The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is asking the Trudeau government to include Apple in its proposed regulations under the Online News Act, which would force the tech company to pay news publishers for content shared through Apple’s news app.
CAB says Apple News, a paid subscription service aggregating stories from different platforms, clearly falls within the Online News Act.
The CAB said it disagrees with the fact that only Google and Meta are currently included, “even though there are other platforms that benefit from the distribution of news content and are negatively impacting news businesses in Canada.”
“The CAB believes that such services should be scoped into the framework, rather than excluded up front,” it said.
Apple News already pays publishers to utilize their content, including offering commissioners for in-app purchases.
The Online News Act was implemented earlier this year for the purpose of forcing companies like Google and Meta to pay revenue to news outlets for content posted on their social media platforms.
Meta responded to the legislation by removing all news content and links from Facebook and Instagram to avoid the new requirements.
Google has also confirmed that it plans to do the same if the government refuses to address its concerns. If this remains the case, news publishers won’t receive any money from the platforms.
The CAB’s request for Apple’s inclusion was part of the Trudeau government’s consultation with a number of media groups while drafting its regulations. The final version has not yet been released.
Hundreds of submissions have been received under the consultation, according to a spokesperson for Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge.
“As we’ve said all along, we are open to good and constructive ideas to improve the proposed framework. Our goal remains the same of creating fair deals directly between news organizations and tech giants that can and should contribute more,” said the minister’s spokesperson.
According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, companies like Bell, Rogers and the CBC are expected to get the majority of any revenue generated under the legislation, which is estimated to bring in $320 million in funding.
Of that money, about $240 million would go to broadcasters.
Government officials said that Google would be expected to contribute about $172 million and Facebook $62 million per year should they be subjected to the new legislation.
The CAB said there should be “a specific clause to ensure that platforms sign deals with the most important providers of news in Canada before they can be exempt,” meaning platforms would be obliged to sign deals with “every eligible news business or any collective bargaining group employing 100 or more journalists in Canada.”
The CAB has also requested that the government recognize positions like camera operators, sound technicians, video and audio editors to be included as journalists as well, according to the National Post.
