This week, the CRTC announced new measures for foreign streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ operating in Canada. But what could this mean for consumers?
Today on Commotion, Ben Okazawa, Kevin Bourne and Teri Hart join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to dig into whether forcing streamers like Netflix to boost Canadian content could actually work in everyone’s favour.
We’ve included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, including the panel’s takes on the new Alec Baldwin TLC reality show and Drake’s unexpected remix of Hey There Delilah, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.
Elamin: The CRTC’s job generally is to regulate broadcasting, but now it’s going to be forcing streamers to give five per cent of their Canadian revenue to support Canada’s screen industry. This might sound like a good way to get more Canadian stories told, but already we are seeing streamers like Amazon Prime [say] this could be bad for consumers. Teri, what do you think?
Teri: I think it’s great. No surprise they don’t want to pay this, but this is the cost of doing business in Canada. If we liken this to packaged goods, packaged goods have to have bilingual labels in Canada to be sold here. Places that work on an entertainment platform have to put money back into the industry to make Canadian content that is owned by Canadians. Owning our own IP is really, really important to our culture.
More and more people are cutting the cord and they’re consuming content via streaming — and that technology should not mean the end or the compromise of our Canadian film and television industry. We have a completely different system here of funding content, and we have that system so we are not gobbled up by American culture. Other countries in the world have a similar system to make sure their culture is still being seen, heard and made. These companies make millions of dollars off of Canadian eyeballs. They should be paying back into our cultural system.
Elamin: Yeah. I think people sort of understand this concept of some Canadian protectionism when it comes to industries like milk, for example. We have the supply management system so that Canadian producers aren’t completely wiped off because there are so many American producers and if they were to just come in here, they would certainly impact the way that Canadian producers would make their milk. Kevin, maybe you can talk about how you think this ruling is going to benefit Canadian productions. What’s your read on that?
Kevin: Well, obviously some of the funds that are generated from this are supposed to go towards underprivileged communities — BIPOC individuals, Indigenous communities — so it does allow for that pool of funds for people to draw from in order to create here in Canada, which I think is great. I think for me the question is, in the past when it comes to specifically Black communities, a lot of the funds that have been generated don’t necessarily get specifically to our community. Even funds that are considered for racialized communities don’t always get down to specific individual groups.
The former policy analyst in me is looking at this and I think anytime you create something like this to solve one problem, you end up creating another problem that you weren’t expecting. I know some people are concerned, will our subscription fees go up for streaming services? And stuff like that. It’d be good to see the details of how this thing will be implemented, but I think overall in theory it is a good thing to have more funds for Canadian producers.
Elamin: Ben, a lot of American shows are made here in this country, but this is different because this is not Hollywood hiring Canadian crews to make U.S. shows that benefit U.S creators and the money ends up in America. This is the CRTC making the argument that streamers should be investing in the careers of Canadian creators, directors, screenwriters and filmmakers telling Canadian stories. Do you think U.S. streamers should have to fund Canadian culture?
Ben: I mean, the reason American production companies film in Canada so much, even though these shows are maybe set in other places, is because if they film here with Canadian crews, they get tax incentives. It’s cheaper for them. So why not funnel some of those savings back into the communities that make it easier for them to film these multi-million, billion-dollar projects?
And the money’s not going just anywhere, right? The CRTC has earmarked funds and companies from underrepresented demographics in entertainment like Black and Indigenous communities, language minority content as well, like French language and Punjabi language content. So, I think if they’re coming here to save money, why not funnel a chunk of that back into us?
Elamin: Teri, do you think this move by the CRTC will raise the profile of TV shows made by Canadians who are telling Canadian stories?
Teri: I don’t think that you can necessarily draw a direct connection to this and raising the profile, but what this is to my mind is really a response to the changing landscape of how people are consuming content, and what that means for the potential contributions to the funds that producers access to make Canadian content…. As I said, these streamers are making a lot of money in this country, and so to ask them to support the system to ensure Canadian culture continues on our screens, is not a big ask. We’re saying five per cent here. And it also shouldn’t be a surprise.
You can listen to the full discussion from today’s show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Panel produced by Ryan Chung.
