Canada demands 5% of revenue from Netflix, Spotify, and other streamers

[vtqhtr413]

Content source

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/canada-demands-5-of-revenue-from-netflix-spotify-and-other-streamers/

You can't fight City Hall

Canada has ordered large online streaming services to pay 5 percent of their Canadian revenue to the government in a program expected to raise $200 million per year to support local news and other home-grown content. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced its decision yesterday after a public comment period.

"Based on the public record, the CRTC is requiring online streaming services to contribute 5 percent of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system. These obligations will start in the 2024–2025 broadcast year and will provide an estimated $200 million per year in new funding," the regulator said.

The fees apply to both video and music streaming services. The CRTC imposed the rules despite opposition from Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, Netflix, Paramount, and Spotify.

The new fees are scheduled to take effect in September and apply to online streaming services that make at least $25 million a year in Canada. The regulations exclude revenue from audiobooks, podcasts, video game services, and user-generated content. The exclusion of revenue from user-generated content is a win for Google's YouTube.

Canada demands 5% of revenue from Netflix, Spotify, and other streamers

Canada says $200M in annual fees will support local news and other content.

arstechnica.com

 

[blackice]

It'll just get passed along to the customers, yet again making everything more expensive.

 

[vtqhtr413]

Canada will probably come up with something to counter that move, or at least I hope so.

 

[wat0114]

We need to defund the CBC and get rid of the Liberal government. The sooner the better.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

We need to defund the CBC and get rid of the Liberal government. The sooner the better.

Not sure why anyone would want to defund the CBC unless you prefer getting your news from online conspiracy theory garbage sites. Their one of the few left where you can get an honest news cast. However all I watch on it is the news and NHL.

 

[wat0114]

Not sure why anyone would want to defund the CBC unless you prefer getting your news from online conspiracy theory garbage sites. Their one of the few left where you can get an honest news cast. However all I watch on it is the news and NHL.

This year they received 1.4 billion in taxpayer funding, while 1143 CBC staffers received nearly 15 million in bonuses in 2023 alone, which equates to about 13,000 per staff member. Handsome bonuses were paid out despite layoff announcements. Currently there are 1450 staffers taking home 6 figure salaries. The number of staffers taking a 6 figure salary annually is a 231% increase since the Trudeau government took power in 2015.

I do get much of my news from the CBC and I also like some of the streaming content on Gem. That said, they tip-toe around federal government issues, careful not to anger them lest they receive less funding, and the dollar figures for salaries and bonuses can't be justified from a taxpayer-funded news source. There are other good, reputable sources of online news such as the globe and mail, AP and local content where I live.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Well I definitely do not agree with the bonuses, unfortunately too many big companies operate like this.

 

[wat0114]

I work for a big company that operates that way, except it's many millions in bonuses paid to some VP's and above