January 2023 it. So with this bill, we’re seeking to address this market imbalance.” The Canadian effort follows a similar French government act, as well as 2021 Australian legislation that demanded that platforms pay local news publishers. According to Rodriguez, Canada studied the Australian law extensively. That law resulted in amultiyear deal between Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and Facebook, after the social media platform started restricting the sharing of news articles. U.S. lawmakers have introduced similar legislation, while news publishers have lobbied in Europe for something modeled on the Australian law. Canada’s new law would enable news businesses to bargain in groups on issues including the ways that platforms reproduce or facilitate access to news content. It would also require digital platforms that have a “significant bargaining imbalance” with news businesses to make fair commercial deals and will be enforced by mandatory bargaining and final offer arbitration. The proposed legislation — enforced by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission — is designed to help a Canadian media sector that saw 450 outlets close between 2008 and 2021, according to the government. Canada’s bill comes two months after Rodriguez’s proposal to amend the country’s Broadcasting Act to require that online streaming services like Netflix and Spotify pay into local funds to support Canadian artists. The Online Streaming Act is under review by Parliament. In February 2021, some 100 Canadian newspapers printed a blank front page as part of a national campaign to bring attention to the impact of global tech giants on the sustainability of journalism. Because of digital platforms and social media, ad revenues have shifted away from local news and journalists to these gatekeepers. In 2020, online advertising revenues inCanada reachedC$9.7 billion (U.S.$ 7.2 billion), with two companies taking in more than 80 percent of those revenues. The Canadian government is planning an Online News Act bill that would force tech companies to pay local news publishers for content. It’s the latest move by a government trying to help struggling media companies that have seen online advertising revenue drain away to Silicon Valley’s digital platform giants. Pablo Rodriguez, Heritage Minister, responsible for culture, media, sports, and the arts, said he will introduce the Online News Act bill to ensure that companies like Google and Facebook would compensate local news organizations for their content through privately-negotiated deals. “More andmore Canadians are turning to digital platforms as gateways to find their news content today, and this shift online has had an incredible impact on news businesses,” Rodriguez said at a press conference last month. “They continue to profit from the sharing and distribution of Canadian news content without really having to pay for Canada vs. Tech: Legislature Modeled After Australian Law World (Continued on Page 6) 4 Lise Romanoff: lise@vision lms.net Andres Santos: asantos@screenbright.net PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.VISIONFILMS.NET VISION FILMS A WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTOR OF INDEPENDENT FILMS, MUSIC & DOCUMENTARIES We welcome you to Content Americas 2023 Jan 24-Jan 26 Hilton Miami Downtown
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