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Media Beat: June 10, 2021

By David Farrell

Is the government picking the wrong place to start regulating algorithms?

Requiring recommendation systems to promote a certain amount of Canadian content would limit platforms’ freedom of expression. Sometimes limits are justified. Is that the case here? – Sara Bannerman, Policy Options


Streaming Video Service Consumer Satisfaction Drops, Led by Netflix, Disney+, Hulu

The US report found consumer satisfaction with the SVOD sector dipped 2.6% to 74 on a scale of 100. That compared to 76 in 2020. The declines were led by Netflix and Apple TV+, which saw their satisfaction indexes fall 4% to 75 and 74, respectively. Disney+ and Hulu had 3% drops in satisfaction to 78 and 75, respectively. Amazon Prime Video declined 3% to 74. – Eric Gruenwedel, Media Play News

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Liberals push Bill C-10 into parliamentary debate

Government MPs backed a push to impose time allocation on the heritage committee’s study of the bill, meaning the committee will now get no more than five more hours to study the bill before it is sent back to the House of Commons, where amendments to the bill by the committee can be debated by all members of Parliament. – Global News

Rogers merges radio newsrooms with Citytv

Rogers Sports & Media announced Friday that its 5 news radio stations will be rebranded under CityNews to “become a powerhouse local news offering in each market.”

Impacted newsrooms include 680 NEWS (Toronto), NEWS 1130 (Vancouver), 660 NEWS (Calgary), NEWS 95.7 (Halifax), and 570 NEWS (Kitchener).

“Putting our incredible team and all of our resources behind one brand will help to strongly convey who we are to audiences and advertisers, plus it gives us the opportunity to produce more content for social and digital to better serve each community,” said Julie Adam, Sr. VP, News and Entertainment, at Rogers Sports & Media.

“News plays a pivotal role in our organization, providing an essential service for Canadians, and we’re excited to make this move to cement our investment in local news. I am so proud of our News team and grateful for everything they do.”

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The rebranding for each station will be taking place in the fall of 2021. – CityNews

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Vivien Lewit
Courtesy Photo

Vivien Lewit

Tech

How YouTube Aims to Support Canadian Artists In the Age of AI

Vivien Lewit, Global Head of Artists at YouTube, took some time to talk about the Google-owned video streaming giant's partnership work with Canada's music industry and how they're moving into the future.

Like many major labels and streaming companies, YouTube has a major presence in Canada. For artists and content creators, it provides access to an audience that stretches beyond our borders.

"When you think about YouTube, the beauty for all artists and Canadian artists is the global reach," says Vivien Lewit, Global Head of Artists at YouTube, in an interview with Billboard Canada, after a recent trip to Halifax for the Juno Awards. "There are over two billion really logged in viewers that watch music videos each month on YouTube. The exposure is enormous."

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