{"id":813981,"date":"2026-05-22T06:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/813981\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:34:12","slug":"canada-jacks-up-streamers-content-revenue-contributions-mpa-livid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/813981\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Jacks Up Streamers’ Content Revenue Contributions; MPA Livid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIn what is shaping up to become a very heated rivalry<\/a>, the Motion Picture Association<\/a> didn\u2019t quite use the word socialism today over a Canadian regulatory move, but they got damn close. The studios and streamers\u2019 trade association did warn that \u201cnew rules\u201d and financial contributions determined today by Canada<\/a>\u2018s Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for streamers \u201cundermines the open, market-based system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, as the Stanley Cup playoffs<\/a> advance, it\u2019s not just the NHL\u2019s Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes who are in a Canada vs. USA skirmish<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Motion Picture Association strongly condemns the CRTC\u2019s decision to impose unprecedented, unnecessary, and discriminatory investment obligations on American streaming services operating in Canada,\u201d MPA<\/a> chief Charles Rivkin<\/a> stated Thursday in an uncharacteristically fast response to the move up in the Great North <\/p>\n

\n\tWhile legacy TV caught a break, Rivkin and his corporate bosses are pissed about the measure under the 2023 passed Online Streaming Act that\u2019s going to make Netflix<\/a>, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and others fork over 15% of the revenue they make in the Great North for \u201cCanadian and Indigenous content\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLeaning into where the vast majority of viewers in Canada and elsewhere actually get their entertainment nowadays, the Commission insist their latest move is to \u201censure that traditional and online broadcasters contribute to the creation of Canadian and Indigenous content in an equitable way that reflects their size and business models.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe endgame is a to see Canadian content needs funded to the tune of $2 billion a year. That\u2019s $2 billion in Canadian dollars, which at present exchange rates equals $1.46 billion USD.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cContributions will be recalibrated so that traditional broadcasters will contribute 25% of their annual revenues to support Canadian and Indigenous content and benefit from greater flexibility in how they meet this requirement,\u201d the CRTC announced Thursday after months of study and public impute across the second largest country in the world. \u201cFor major broadcasters, this will provide relief as their current requirements range from 30% to 45%. Online broadcasters will contribute 15%, which includes their existing 5% base contribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs a part of the big hike for the streamers, the CRTC also are mandating \u201cclear expectations for the discoverability of Canadian and Indigenous content so that it is made available and visible to audiences.\u201d Centering on apps architecture, scrolling choices and algorithm, the independent agency says \u201cthis will make it easier for people to find this content on the platforms they use, while giving broadcasters flexibility in how they meet the new expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat didn\u2019t win over the MPA, which has Disney, Netflix, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony, Universal, as members, plus the likely soon to merge Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis burdensome framework unfairly targets global streamers with requirements that directly violate Canada\u2019s obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,\u201d Association boss Rivkin noted, with a nod to the currently under re-negotiation continental tariff free trade deal. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe decision also undermines the open, market-based system that has helped fuel investment, job creation, and creative partnerships across North America,\u201d the MPA CEO went on to say in flag flying for capitalism. \u201cAmerican studios and streaming services are already the top foreign investors in Canada\u2019s film and TV ecosystem \u2013 delivering content to Canadian audiences and sharing Canadian stories with the world. This decision triples the cost of doing business in Canada and will spark even more inflation in the market, making further investment and innovation less attractive. For years, the MPA has consistently made clear that Canada\u2019s Online Streaming Act is an unfair trade practice. We urge the Canadian government to reconsider this approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIntroduced in the 1960s and 1970s, the much maligned CanCon has proven one of the few barriers to total American media dominance that Canada (a nation where the vast majority of the population live within miles of the border) has been able to put in place. Even though the percentages and point-system, along with simulcast rules, can seem silly and out of touch with creative and investment reality, CanCon made possible global hits like Crave and HBO\u2019s hockey romance series Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n

\n\tClearly aware she has a hard sell down south with the new rules and coming to the cottage won\u2019t cut it CRTC CEO Vicky Eatrides tried to put a positive Stateside spin on \u201ctoday\u2019s decisions are about building a stronger broadcasting system.\u201d Without mentioning the long disputes, some of which are in court currently, between CanCon and American media companies, Eatrides added: \u201cWe are taking action to ensure stable funding for Canadian and Indigenous content, and to help make it more discoverable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the MPA are quite likely to take their concerns to the Canada-pounding White House, the CRTC CEO may have some discoveries of her own soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In what is shaping up to become a very heated rivalry, the Motion Picture Association didn\u2019t quite use…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":813982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[2147,254408,191743,255265,254406,4659,50,56389,103],"class_list":["post-813981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-canada","tag-charles-rivkin","tag-heated-rivalry","tag-motion-picture-association","tag-mpa","tag-netflix","tag-news","tag-stanley-cup-playoffs","tag-world"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116616841154780678","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/813982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}