We have the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel report released this week. The report is the final one from a 6-member panel created in June 2018 by the federal ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Canadian Heritage. The last review came in 1991.
Streaming services and ads on CBC are the highlights from the report. We will go more into those recommendations.
Other highlights focus on universal broadband access for all Canadians; combining the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada; and strengthening the CRTC so that all media providers would be under its umbrella.
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The Netflix tax is not part of the panel report suggestions — "not recommending that Canadian content be supported by the so-called Netflix Tax." The report said streaming services should "devote a portion of their program budgets to Canadian programs."
There is a huge access gap to Canadian films. Canada Screens has a limited selection of Canadian films. The Encore + option on YouTube doesn't have that many Canadian films.
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The emphasis of concern in the report is about Canadian TV, not film. CBC Gem and Crave TV have quite a few Canadian TV options. Netflix would have to struggle to find current Canadian TV that doesn't fall under one of those umbrellas. Mary Kills People and Private Eyes are under the Global umbrella.
Netflix could show older Canadian TV shows that aren't on CBC Gem. This applies to all foreign streamers, not just Netflix.
Canadian film review: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
The report wants discoverability obligations to ensure Canadian streaming content is visible and easy to find. Netflix has argued that if algorithms were changed to push Canadian content "that members won't watch," viewer feedback would be negative. That unfortunately sounds very Canadian. We know Netflix pushes its own productions but shouldn't push away Canadian content in Canada.
Your humble narrator can't address Netflix on Canadian soil. Netflix in the U.S. makes finding Canadian content rather difficult if you want to find Canadian TV and films. Doing a search for Canadian TV and films turns up a limited search. I've done countless searches on Netflix specifically for Canadian content. A good example is the recent Canadian film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. I found out that Netflix had the film from reading a story online. Search for Canadian film and this film doesn't show up.
Netflix did come out after the report with a more upbeat response, looking forward to "working with the government as it proceeds to modernize Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications laws."
The report calls for GST/HST to be charged by foreign online services. Netflix currently pays provincial tax in Saskatchewan and Quebec. Given that the Netflix tax is off the table, adding Canadian content is more than a reasonable request.
CBC proposes $400 million increase to go ad-free
In 2016, the numbers would have increased the funding from $34/person per year to $46/person for the CBC and Radio-Canada to be ad-free. In 2016, the United Kingdom spent $114/person on the BBC.
The report recommends the Broadcasting Act be amended to ensure long-term funding commitments of at least 5 years. The report recommends the CBC "gradually eliminate advertising on all platforms over the next five years, starting with news content."
Those in the United Kingdom pay into the BBC with a television tax, allowing for some consistency in funding. CBC hasn't been able to think in the long term with the threat of defunding under a Conservative prime minister. CBC funding should have some level of protection from Conservative MPs.
A commercial-free The National nightly newscast would allow for more news stories and longer time for those new stories. That might be more difficult for the supper newscasts on local CBC stations.
CBC would have to run promos and even public service announcements during breaks of prime time shows.
Steven Guilbeault is the new Canadian heritage minister
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the Trudeau Government wants to table a bill within the first year of its current mandate. The NDP and Green Party could give support to the bill; the Conservatives might like/hate the changes to the CBC.
photos credit: me; Anne with an E/CBC/Netflix
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