Foreign streamers a problem for all Canadian broadcasters, CMPA hears

OTTAWA–Foreign streamers will be a prickly problem for mainstream broadcasters in the years to come, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) was told Friday. A session called Phoenix Rising: the state of the Canadian television sector closed out the three-day parley. Four CEOs and one vice president made up a panel looking at the current situation in the industry. The president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada warned about the positions put forward by the streaming companies at recent CRTC hearings into the implementation of the Online Streaming Act. “I thought that the foreign streamers in the first phase were very, very persuasive,” Catherine Tait told the delegates. “That’s a problem for all of us.” There is no turning back, Valerie Creighton, CEO of the Canada Media Fund, posited. “The streamers are here. That barn door’s open,” she stated. Tait pointed out the situation will only grow more dire as streamers enter the advertising market. They will be chasing the same ad dollars that conventional broadcasters now seek. The VP of brand partnerships and client strategy at BCE Inc.’s Bell Media said his company has had incidences where projects had been greenlit with streamers and ultimately fell apart over broadcasting rights. The would-be partners would demand all streaming rights, relegating Bell to coverage only on CTV when it also sought rights for distribution on its Crave service, Justin Stockman said. “When it comes to the world, Bell is small,” he noted. “And we are trapped in Canada’s borders. We don’t have any leverage when it comes to negotiation.” Tait said the best deal is one in which both sides win and she doubts that is possible when dealing with the streamers. Colette Watson, president of Rogers Communications Inc.’s Sports and Media said it can be hard for Canadian broadcasters to bargain with the large international players. The Online Streaming Act, formerly Bill C-11, will help but will need to be updated. She mentioned that the legislation was the first revision to the Broadcasting Act since 1991. “I don’t think C-11 is going to last 35 years,” she predicted. “This industry is changing so rapidly that we need to create a flexible opportunity, a flexible framework.” Moderator Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the CMPA, told the audience that an invitation had been extended to foreign streamers to participate in the panel but the logistics could not be worked out in time. Creighton said she was optimistic about the state of the business while conceding things are tough. It’s a glass half full scenario, she opined. “If we can come together and celebrate what this industry is, it is not the same as it was yesterday, five years ago, 10 years ago, six months,” she said. “It’s an entirely different business.” All the panelists agreed that one success story has been the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Its head is Monika Ille who told the crowd APTN has been partnering with all major Canadian broadcasters in order to get programming. She said her network had worked with CBC, Bell and Rogers to get programs to air. “We don’t have market power,” she stated. Watson said all the programmers represented on stage are necessary in the nation today. “I think we can all agree Canada needs a public broadcaster,” she asserted. “We can all agree Canada needs strong Indigenous programming, Canada needs strong diverse programming in a variety of languages. She added she is worried about the production of local and national news as audiences keep splintering. Tait was asked about Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s appearance at the conference Thursday and her discussion of the renewal of the CBC’s mandate. She said she was encouraged by the minister’s support for the corporation and that St-Onge rejects the notion, put forward by the Conservative Party, that the CBC should be defunded. “But let’s be clear. The mandate of CBC/Radio Canada does not need to be reviewed,” she warned. “What needs to be reviewed is the financial model and how we are governed.” Currently the broadcaster operates on an annual stipend from Parliament. Other public networks around the world have longer term funding, usually five to ten years, the CEO said. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

Foreign streamers a problem for all Canadian broadcasters, CMPA hears

News | February 5, 2024

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