OTTAWA (AFP) – Streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney and Paramount have launched court challenges to an order requiring them to help fund Canadian broadcasting, the Motion Picture Association said on Thursday.
The association said it filed an appeal in federal court and a request for judicial review of the Canadian broadcasting regulator’s “decision to force streaming services to pay for Canadian local news.”
Music streaming platforms such as Apple and Amazon also filed similar legal challenges this week.
The companies are seeking to block the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision last month that, from September, compels them to contribute financially to the creation and distribution of Canadian television content, as well as its promotion.
The order is expected to inject CAD200 million (USD147 million) per year into the country’s broadcast sector.
The Online Streaming Act, passed in 2023, created a legal framework for the CRTC to regulate digital platforms. It was part of a series of recent measures introduced by Ottawa to better regulate web giants.
