Are Canada and Ireland About to Join Forces and Produce Some New Entertainment Offerings?

While the USA may be dominating the entertainment sphere on various fronts, Canada is arguably punching above its weight and even beating its North American counterpart in some sectors. Similarly, Ireland is often overshadowed by the UK, but the country also has plenty of excellent offerings of its own.

Now, the two underdogs could be set to join forces in the production of a range of new entertainment offerings. Toronto mayor Olivia Chow recently visited the Emerald Isle, and highlighted why the Ontario city is a prime spot for film and television production.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow Sends Trade Delegation to Ireland

Chow recently embarked on a trade mission in the UK and Ireland, with one of the key aims being to promote Toronto’s film and television industry. During the six-day visit, she met with various broadcast chiefs in Dublin, including Screen producers Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. She has made no secret of her plans to foster ties with Irish entertainment companies as she highlights the incredible scope available in Canada for film and television development.

There’s a lot of potential to make domestic content that appeals to both Canadian and Irish viewers, using actors and settings from both countries. This would also enable access to public funding from the Canada Media Fund and Screen Ireland, ensuring that the quality of any future productions would be high.

Canadian Entertainment Industry Thriving on All Fronts

The Canadian entertainment industry is rapidly growing in stature, and this latest push to forge new partnerships is likely to help it expand further. According to recent figures, the film industry in the country currently brings in over £10 billion per year. That’s huge in comparison to the UK, which only generated £979 million in 2024.

It's not just the film sector that’s booming, though. Canada has also positioned itself as a hotbed for development and innovation in other offshoots of entertainment, such as gaming. Ontario has some of the world’s biggest studios, including Big Viking Games, Gameloft, and Beenox. One of the reasons why there are so many massive companies in the country is thanks to the various incentives and tax breaks that the government has offered businesses that set up shop there.

Canada has also been open to the online casino industry since the early days of the sector, with various international operators offering their services to Canadian players. Thanks to the competitive landscape, it has led to a lot of progression in the iGaming sector with the introduction of countless new games and ways to play.

Irish Culture Has Huge Global Appeal

It’s no surprise that Chow wants to forge partnerships with production companies in Ireland, as the culture over there has huge global appeal. Indeed, there have been various hugely successful offerings from the country in recent years, including the Toronto International Film Festival official selection, "The Banshees of Inisherin."

There are also many world-renowned stars from Ireland, with Colin Farrell perhaps the best-known name. The 49-year-old has enormous appeal, and has fronted various Hollywood projects over the years. Ireland also boasts several up-and-coming names, such as Barry Keoghan.

The popularity of Ireland and its culture is also evident throughout the iGaming industry, with myriad Irish-themed games available for players all over the world. In fact, many people who play online casino in Ontario will often pick games such as Luck O’The Irish Gold Spins and Leprechaun Charms. This suggests that any Irish-Canadian collaborations in film or television could easily spill out into the iGaming market as well with branded offerings that help to promote them further.

With Canada’s entertainment industry already having expanded well in numerous ways, this move to forge a partnership with Irish production companies is an exciting step forward. Indeed, the countries could be positioning themselves well to become a joint powerhouse in film and television in the future, with an eye on creating unique content that sets them apart from their competitors.