Canada’s federal broadcast regulator says large online streamers must now contribute 15% of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content—triple the 5% requirement set in 2024 and challenged in court by U.S. giants like Apple, Amazon and Spotify. The regulator a
In Ottawa, the federal broadcast regulator has turned up the pressure on major online streamers—ordering them to send a much larger share of their Canadian revenue toward Canadian programming.
Starting under the Online Streaming Act, large streaming services must contribute 15% of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Thursday.
The move triples an earlier baseline. In 2024, the CRTC set an initial 5% contribution requirement. That 2024 approach is being challenged in court by U.S.-based major streamers, including Apple, Amazon and Spotify.
The regulator’s decision is also landing as the Trump-era trade environment continues to shape the tone of U.S.-Canada negotiations. The United States has identified Canada’s streaming rules as a trade irritant ahead of trade talks with Canada.
For Canada’s long-established broadcasters, the new system cuts the burden. The CRTC said contribution requirements for traditional broadcasters—currently paying between 30% and 45%—will be lowered to 25%.
The CRTC said it expects the overall contributions to stabilize funding at more than $2 billion in support of Canadian and Indigenous content, including French-language content and news.
Money is not the only issue. The regulator also spelled out how contributions must be spent. Both streamers and broadcasters will face rules covering contributions toward production funds and direct spending on Canadian content.
The largest streaming companies get additional constraints. Most of a streamer’s financial contribution can go toward content, but the CRTC is imposing rules on how that money must be spent for the biggest services.
Streamers with Canadian revenues of more than $100 million Canadian—about US$73 million—must direct 30% of their spending toward partnerships with Canadian broadcasters and independent producers.
Under the framework the CRTC adopted, the new financial contribution rules apply to streamers and broadcasters with at least $25 million Canadian—about US$18 million—in annual Canadian broadcasting revenues.
The CRTC is also creating a new fund to support specific TV channels, including CPAC, the Canadian service that provides direct coverage of political events.
Taken together. the regulator’s order moves Canada’s streaming-content requirements from a modest initial target to a much higher obligation—just as the U.S. companies facing it have already taken the previous version to court. At the same time. it reduces the contribution load for traditional broadcasters and sets spending requirements designed to steer money into Canadian production and partnerships. rather than letting it circulate freely through the larger platform economy.
Canada CRTC Online Streaming Act Canadian content streaming fees Apple Amazon Spotify CPAC Indigenous content French-language content news funding
So they’re charging Netflix more? I mean I thought streaming already costs enough.
15% sounds like a lot, but also Canada has their own content so whatever. If Apple and Spotify are mad that’s kinda telling. I just don’t get why this is a “trade irritant” though.
Wait so the court challenge is from Apple/Amazon/Spotify… but Canada is lowering broadcaster fees from 30-45% down to 25%? That seems backwards like, why target streamers harder if they’re also easing others. Maybe the whole thing is just a sneaky tax grab and they call it content funding.
I can’t even stream half the time and now it’s gonna be 15% of Canadian revenue going to Canadian programming?? Like who pays for that, the rest of us? Also French-language content and news… great, so more paywall stuff, exactly what we needed. Trump-era trade talks making everything weird as usual.