non-mainstream news sources, coverage was highest for Hot Docs on blogTO, which represented 7% of total exposure. • Hot Docs was featured in a total of 943 items carried by 90 Canadian media news outlets (multimedia outlets counted as a single outlet). Outlets include the combined coverage appearing in print or television and digital editions.

7. Tone of coverage • Media coverage of Hot Docs was neutral-to-positive in tone, as the festival experienced no explicit criticism. • Explicitly favourable exposure for Hot Docs represented 43% of its Canadian media profile excluding film reviews, while the remainder of coverage was straightforward and balanced. • Among film reviews, negative reviews were minimal and represented only 1% of total audience exposure. Roughly two-thirds of all film reviews were explicitly favourable. • Negative reviews were largely limited to online outlets, including Exclaim.ca, Film Freak Central, Panic Manual, and Torontoist. • Just over half (51%) of all coverage of Hot Docs and reviews of films combined was explicitly favourable. Percentages based on total exposure by category.

8. Proactive Coverage and Brands • The twentieth anniversary of the festival was referenced in 16% of all coverage. • The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema was explicitly identified in 17% of all coverage of Hot Docs for the ten weeks surveyed. References to the festival’s headquarters accounted for an especially high share of all coverage of Hot Docs in March. The theatre was noted in roughly one-half of all coverage between March 3 through March 31, led by references in Toronto-based media outlets to weekly programming unrelated to the festival. • Nearly one-fifth (19%) of all coverage of Hot Docs during the ten-week sample period was directly attributable to a media initiative. • Among its media initiatives, the March 19th announcement that the Canadian film The Manor would open the festival generated the highest profile, representing 8% of the festival’s total media profile. The next most-visible media initiatives were: • the May 3rd announcement of festival award winners (3%); • the March 6th announcement of the 28 films included in the Special Presentations category (2%); • the February 5th announcement that Les Blank was named the recipient of the Hot Docs 2013 Outstanding Achievement award (2%); and • the May 6th wrap-up report which noted that the festival broke its previous attendance record. • Hot Docs spokespeople were identified in 4% of all coverage. Director Of Programming Charlotte Cook was the most visible among Hot Docs spokespeople, led by reports on the film Unclaimed and the controversy related to the identity of a missing Vietnam war veteran featured in the film. Executive Director Chris McDonald was the second most-visible Hot Docs official, noted most-prominently in reports marking the festival’s twentieth anniversary.

9. Top Films Top 20 films by exposure • Festival opener The Manor was the most-visible film in coverage of Hot Docs. The film was noted in 15% of all coverage, led by reports on the initial announcement that it would open the festival, reports on its premiere, and interviews with the film’s subjects, the Cohen family. • Unclaimedwas the next most-visible film, as controversy related to the identity of the American soldier believed to have been left behind in Vietnam after the US-Vietnam war resulted in prominent media attention. The film continued to garner exposure for Hot Docs after showing in Toronto, as it was included in the programming for the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. • A film shown during the Hot Docs festival was identified in 74% of all coverage for the ten weeks surveyed. Percentages based on total exposure. Up to four films tracked per news item.

10. Coverage Outside of Canada • Outside of Canada, total exposure for Hot Docs within the sampled outlets was 6.5 million impressions. • Coverage was concentrated in the United States, which accounted for 80% of audience exposure outside of Canada. Outlets in the US also accounted for 92% of total activity, comprising 154 of a total of 167 news items. • Hot Docs was identified in 29 of the sampled outlets outside of Canada, while 23 were US-based. Indiewire devoted the most attention to the festival, carrying 34 items. Audience exposure in the US was highest on Examiner.com, followed by the New York Times. • Outside of North America, exposure was highest in Russia, led by news items carried by Yandex and Rosbalt. • Where data was available, the equivalent advertising value of coverage of Hot Docs outside of Canada was $215,000 (CAD).

11. Topics Outside of Canada • In the US, coverage of Hot Docs tended to focus more on films shown during the festival, as reviews of films accounted for 43% of total exposure in American media, while reports on the festival schedule and programming accounted for a further 21%. • Outside of the US, general reports on programming and reports on award recipients led coverage, particularly as outlets highlighted filmmakers from their respective countries. • By far, Unclaimed was the most visible film shown during the festival in media coverage outside of Canada, largely due to attention in the US to issues the film raised about the US-Vietnam war and the identity of a missing soldier. Percentages based on total exposure by region. Up to four films tracked per news item.

12. About This Study • This report is an audit of Canadian and international media coverage of Hot Docs. The study examines coverage of the organization and festival between March 3, 2013, and May 11, 2013, within a sample of print, television and internet outlets from an initial search of over 400 outlets. • The report was prepared by Cormex Research, for Hot Docs. • Variables included: topic, presence of film titles, spokespeople, tone of coverage, and mention of Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. • Audience exposure is measured in total media impressions, which refers to the estimated number of readers potentially exposed to a news item, based on audience demographic information collected and published by NADbank, BBM, and Nielsen. • Audience exposure for digital outlets in Canada based on Comscore data for average usage days per unique visitor per month, measured in probable number of visitors per day. Outside of Canada, exposure for web-based outlets represents average daily unique visitors to the website, based on Google Doubleclick GDN data, or Alexa traffic estimates, depending on availability. • Canadian equivalent advertising values are provided based on MAL rates for print, and 30-second spot equivalencies for radio and television, multiplied by a factor of three. Equivalent advertising for media outlets outside of Canada has been converted from the currency of origin to CAD, based on a rate of $1.05 to the US dollar. • Cormex Research is Canada’s leading media content measurement and analysis firm, serving the country’s top private, public and not-for-profit firms since 1989. For more information, contact Cormex at (416) 504-8236, or visit our website at www.cormex.com.