The verdict in three sentences
A company producing 40 programmes a year and exploiting a 600-hour catalogue manages millions in budgets and hundreds of contracts in spreadsheets, with a real risk of miscalculated royalties and expired licences still being exploited. Custom software costs CAD 70,000 to 130,000, ships in 5 months and is maintained for CAD 900 to 1,500 a month. It pays for itself with the first royalty statement error avoided or the first secured catalogue sale.
What spreadsheets miss
In Montreal, many documentary, factual and drama producers run with a finance director, one or two production coordinators and shared legal counsel. Budgets live in per-programme workbooks, author contracts in shared folders, licences to broadcasters and distributors in a tracker updated whenever someone remembers.
The consequences are familiar: a cost report to the CMF, Telefilm or SODEC that no longer matches actual spend, royalty statements sent to writers 6 months late, a programme pitched to a streamer when music rights expired the month before. For a 600-hour catalogue, each poorly tracked rights window can block a sale worth CAD 30,000 to 120,000.
| Risk | Spreadsheet situation | Estimated 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gaps between approved budget and final cost report | manual reconciliation at wrap | 1 to 3% of budget, funding or tax credit adjustment |
| Late royalty statements | 4 to 8 months delay | strained relations, WGC or SARTEC claims |
| Royalty calculation errors | rates and bases re-keyed | CAD 3,000 to 22,000 a year in corrections |
| Expired licences still exploited | no alert | dispute, CAD 15,000 to 75,000 |
| Lost catalogue sales for lack of visibility | available rights unknown | CAD 30,000 to 120,000 per sale |
| Time to close a programme | 5 to 8 days | 1 to 2 days with a tool |
Modules of production and rights software
| Module | Content | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Budgets and cost reports | funding agency formats, committed and actual, final cost | consistent funding file, visible margin |
| Contracts | writers, directors, composers, co-producers | one record per rights holder |
| Royalty calculation | bases, rates, minimum guarantees, advances | statement generated as PDF |
| Licences | territories, media, terms, exclusivity | map of available rights per title |
| Expiry alerts | 90 and 30 days before licence end | zero out-of-rights exploitation |
| Dashboard | profitability per programme and catalogue | quantified investment decisions |
The software connects to your accounting and production payroll to pull actuals without re-keying.
2026 budget and timeline in Montreal
| Item | 2026 range | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, workshops with finance, production and legal | CAD 8,000 to 14,000 | 3 weeks |
| Budgets, cost reports, cost tracking | CAD 18,000 to 34,000 | 5 weeks |
| Contracts and royalty calculation | CAD 18,000 to 36,000 | 5 weeks |
| Licences and alerts | CAD 15,000 to 28,000 | 4 weeks |
| Catalogue migration (600 hours) and connectors | CAD 11,000 to 18,000 | 3 weeks |
| Total project | CAD 70,000 to 130,000 excl. taxes | 5 months |
| Support and Canadian hosting | CAD 900 to 1,500 a month | ongoing |
These are 2026 estimates. A company producing fewer than 15 programmes a year can start with a smaller scope around CAD 45,000.
Mini case study
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Julien, finance director of a production company in Montreal, manages 40 programmes a year for CAD 13m of combined budgets and a 600-hour catalogue. He invests CAD 105,000 plus CAD 1,200 a month of support. In the first year, the software avoids CAD 12,000 of royalty corrections, secures a 1% funding adjustment on CAD 3m of affected budgets, or CAD 30,000, and surfaces 12 titles with rights free for a streamer, leading to a CAD 68,000 catalogue sale. Programme closes save 5 days each, 200 days a year. Measurable gain: CAD 110,000 before time saved, for a cost of CAD 119,400. Payback comes in about 13 months, then the tool returns value every year.
FAQ
How much does custom TV production management software cost in 2026?
Budget CAD 70,000 to 130,000 depending on modules and catalogue size, then CAD 900 to 1,500 a month of maintenance. A reduced scope starts around CAD 45,000.
Does it produce cost reports for funding agencies?
Yes, budgets and final cost reports follow the formats expected by the CMF, Telefilm and SODEC and export to Excel. Budget versus actual is tracked line by line, which also supports tax credit claims.
How are royalties calculated?
Each contract holds its bases, rates, minimum guarantees and advances. The software computes amounts due from entered or imported revenue and generates the statement as a PDF in minutes.
Can we migrate an existing catalogue?
Yes, migrating 600 hours and related contracts takes about 3 weeks from your spreadsheets and documents. Active licences are checked title by title.
Is data hosted in Canada?
Yes, Canadian hosting, daily backups and role-based access, in line with Quebec's Law 25 on personal information. The company owns the code and data.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your programme volume, catalogue size and current tools for a quote between CAD 70,000 and 130,000 and a 5-month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
