STATEMENT FROM FRIENDS OF CANADIAN MEDIA ON RECENT CRTC DECISIONS AND THE FUTURE OF CANADIAN CONTENT

TORONTO, June 3, 2026 /CNW/ - Friends of Canadian Media continues to support the CRTC's implementation of the modernized Broadcasting Act. The Commission's recent policy decisions are the product of extensive public consultations involving hundreds of submissions and weeks of public hearings. The resulting framework seeks to address a simple reality: Canadians increasingly consume television and film through online streaming services, and the rules governing Canada's broadcasting system must evolve accordingly. The CRTC's policy decisions followed a lengthy evidence-based process involving broadcasters, creators, producers, consumer groups, public-interest organizations, and streaming services themselves.

Contrary to some public claims, these decisions do not impose disproportionate obligations on streaming services. In fact, the Commission reduced Canadian broadcasters' content expenditure requirements from historical levels of approximately 30 to 45 percent, down to 25 percent, while establishing a 15 percent contribution requirement for large streaming services operating in Canada. The new framework, therefore, continues to require significantly greater contributions from Canadian broadcasters than from global streaming platforms.

The suggestion that these decisions will drive cost increases for Canadian consumers is also misleading. Streaming services have raised subscription prices repeatedly over the past decade at a rate higher than the pace of inflation – all during periods when they had little or no obligation to contribute to Canada's broadcasting system. Price increases are driven by corporate strategy, market conditions, and shareholder expectations – not solely by regulatory requirements. Canadians should be skeptical of disingenuous claims that future price increases would be attributable to a framework that still requires streamers to contribute substantially less than traditional broadcasters.

Canada's broadcasting system has long been built on a straightforward principle: those who benefit from access to Canadian audiences should contribute to the creation and distribution of Canadian content. The CRTC's policy decisions update that principle for the streaming era. There is little evidence that a 15 percent contribution requirement – still below what Canadian broadcasters pay – is the determining factor in pricing decisions made by global corporations that have repeatedly raised prices in unregulated markets.

Friends of Canadian Media respects the Government of Canada's role in setting public policy. At the same time, regulatory independence exists for a reason. Canadians are best served when independent regulators are permitted to reach decisions through transparent, evidence-based processes that provide certainty to creators, broadcasters, investors, and audiences alike.

Canadian stories matter. Canadian journalism matters. Canadian cultural sovereignty matters. The CRTC's decisions represent an important step toward ensuring that all participants in Canada's broadcasting system contribute fairly to its future. 

Friends of Canadian Media is a non-partisan citizens' movement that stands up for Canadian voices in Canadian media – from public broadcasting to news, entertainment, culture, and online civil discourse, we work to protect and defend Canada's rich cultural sovereignty and the healthy democracy it sustains. We are a not-for-profit organization that receives no government funding or donations from political parties or CRTC-regulated entities.  

SOURCE Friends of Canadian Media

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