Canada Spending Obligations on Streamers Is More Severe Beneath Surface -- Market Talk

Dow Jones01:03

1303 ET - On the surface, it appears Canada's broadcast regulator is tripling the levy, from 5% to 15%, that U.S. streamers face on their Canadian revenue that needs to be spent on Canadian programming. Michael Geist, an internet law expert at the University of Ottawa, says the spending obligations are actually much worse, according to the fine print. The regulator, known as the CRTC, is compelling streamers like Netflix to spend about a third of that 15% on projects in which the Canadian partner owns the copyright. "That isn't the model for Netflix et al, who want to control the copyright on a global basis," Geist tells WSJ. This is why the Motion Picture Association and other digital lobby groups want the Trump administration to apply pressure on Canada PM Mark Carney to repeal the online streaming rules. (paul.vieira@wsj.com, @paulvieira)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 22, 2026 13:03 ET (17:03 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

At the request of the copyright holder, you need to log in to view this content

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap
Leave a comment