By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said it will not need additional financial resources to maintain a database of online services because the $10 million threshold to register for possible mandatory contributions to Canadian content will limit the number of services that need to sign up.
The regulator said in response to questions from Regina Conservative MP Andrew Scheer that it is expecting approximately 50 to 100 services to register basic information with it, including name, phone number, mailing and email addresses, what services they offer and out of where they are incorporated.
Scheer requested information related to the expected…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A representative from music and podcast streaming service Spotify told the CRTC Wednesday that the platform hopes the idea that online streamers should make a base financial contribution to Canadian content doesn’t spread to other jurisdictions.
“You are the only country in the world that is looking at those contributions, at least at this stage, and we actually hope that this is not going to spread to other countries because we will be in real difficulty,” Olivia Regnier, senior director of public policy for Spotify, told the commission.
“Now, we understand the situation, we understand the rationale…
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By Connie Thiessen
Google has reached an agreement with the federal government that will see the digital giant contribute $100 million in annual financial support to meet its obligations under the Online News Act.
By far the biggest digital advertising dominator in Canada with an estimated 50 per cent market share, Google had been preparing to exclude Canadian news sites from search engine results, starting Dec. 19 when Bill C-18 comes into force. Under the legislation, by government calculations, Google would have been required to pay an estimated $172 million per year to prop up the media sector, equivalent to about…
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Over $141M spent on production in Alberta, according to new data
TORONTO – New data commissioned by the Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA-Canada), released Monday, reveals the economic impact of HBO’s The Last of Us in Alberta, with more than $141 million spent across the province — making it the largest series ever filmed in Canada, according to a press release.
An affiliate of the Motion Picture Association Inc., MPA-Canada advocates for the major international producers and distributors of movies, TV and streaming programming in Canada. HBO and its parent company Warner Bros….
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OTTAWA – On the recommendation of Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge, the Governor General in Council has reappointed Etoile Stewart as a member of Telefilm Canada’s board of directors.
Stewart’s new five-year term began Nov. 1.
She has been a Telefilm board member since November 2018 and is currently chair of the board’s nominating, evaluation and governance committee.
“Having worked in all levels of government, she is now a management consultant based in Winnipeg specializing in strategic planning and government relations for a diverse range of clients,” reads Stewart’s profile on…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Regina member of Parliament Andrew Scheer has asked the federal government to provide more information about the rationale and cost behind a registry of companies set up by the CRTC that is intended for them to contribute to the enrichment of Canadian content.
The former Conservative Party leader has tabled two sets of inquiries in the House of Commons Monday, with one requesting specifics as to the overall rationale for setting up the registry and how the commission arrived at the $10 million annual revenue threshold to include companies for possible regulation.
Under that set of questions,…
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TORONTO and MONTREAL – The Canada Media Fund said Monday it is starting the process of making changes to its funding programs that will take a platform-agnostic approach to supporting content creators, in lockstep with the federal government’s modernization of the broadcasting industry via the Online Streaming Act.
“After several years of calls for change from the industry we proudly support, the Department of Canadian Heritage has unlocked new authorities for the CMF to administer our funding and programs moving forward,” reads a CMF press release.
“As the CRTC undertakes its process to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – An order in council published Monday will direct the CRTC to include modified shopping channels from the United States on a list of authorized foreign programming services available on Canadian television.
The order amends a three-year-old one that only directed the CRTC to list unmodified U.S. home shopping programming, which is specific to the U.S. market. The orders are part of an agreement between the countries under the new Canada United States and Mexica (CUSMA) free trade agreement, which replaced NAFTA under former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The order amends the direction to the CRTC “respecting the…
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CBC calls it “irresponsible” and “abuse of power”; CAB says it shows “tangible disregard for democracy”
Starting Tuesday, Meta has begun blocking Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram for their users in Canada.
In an update Tuesday to its June announcement of its intention to end news availability on its platforms in Canada, in response to the passing of the Online News Act, Meta says these changes “will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks.”
The changes mean news links…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA — In a rare display of non-partisanship support for government legislation, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez – joined by his opposition counterparts Martin Champoux of the Bloc Québécois and Peter Julian of the New Democrats – announced at a Parliament Hill news conference on Wednesday that the federal government will suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram in response to parent company Meta Platforms Inc.’s decision to end news availability on both platforms prior to bill C-18 taking effect.
Last week, Google followed suit and announced that it would…
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