Digital Media Performance Measurement Framework

Frequently Asked Questions

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REPORTS

Is the online report the same as the exploitation report?

These are two different reports. The online report is part of the Digital Media Performance Measurement Framework (more information) and is not associated with the exploitation reports submitted twice a year (more information).

MY ACCOUNT

When should I begin to submit reports for my project, and how often should I send them?

Under the terms of the CMF Financing Agreement, the applicant must submit a report at least once every three months, effective with the date that the project is launched and for the two years that follow. After this, reports must be submitted once a year for the entire period that the project is commercially active. This obligation ends after seven years for all Digital Media Projects (Convergent or Experimental) except for Live Exploitation products (ie. Experimental Stream).

Who may create an account?

Any company responsible for reporting data to the CMF as part of the Digital Media Performance Measurement Framework may create an account under its name.

Under the terms of the funding contract, the report is the responsibility of the producer. The broadcaster, distributor or market partner can take charge of submitting the report if an agreement to this effect exists between the partners; the responsible party would then use its own account for the reports. In such a case, the producer must advise us of this beforehand via e-mail.

When should I create an account?

Although the obligation to submit reports takes effect only on the product launch date, we recommend that you create an account as early as possible upon embarking on your project. This will enable you to learn about the information required for the reports as you progress and help you select the analytics tools best suited to your needs.

Please note that creating an account does not oblige you to produce a report immediately, so there is no reason not to begin the process early.

How do I create an account?

If you do not have an account, write to us and include your name, e-mail address, the name of your company, and information about your project (title and 6-digit file number). We will send you your connection details (ID and password).

You will then be able to update your own account information.

Do I need to create an account for each project?

Your account is a company account and includes all of your CMF-funded projects. You should therefore only create an account when preparing to use the online report for the first time.

Once you have created your account, you can add as many projects as required; for each of these projects, an unlimited number of reports can be prepared and submitted. Each project has its own file number (6 digits).

Please note that if the responsibility for the report has been entrusted to the broadcaster, distributor or market channel partner, the project will not appear in the producer's list of projects.

I've forgotten my password.

Click on the "FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?" link to the right of the LOG IN button. A new password will be generated and sent to the e-mail address associated with the account.

I've forgotten my ID.

If you cannot find your ID, write to us and include your name, e-mail address, the name of your company, and the information regarding your project (title and 6-digit file number). We will re-send you your login information details.

Can I share my account with another partner in my project?

Since your account may offer full access to all of your company's projects, we strongly discourage sharing your account info. It would be preferable to obtain the data from your partner and enter it yourself into the online report.

Can I access a project from more than one account?

Unfortunately, due to technical reasons this is not possible.

STATUS REPORTS

What is the difference between an account, a project sheet, and a status report?

To make them easier to manage, all of your CMF-funded projects are centralized within a single corporate account (with the exception of projects whose reports are submitted by the distributor, broadcaster or market channel partner). For your initial project, you must therefore complete three steps when preparing to submit your first report:

1. Create your account.
2. Create a project sheet (click on "+ ADD NEW PROJECT").
3. Create and submit the first status report (click on "+ ADD NEW REPORT").

For subsequent reports, only the third step needs to be repeated (+ ADD NEW REPORT). Any new projects can be created with just a few clicks as part of the same account (+ ADD NEW PROJECT).

Why do I have to create a report after creating a project sheet?

Each component has a purpose:

• The account contains information that enables us to identify your company and contact you, while enabling you to connect to the online report.
• The project sheet includes information that allows us to identify each individual project and contact a resource person, while enabling you to consult key information entered into previous status reports.
• The status reports contain information that enables us to measure and analyze the project's performance on a regular basis.

Unlike the status reports, the information entered into the project sheet should rarely change.

What types of metrics make up the report?

The CMF offers a Digital Media Performance Measurement Framework with five standard metrics common to all project types (please see the report for details). In addition to these five standard metrics, any information that provides a better overview of the project's progress can also be reported.

The report form has been designed to accommodate reports for a wide range of project types, and some fields may therefore not apply to your project. You need to only fill in the fields for which you have available data. When in doubt, please contact us.

As a rule of thumb, it is preferable to provide more information than less.

You may also consult an example of a completed report.

Should I provide information on my entire project?

The Digital Media Performance Measurement Framework aims to measure the digital component of a project and only if this component is funded by the CMF (convergent stream and experimental stream). Therefore, excluded from the report are TV components and digital components that have not been funded by the CMF.

My project is multi-platform; how should I fill in the report?

Each project is categorized by its content type in order to compare its performance with that of other projects of a similar nature. If a project contains many content types, principal content (as declared in the application form) should be considered when completing the report.

E.g.:
My project consists of a Web site that features a video section and an online game. The video section accounts for 80% of traffic on the site, and as it constitutes the principal content type of my project, it will be the subject of my report.

If different content types are of comparable importance, it is possible to create a report based on each content type. During a project's lifespan, the relative importance of the various content types may vary, and it may become necessary to add a report or change the principal content type.

E.g.:
In this same project, traffic in the video section has progressively decreased from 80% to 50% to 25%, while the online game is gaining in popularity. I will therefore add a report for the online game.

When in doubt, please contact us.

Is it possible to see what a quarterly report looks like before I create an account?

Of course. Simply click on this example (pdf).

What should I do if I don't have all of the information asked for in the report?

The report does not need to be entirely filled in and immediately submitted during a single session. You can begin to prepare your report and save your draft while you collect any missing information (provided you meet the requirement to submit a report each quarter).

Please note that only one draft report may exist for each project.

If information is still missing when you submit your report, complete the fields that you have data for, and explain the reasons why you were unable to provide the information for the other measurements (use the "Comments" field at the end of the report).

Why must I provide a copy of the original report produced by my analytics solution and still enter data into the report?

We ask that you do this to enable us to verify the accuracy of the information submitted, such as an entry that appears unusual and may be the result of a typographical error. Not all data is systematically checked, but it must all be available for verification.

What should the format be for the copy of the original report produced by my own analytics solution?

Most analytics solutions enable data to be exported in various formats. A format structure such as XLS (XLSX), CSV or ODF would be our preference. PDF is a good alternative. DOC or TXT files are also acceptable, although they are more difficult to work with. If no exporting solution is available for your analytics solution, a screenshot (obtained by pressing "Print Screen") will be sufficient, provided it offers a good overview of all of the data.

The copy of the original report must clearly show the monthly data about your project as entered in the report.

Why am I unable to change a report once it has been submitted?

The data you submit is extracted and analyzed on a regular basis. Once it has been extracted, it can no longer be changed without skewing the results, which we try to avoid.

What should I do if I realize there is an error in a report I have already submitted?

Send us a message, and include the report number, the field that contains the error, the incorrect value, and the correction. If required, we will adjust the report ourselves.

E.g.:
Error in report no. 3 submitted on May 17, 2012 at 12:56. The field "Canadian traffic accessing the project" indicates 120.075, but it should read 12.075.

Still have questions? Send us a message!