By Howard Law, author of MediaPolicy.ca and Canada vs. California: How Ottawa took on Netflix and the streaming giants (Lorimer, 2024)
Last week, Quebec’s culture minister Mathieu Lacombe slid a wild card into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s deck by tabling Bill 109 in the National Assembly.
The bill contemplates doing for Quebec exactly what the federal Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11, mandated the CRTC to do two years ago for all of Canada: regulate streaming platforms so that original French-language content reaches more French-speaking Canadians.
The Lacombe bill claims a constitutional jurisdiction it doesn’t have (until the Supreme Court tells us…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor executives said Wednesday that Radio-Canada, the French-language version of the CBC, should be made to step-up on producing children’s programming because it has become economically difficult to do so for private broadcasters.
The company’s vice president of public and regulatory affairs told the five-member CRTC panel in response to a question about how to sustain the delivery of children’s programming that the public broadcaster — which is already required by the CRTC to broadcast a certain number of hours of kids programming — should pick up where private broadcasters have failed.
“We hope the mandate of Radio-Canada will…
Continue Reading
Quebecor’s Freedom Mobile announced Wednesday it has signed a multi-year agreement to be the presenting sponsor of the Calgary Stampede’s nightly Grandstand Show.
Running all 10 nights of the Stampede from July 4-13, this year’s Grandstand Show will be headlined by Albertan country music singer-songwriter Carolyn Dawn Johnson, a 17-time Canadian Country Music Award winner. The show will also feature performers from the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts and the Grandstand Band, along with jaw-dropping stunt acts, a pyrotechnic display, a new drone show and the Stampede’s signature nightly fireworks finale.
“We are extremely proud to announce…
Continue Reading
Also marking Asian Heritage Month with special themed channel
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) last week announced two new documentaries from Yukon and British Columbia will be added to its streaming offerings on nfb.ca in May.
Starting May 16, filmmaker Jessica Hall’s short documentary Saturday explores the joyful, creative life of her sister, Katherine, who has an intellectual disability. The 13-minute film is “n inspiring tribute to a daughter and mother’s close and supportive relationship,” an NFB press release says. Saturday has been screened at a number of Canadian festivals, including the Available Light Film Festival in…
Continue Reading
Follows Pascale St-Onge pledge
By Ahmad Hathout
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday pledged $150 million to shore up the CBC/Radio-Canada and enshrine funding for the public broadcaster in the law if elected.
“Canada’s institutions and identity are under attack from foreign interference,” Carney said during a campaign stop in Montreal. “If elected, my government will take action to enshrine and protect and strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada for generations to come.
“We will not only increase CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding by $150 million, but we will also make this funding statutory, meaning Parliament as a whole will need to approve any future changes to its funding, not…
Continue Reading
CBC/Radio-Canada announced Tuesday that it is investing more in local and regional news coverage after the CRTC approved Google’s application to be exempted under the Online News Act, triggering the release of $100 million for news production.
The public broadcasters said it is adding up to 25 journalists in more than a dozen communities that are underserved by broadcast news outlets, with a focus on Western Canada.
“These new positions complement CBC News’ strategy to reach more Canadians by launching new local FAST channels, offering local and breaking news on CBC Gem and the CBC News app, and connected TV platforms in…
Continue Reading
Media conglomerate Postmedia announced Thursday it is partnering with content and marketing company Contend to launch Postmedia Studios, which they say will leverage the new funding ecosystem brought by the Online Streaming Act to bring Canadian stories to film, television and short-form formats.
The companies said they already have a slate of original programming created by Canadians in the works, and all intellectual property will be created, owned and produced by Canadians.
“This includes film, television, and short-form formats that delve into compelling real-life stories and memorable historical events that have shaped the nation,” a press release said. “These productions will…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
A new bill that would force the CRTC to “consult” with the provincial governments on matters affecting French-speaking markets is drawing concern from regulatory authorities both in its legal terminology and the precedent it could set for a tribunal freshly saddled with increased responsibilities.
The private member’s bill C-354, which passed second reading in the House and is in the committee stage, would amend the CRTC Act to add to section 12 a paragraph that would require it to “consult with the Government of Quebec or the governments of the other provinces, as the case…
Continue Reading
By Howard Law, author of Canada vs. California, and MediaPolicy.ca
Last week the CRTC released its anticipated “Phase One” ruling on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11. The headline was the $200 million price tag put on Canadian content contributions assessed by the commission on large foreign online audio and audio-visual streamers operating in Canada.
Following the commission’s decision, many industry players and public policy commentators were quick to declare victory or disaster, something we can expect in a regulatory drama that never quits.
This drama is chronicled in my book, Canada vs California: How…
Continue Reading
By Glenn O’Farrell, former media executive of Groupe Média TFO, Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Global Television, and TVA
“It’s time to take back the internet,” a recent ad proclaimed.
It ended with an invitation: “So forget the noise. Let’s build the internet we want—not the one we inherited.” Its purpose was to promote a book, Read Write Own, by Chris Dixon, the internet entrepreneur and investor. Dixon’s book is about breaking away from the digital monopolists that dominate today.
As Ottawa ponders the future of CBC/Radio-Canada, where will innovation figure in the plans?
Hopefully, innovation will become the driving force behind a new…
Continue Reading
