Canada Broadcast Act Tweak Would Require U.S. Streamers To Make investments In Native Content material – .

Canada has proposed an amendment to its national broadcasting law requiring streaming services from Netflix and Disney + to Amazon and Spotify in order to invest some of the revenue in local production.

Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault tabled the bill yesterday. A new class of actors known as “online companies” will be created, including US streaming platforms operating in the country and contributing to the country alongside Canadian broadcasters who are already required to do so under applicable broadcasting laws local industry.

A government briefing cited by the CBC said that online platforms could contribute up to $ 830 million worth of Canadian content by 2023 if the law applies the same Canadian content requirements for streamers as it does for broadcasters.

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Representatives from Netflix and Disney were not immediately available for comment. A Netflix spokesperson told the WSJ that the company is reviewing Canada’s proposed changes and will work with the cultural sector.

In 2017, Netflix founded Netflix Canada to invest at least $ 500 million in original productions in the country over a five-year period under the Investment Canada Act.

“We’re not asking these companies to do things they aren’t already doing,” Guilbeault told the CBC. “You are investing in Canada. We’re setting a legal framework for how these investments should be made given the things we’re already asking Canadian broadcasters to do. “

“A modernized law requires all companies that want access to the Canadian market, especially the digital market, to contribute to the production of our stories. For our economy it means more investment and jobs, ”added Guilbeault in a series of tweets. “Result: more Canadian and local stories, programs and music on platforms like Netflix and Spotify!” He said an updated broadcasting law would “create a level playing field for all” and “create more investment and employment in the Canadian broadcasting sector”.

“What we offer is not a luxury, it is a question of fairness. Without modernizing that #BroadcastingActWeb giants will continue to benefit from regulations that favor them at the expense of Canadian broadcasters, ”he said.

The Québec Recording, Concert and Video Industry Association called it a historic day. “We’re going to force web giants to invest nearly $ 1 billion [CAD] in Canadian culture, in our artists, and in our stories. Particular attention is paid to Francophonie across Canada, First Nations, indigenous productions and racial groups wherever they are in the country. “

Result: more Canadian and local stories, programs and music on platforms like Netflix and Spotify! pic.twitter.com/kDHTuqFZIa

– Steven Guilbeault @ 🏡 (@s_guilbeault) November 4, 2020

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