Canadian Heritage has released the results of its stakeholder engagement on fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news media. Questionnaires were sent by email asking for feedback on two distinct approaches: a mandatory code and arbitration regime or mandatory financial contributions from platforms distributed by an independent fund. While a large majority of responses stressed the importance for action regarding declining news sector revenues, no consensus emerged about the preferred way for government to address the issue with many polarized on the appropriate approach. Canadian Heritage is now welcoming comments from both stakeholders and the public until Sept. 15.
The Facebook Journalism Project is investing $700,000 in grants to 32 alumni of its global Accelerator program, including Canadian publishers Glacier Media ($25,000), Overstory Media Group ($25,000), Sprawl ($17,000), The Discourse ($25,000), The Narwhal ($20,500), The Tyee ($22,000), and Village Media ($25,000). Targeted at continuing digital transformation initiatives, the funding is aimed at helping news organizations expand their businesses, build on newsletter strategies, retain paying supporters, and launch new products. Facebook says Glacier Media will use its funding to develop and market Endorsed, an affiliate marketing vertical to get Canadian consumers genuine product and service recommendations from Canada, while Village Media will invest in social media advertising to support the journalistic growth of existing sites in Ontario.
Twitter is collaborating with The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters to expand efforts to identify and elevate credible information on the platform. Twitter says it will expand the scale and speed of its Curation team’s efforts to provide authoritative context across a wide range of global topics and conversations. That includes added information attached to Trends, the Explore Tab, Search (which will now automatically show content at the top of results from trusted sources or Moments that debunk misinformation), Prompts during high visibility events or emergencies linking to PSAs, and Labels on tweets that violate the platform’s Synthetic and Manipulated Media, COVID-19 or Civic Integrity misinformation rules, but may remain visible on Twitter.
Rogers Communications has announced that select Rogers Infinite plans will now come with an exclusive offer of six months of Disney+, and select Ignite TV and SmartStream plans with up to 12 months of Disney+ when customers sign up for a Disney+ subscription through Rogers. Rogers is the first telecommunications provider in Canada to partner with Disney on the offering.
MEDIAPRO Canada has struck a new strategic partnership with sports data and betting tech provider Genius Sports Limited to drive the growth of Canadian soccer. In 2019, MEDIAPRO Canada sealed a 10-year partnership with Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), the enterprise that represents the commercial interests of the Canadian Premier League and Canada Soccer. OneSoccer, MEDIAPRO Canada’s dedicated soccer streaming platform, will now integrate Genius Sports’ live data and content into its live viewing experience for fans. Genius Sports’ data-driven marketing technology will also help to expand MEDIAPRO Canada’s domestic audience by driving OneSoccer subscriptions through personalized promotions and offers. Sportsbooks can access official data rights to Canadian soccer through Genius Sports’ existing partnership with CSB.
