Vicky Eatrides, Canada’s top media and Internet regulator, told the Banff World Media Festival on Monday that Ottawa standing in the way of Canada taxing U.S. streamers will not divert her from longstanding policy ambitions to support homegrown content.
“The CRTC’s work continues. We are focused on supporting a modern and sustainable broadcasting system for Canada,” Eatrides said during a keynote speech. She added, “adaptation has always been a part of our regulatory landscape.”
“These intiatives taken together represent an important chapter in the ongoing evolution of Canada’s broadcasting system. It’s not the final chapter,” she added.
Eatrides said regulators worldwide are also grappling with how to transform local TV ecosystems to embrace fast-evolving change in the streaming era dominated by U.S. media giants. “How do we adapt frameworks to a broadcasting environment that is being reshaped by new technologies, new business models and changing audience habits?” Eatrides questioned.
While not addressing directly the Canadian government’s interference into her CRTC ruling on U.S. streamers, Eatrides’ comments in Banff came as a battle of wills between the country’s TV watchdog and dominant U.S. streamers burst out into the open this week at the Canadian Rockies.
