CBC/Radio-Canada President & CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard is being called to testify before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage as its members question its new streaming partnership with Amazon Prime Video.
The public broadcaster announced last week that both CBC News Network and ICI RDI are now available on Prime Video as add-on subscriptions for $4.99/month each.
“There is a strong demand among francophones across the country for trusted and reliable news sources, such as ICI RDI,” Dany Meloul, Executive Vice-President, Radio-Canada,” said in the announcement. “This agreement with Prime Video allows us to provide greater access to the country’s only national French-language 24/7 news channel.”
MPs from Quebec questioned at Tuesday’s committee meeting why the public broadcaster is announcing a partnership with an American streamer, before its 24-hour French-language news channel, in particular, is made available on other Canadian-owned services.
“This is something that really shocks people,” said Vice-Chair and Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux. “It’s stunning. I see that they want to reach as many people as possible. I understand that. They want to be available, and we want to have discoverability of content, journalistic and cultural content, but in our view, it’s very difficult to justify offering this streaming on an American platform on Prime Video, regardless of the motives, the strategic motives of that decision, before it is offered on a platform that is owned in Canada.”
“So that’s the purpose of this motion to invite Ms. Bouchard to come explain the decision, to answer questions from parliamentarians, so we can understand the decision, and understand why Quebecers and Francophones across Canada can’t have access to add the channel on a Canadian platform.”
Fellow Quebec MP Bernard Généreux suggested a secondary meeting to allow others from the media sector to weigh in on the subject, telling the meeting in French that the decision “has people with their jaws dropped right now because it doesn’t make sense.”
A CBC/Radio-Canada spokesperson said the corporation will take any invitation from the committee under consideration.
