CRTC to go ahead with implementing Cancon streaming rules U.S. opposes in trade talks

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced it will proceed with implementing Canadian content rules for streaming services, despite opposition from the United States during trade talks. The decision comes after the 2023 Online Streaming Act, passed by the Liberal government, mandated streaming platforms to ensure the discoverability of Canadian programs, including those in French and Indigenous languages.

Under the Online Streaming Act, streaming services are required to "clearly promote and recommend Canadian programming" and ensure that their controls on programming result in discoverability. The CRTC is tasked with implementing this legislation and creating specific rules for streaming platforms.

Prime Minister Mark Carney explained that the U.S. pressured Canada to adjust its stance on these rules, which could have compromised Canada's ability to protect its culture, particularly the French language. Despite initial concerns, the U.S. no longer mentioned French language content in their trade negotiations with Canada.

The U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, stated that the Online Streaming Act discriminates against U.S. tech and media firms, even though the law does not specifically target American companies. The CRTC, however, has already started to reconsider requiring financial contributions from large streaming companies, which are mainly American.

At present, the specific rules for discoverability of Canadian or French-language content are not in place. The CRTC has stated it will work with each streaming platform to develop tailored rules rather than enforcing universal requirements immediately. The regulator aims to ensure that Canadian content is easily found and consumed by audiences, appearing consistently on platform landing pages and recommendations, regardless of whether users are actively seeking that content.