Corus urges CRTC move on children’s programming
By Ahmad Hathout
If the CRTC used current foreign streamer investments to the Canadian system as a baseline to determine obligations, then it would put the commission offside of the new Broadcasting Act and the policy direction from cabinet by forcing more contributions from them relative to traditional Canadian broadcasters, said representatives of a trade group representing the major foreign streamers Friday.
“If you were to establish the existing investment obligations as a floor, I think you would end up with foreign streaming services contributing a disproportionate amount to the Canadian broadcasting system when you…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has closed the loop on a matter it opened over a year ago: that it does, indeed, have concurrent jurisdiction with Industry Canada over the wireless attachments on telco-owned or controlled structures.
The ruling means the installation of small cell and Wi-Fi equipment is subject to the support structure tariffs filed to the commission, which was the starting point for the matter in question.
The commission held that preliminary view since February 2024 after Rogers and Quebecor applied to it for an order directing Bell, which was accused…
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Newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet was sworn in Tuesday morning in Rideau Hall, with Mélanie Joly becoming Minister of Industry and Steven Guilbeault staying in his role as Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity.
A one-time Minister of Canadian Heritage from Nov. 2015 to July 2018 in former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first cabinet, Joly most recently served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under both Carney and Trudeau. In addition to her new industry minister role, Joly is also Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. Her new appointment…
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By Peter Menzies, former newspaper executive, past vice chair of the CRTC, and a Macdonald-Laurier Institute Senior Fellow
On June 1, the Vancouver Whitecaps will play one of the most important games a Canadian club sports team has ever played.
In most countries – in fact in almost any country – broadcasters would be clamouring over each other for the ability to show it. The national public broadcaster might be claiming it as a program of national interest and politicians would be weighing in to play a little hero ball of their own and grab the spotlight.
The Whitecaps’ Concacaf Champions League…
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An international group of more than 100 film and screen industry representative organizations, including the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), have launched a global petition on Change.org calling on governments around the world “to stand firm and safeguard the systems that support independent film and audiovisual creation”.
Other Canadian signatories include the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC), the Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ), and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM).
The petition follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order to impose a 100-per-cent tariff on foreign-made…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor executives said Thursday that the company is prepared to fight a defensive price battle with its major regional rival to maintain a price advantage they said it needs to grow its market share.
Two quarters ago, the company announced that it would need to make overdue price increases to its internet plans because it was feeling some unnecessary downward pressure on its revenues.
But the company has seen cable revenue gains of just $2.6 million from the fourth to the first quarter, with the price increases fully baked into the latter period. To explain that, Hugues Simard…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Canadian creative industry is expressing uncertainty and concern about the impact of an order made by U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday to impose a 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made films.
“While specific details are far from clear at this point, the proposed actions outlined in US President Donald Trump’s announcement will cause significant disruption and economic hardship to the media production sectors on both sides of the Canada-US border,” Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), said in a press release Monday, adding Canada needs a “strong, independent domestic media industry”…
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The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced last week it will invest $338 million in the Canadian audiovisual industry during its 2025-2026 fiscal year, which started April 1.
This is $19 million less than the CMF’s 2024-2025 program budget announced in March 2024.
“In 2025-2026 the CMF will expand the flexibility granted to applicants and encourage increased collaboration between producers, broadcasters, and distributors to further evolve the CMF’s funding model to respond to the industry,” Valerie Creighton, CMF president and CEO, said in a press release.
“Despite the lower budget, the CMF is implementing a number…
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Music Canada says base contribution will disincentivize and jeopardize investments
By Ahmad Hathout
The largest rights management organization in Canada is asking the Federal Court of Appeal for intervenor status to argue that royalties are not equivalent to Canadian content contributions for the sake of determining how much foreign streamers are adding to the broadcasting system.
Amazon, Spotify and Apple, who have been granted a court hearing against a CRTC decision to force them to contribute five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues to content funds, each stream music. In their appeal against the regulator’s decision – which Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Writers Guild of Canada, and Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions are among the arts and culture groups congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal Liberal Party on the outcome of Monday’s federal election, as they outline their hopes for the new government.
“During the election campaign, producers were encouraged by Liberal Party commitments to support Canada’s cultural sector through the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, investment in Canada’s public broadcaster, and defence of our national cultural sovereignty in future trade negotiations with the United States; the government must…
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