Latest news with #CanCon
Buzz Feed
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Canadian Musicians Trivia Quiz — BuzzFeed Quizzes
Ahhh, good old CanCon (aka Canadian content — our government's way of promoting local media). Back when MuchMusic (Canada's version of MTV) ruled our TV screens and Canadian radio was on full blast ALL THE TIME. I rounded up some of Canada's biggest musical icons (plus a few deep cuts) to see who really knows their Canadian music. Whether you jam out to these artists 24/7, tune into the Junos every year, or still think Nickelback deserve justice — this is your time to shine. You did it! Whether you guessed your entire way through, or passed with flying colours, you've just taken a crash course in Canadian pop culture. Now go stream some Justin Bieber or Marianas Trench, you've earned it. And if you like what you see, take a look at BuzzFeed Canada's TikTok and Instagram socials!
Canada Standard
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada Standard
How do we define Canadian content? Debates will shape how creatives make a living
What should count as Canadian content (CanCon) in the era of streaming and generative AI (GenAI)? That's the biggest unknown at the heart of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's recent (CRTC) public hearing, held in Gatineau, Que., from May 14 to 27. The debate is about how Canada's current points-based CanCon system remains effective in the context of global streaming giants and generative AI. Shows qualify as CanCon by assigning value to roles like director, screenwriter and lead actors being Canadian. The outcome will shape who gets to tell Canadian stories and what those stories are, and also which ones count as Canadian under the law. This, in turn, will determine who in the film and television industries can access funding, tax credits and visibility on streaming services. It will also determine which Canadian productions big streamers like Netflix will invest in under their Online Streaming Act obligations. The federal government's recent announcement that it's rescinding the Digital Services Tax reveals the limits of Canada's leverage over Big Tech, underscoring the significance of CanCon rules as parameters around how streaming giants contribute meaningfully to the country's creative industries. The CRTC's existing approach to defining CanCon relies on the citizenship of key creative personnel. The National Film Board argued that this misses the "cultural elements" of Canadian storytelling. These include cultural expression, narrative themes and connection to Canadian audiences. That is, a production might technically count as CanCon by hiring Canadians, without feeling particularly "Canadian." It's worth noting there are varied global regulatory frameworks for defining film nationality. The Writers Guild of Canada supports the CRTC's view that cultural elements shouldn't be part of CanCon certification, and argues that attempting to further codify cultural criteria risks reducing Canadian identity to superficial symbols like maple leaves or hockey sticks, and could exclude entire genres like sci-fi or fantasy. The Writers Guild of Canada argues that while Canadians should expect to see cultural elements in programming, the concept of "Canadianness" is too broad and subjective to be effectively regulated. Cultural elements are regulated by the 1991 Broadcasting Act as amended by the 2023 Online Streaming Act. Broadcasters and streamers must reflect Canadian stories, identities and cultural expressions. Read more: How the Online Streaming Act will support Canadian content The acts empower broadcasters and streamers to decide which Canadian stories and content will be developed, produced and distributed through commissioning and licensing powers. This implicitly limits the CRTC's role to setting rules about which creatives are at the table. The Writer's Guild advocates broadening the pool of Canadian key creatives to modernize the CanCon system. It trusts the combined perspectives of a broader pool to make creative decisions about Canadian identity in meaningful ways. Accordingly, it supports the CRTC's intent to add the showrunner role to the point system since showrunners are the "the chief custodian of the creative vision of a series." Streaming introduces more players with financial stakes, complicating who controls content and who profits from it. A seismic shift is happening in how intellectual property (IP) is handled. CRTC has proposed that the updated CanCon definition include Canadian IP ownership as a mandatory element to enable Canadian companies and workers to retain some control over their own IP, and thereby earn sustainable income. For example, in a streaming drama, Canadian screenwriters who retain ownership of the IP could earn ongoing revenue through licensing deals, international sales and royalties each time the series is distributed. However, the Motion Picture Association-Canada (MPA-Canada), representing industry titans like Netflix, Amazon and Disney, is pushing back against requirements that mandate the sharing of territory or IP. Without IP rights, Canadian talent and the industry as a whole may be reduced to becoming service providers for global companies. Our own research highlights how this type of contractual arrangement increases the power asymmetries between producers, distributors and streaming services. We emphasize the critical importance of fair remuneration and IP rights for creators. Intervenors shared a range of preferences from 100 per cent Canadian IP ownership to none at all. One hundred per cent Canadian IP ownership means Canadian creators like a producer of a streaming series would control the rights to the content. They would receive the majority of profits from licensing, distribution and future adaptations. Even 51 per cent ownership could give them a controlling stake, but would likely require sharing revenue and decision-making with the streaming service. And then, of course, there's the question of how generative AI should be considered within the updated CanCon definition. The Writers Guild of Canada has drawn a firm line in the sand: AI-generated material should not qualify as Canadian content. The guild argues that since current AI tools don't possess identity, nationality or cultural context, their output cannot advance the goals of the Broadcasting Act, centred on promoting Canadian voices and stories. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) raised a different concern around AI. AI, ACTRA argued, "should not take over the jobs of the creators in the ecosystem that we're in and we should not treat AI-generated performers as if they are a Canadian actor." Depending on how the CRTC addresses AI, this could mean that streaming content featuring AI-generated scripts, characters, or performances - even if developed by a Canadian creator or set in Canada - would not qualify as CanCon. The WGC notes that it has already negotiated restrictions on AI use in screenwriting through its agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association. These guardrails are being held up as the "emerging industry standard." Another contested point is how streamers should pay into CanCon: through direct investment or through more traditional modes of financing. Under the Online Streaming Act, streamers are required to pay five per cent of their annual revenues to certain Canadian funds. This model echoes previous requirements used to manage decision-making at media broadcasters, some at the much more substantial level of 30 per cent. But no payments have been made yet, and streamers are appealing this requirement. Streamers prefer investing directly into Canadian content, taking a risk on its commercial potential to benefit from resulting successes. Research in the European Union and Canada highlight how different stakeholders benefit from different forms of financial obligations, suggesting the industry may be best served by a policy mix. As Canada rewrites its broadcasting rules, defining Canadian content is a courtroom drama unfolding in real time - and the verdict will have serious ramifications.
Canada News.Net
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada News.Net
How do we define Canadian content? Debates will shape how creatives make a living
What should count as Canadian content (CanCon) in the era of streaming and generative AI (GenAI)? That's the biggest unknown at the heart of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's recent (CRTC) public hearing, held in Gatineau, Que., from May 14 to 27. The debate is about how Canada's current points-based CanCon system remains effective in the context of global streaming giants and generative AI. Shows qualify as CanCon by assigning value to roles like director, screenwriter and lead actors being Canadian. The outcome will shape who gets to tell Canadian stories and what those stories are, and also which ones count as Canadian under the law. This, in turn, will determine who in the film and television industries can access funding, tax credits and visibility on streaming services. It will also determine which Canadian productions big streamers like Netflix will invest in under their Online Streaming Act obligations. The federal government's recent announcement that it's rescinding the Digital Services Tax reveals the limits of Canada's leverage over Big Tech, underscoring the significance of CanCon rules as parameters around how streaming giants contribute meaningfully to the country's creative industries. The CRTC's existing approach to defining CanCon relies on the citizenship of key creative personnel. The National Film Board argued that this misses the " cultural elements" of Canadian storytelling. These include cultural expression, narrative themes and connection to Canadian audiences. That is, a production might technically count as CanCon by hiring Canadians, without feeling particularly "Canadian." It's worth noting there are varied global regulatory frameworks for defining film nationality. The Writers Guild of Canada supports the CRTC's view that cultural elements shouldn't be part of CanCon certification, and argues that attempting to further codify cultural criteria risks reducing Canadian identity to superficial symbols like maple leaves or hockey sticks, and could exclude entire genres like sci-fi or fantasy. The Writers Guild of Canada argues that while Canadians should expect to see cultural elements in programming, the concept of "Canadianness" is too broad and subjective to be effectively regulated. Cultural elements are regulated by the 1991 Broadcasting Act as amended by the 2023 Online Streaming Act. Broadcasters and streamers must reflect Canadian stories, identities and cultural expressions. The acts empower broadcasters and streamers to decide which Canadian stories and content will be developed, produced and distributed through commissioning and licensing powers. This implicitly limits the CRTC's role to setting rules about which creatives are at the table. The Writer's Guild advocates broadening the pool of Canadian key creatives to modernize the CanCon system. It trusts the combined perspectives of a broader pool to make creative decisions about Canadian identity in meaningful ways. Accordingly, it supports the CRTC's intent to add the showrunner role to the point system since showrunners are the "the chief custodian of the creative vision of a series." Streaming introduces more players with financial stakes, complicating who controls content and who profits from it. A seismic shift is happening in how intellectual property (IP) is handled. CRTC has proposed that the updated CanCon definition include Canadian IP ownership as a mandatory element to enable Canadian companies and workers to retain some control over their own IP, and thereby earn sustainable income. For example, in a streaming drama, Canadian screenwriters who retain ownership of the IP could earn ongoing revenue through licensing deals, international sales and royalties each time the series is distributed. However, the Motion Picture Association-Canada (MPA-Canada), representing industry titans like Netflix, Amazon and Disney, is pushing back against requirements that mandate the sharing of territory or IP. Without IP rights, Canadian talent and the industry as a whole may be reduced to becoming service providers for global companies. Our own research highlights how this type of contractual arrangement increases the power asymmetries between producers, distributors and streaming services. We emphasize the critical importance of fair remuneration and IP rights for creators. Intervenors shared a range of preferences from 100 per cent Canadian IP ownership to none at all. One hundred per cent Canadian IP ownership means Canadian creators like a producer of a streaming series would control the rights to the content. They would receive the majority of profits from licensing, distribution and future adaptations. Even 51 per cent ownership could give them a controlling stake, but would likely require sharing revenue and decision-making with the streaming service. And then, of course, there's the question of how generative AI should be considered within the updated CanCon definition. The Writers Guild of Canada has drawn a firm line in the sand: AI-generated material should not qualify as Canadian content. The guild argues that since current AI tools don't possess identity, nationality or cultural context, their output cannot advance the goals of the Broadcasting Act, centred on promoting Canadian voices and stories. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) raised a different concern around AI. AI, ACTRA argued, "should not take over the jobs of the creators in the ecosystem that we're in and we should not treat AI-generated performers as if they are a Canadian actor." Depending on how the CRTC addresses AI, this could mean that streaming content featuring AI-generated scripts, characters, or performances - even if developed by a Canadian creator or set in Canada - would not qualify as CanCon. The WGC notes that it has already negotiated restrictions on AI use in screenwriting through its agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association. These guardrails are being held up as the "emerging industry standard." Another contested point is how streamers should pay into CanCon: through direct investment or through more traditional modes of financing. Under the Online Streaming Act, streamers are required to pay five per cent of their annual revenues to certain Canadian funds. This model echoes previous requirements used to manage decision-making at media broadcasters, some at the much more substantial level of 30 per cent. But no payments have been made yet, and streamers are appealing this requirement. Streamers prefer investing directly into Canadian content, taking a risk on its commercial potential to benefit from resulting successes. Research in the European Union and Canada highlight how different stakeholders benefit from different forms of financial obligations, suggesting the industry may be best served by a policy mix. As Canada rewrites its broadcasting rules, defining Canadian content is a courtroom drama unfolding in real time - and the verdict will have serious ramifications.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tom Green to host Canadian country music awards
TORONTO – Tom Green's Canadian comeback continues with plans to host Canada's biggest country music awards show. The Canadian Country Music Association says the offbeat comedian and actor takes the reins of the CCMA Awards on Sept 13 in Kelowna, B.C. Green says in a release that country music has always been a big part of his life growing up and that he's looking forward to bringing 'a few surprises' to the gala. Green presides over the bash while pursuing multiple CanCon projects since returning to Canada after decades spent in Los Angeles. That includes the upcoming Crave interview series, 'Tom Green's Funny Farm,' in which he hosts a variety of guests at his rural Ontario property. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The CCMA Awards is set to broadcast live on CTV, and the CTV app, and will be available to stream the next day on Crave. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Streaming services and a cost of doing business
Opinion The battle between Canadian media and the streaming services of the world goes on. The latest front of that conflict is playing out at the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto, which is hearing consolidated appeals by several streamers over efforts by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to force those streamers to fund Canadian content. There is certainly a case to be made that they should. Too often, web-based outlets are overlooked on the regulation front, as regulators or lawmakers may struggle to understand how to fit them into current moulds. FILE The online social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). But the logic is simple: if a streamer functions as a broadcaster, and if its library is being broadcast to Canadian users, then it must adhere to Canadian expectations regarding contributing to that content and giving it the designated amount of playtime. Apple, Amazon and Spotify are fighting the CRTC's order, which requires streamers with Canadian revenues over $25 million (and that are not affiliated with a Canadian broadcaster) to pay five per cent of that revenue toward funding a broad range of Canadian content, including local TV news. It is not unfair to expect streaming services to customize its dealings country-by-country in this fashion — they already do it. For example, Netflix's library of available titles is different in Canada than it is in the U.S., and further abroad, depending on what they have streaming licences for, and what they believe will appeal to each market. They are already making efforts to appeal to the Canadian market in their content-curation decisions, as do other streamers. Therefore, they can be expected to follow CanCon rules the same way every traditional broadcaster has done. But, speaking of Netflix, the CRTC is also at risk of overplaying its hand. According to the Canadian Press, one of the parties fighting the CRTC order is Motion Picture Association-Canada, which represents Netflix and Paramount. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. They are challenging the CRTC order respective to contributing to local news, and there they have a point. While Spotify — which hosts many news and other current-events-related podcasts — has a stake in the news game, Netflix and Paramount aren't really in that business, so it's a weak argument to claim they should be funding it. That said, there are weak arguments to be found on both sides: Apple is claiming the five per cent is not equitable, comparing itself to radio stations, which must pay only 0.5 per cent. That claim is a little rich, though not as rich as Apple; radio stations, at least the traditional, terrestrial kind, only has a fraction of the reach and revenue-generating power as Apple does, so it's fair enough at a glance that the larger entity pay more of a share, given its greater exposure. (On this point, the Canadian Press's coverage points out that the CRTC 'requires large English-language broadcasters to contribute 30 per cent of revenues to Canadian programming,' far more than is expected currently of streamers.) The streamers appealing to the court have submitted a lengthy list of reasons why they shouldn't have to pay. That is to be expected. It suits streamers to maintain the idea that they are not the same as traditional broadcasters and so should get to operate under a separate set of rules, preferably ones beneficial to their bottom line. That's why the CRTC's order is, while flawed, important. It is the commission's role, in part, to ensure purveyors of audio-visual media in Canada — on all platforms — meet their obligations to support Canadian content. It's just the cost of doing business.
