Canada’s communications regulator has unveiled a broader push to require streaming platforms to contribute more cash to Canadian and Indigenous content. The move, tied to the Online Streaming Act, sets new targets that shift the balance of funding toward Canadian content across online and traditional broadcasters.
Under the plan, traditional Canadian broadcasters will have to contribute about 25% of their annual revenues toward Canadian and Indigenous programming, with some relief available for bigger players. Online and on-demand platforms will be required to contribute 15% of their Canadian revenues, a rise that folds in a preexisting 5% baseline.
Overall funding aims to reach roughly CAD 2 billion per year. The rules also introduce explicit expectations that discoverability of Canadian content be improved, shaping app layouts, discovery algorithms, and platform interfaces so audiences can find homegrown work more easily.
Industry group MPA, representing major studios and streamers, blasted the measures as burdensome and argued they clash with market principles and Canada’s obligations under USMCA. The association warned that the higher costs could chill investment and inflate operating costs in Canada, potentially dampening new projects and partnerships across North America.
CRTC officials defended the policy as a way to stabilize funding for Canadian and Indigenous storytelling and to ensure the sector remains vibrant in a changing media landscape.
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