The Federal Court halts Canadian content payments by major streamers pending appeal of CRTC’s decision
Ottawa: So, here’s the scoop. The Federal Court of Appeal just decided that big streaming companies like Netflix and Disney Plus can hold off on paying for Canadian content. This is all pending their appeal against a CRTC ruling that said they need to chip in five percent of their Canadian revenues.
This ruling came down in June, and it’s meant to help fund local TV and radio news. But, of course, the big players weren’t too happy about it and decided to challenge the order in court.
Now, the court has agreed to hear their case, which is a bit of a relief for these companies. They won’t have to cough up the estimated $1.25 million each until the appeal is sorted out. The hearing is set for June, just before the payments are due in August.
Interestingly, companies like Amazon and Apple argued that if they pay now and then win the appeal, they wouldn’t be able to get that money back. So, the judge thought it made sense to speed things up a bit to avoid any hassle later on.
The CRTC, which is all about modernizing the Canadian broadcasting scene, is still pushing to get this sorted out quickly. Kevin Desjardins from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters expressed disappointment but remains hopeful that things will get resolved soon so that funding for Canadian media can start flowing again next year.
This news was first reported by The Canadian Press on December 24, 2024. So, we’ll have to keep an eye on how this all plays out!
