“In response to Government of Canada legislation, news content may not be published in Canada”: on the Facebook pages of Canadian newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun or Le Devoir in Quebec and all public radio and television stations of all networks, such as CBC Radio-Canada, but also private broadcasters such as Global News, display the same warning.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers The showdown over the application of regulation of digital giants has begun in Brussels
On August 1, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, made good on its threat: its pages in Canada will no longer display any informational content, whether from Canadian or foreign media. The group aims to protest against – and ultimately escape from – Bill C-18, passed by the Canadian Parliament on June 22, which aims to force digital giants to negotiate financial agreements with the publishers whose publications they distribute.
After more than a month of lockdown, traditional press organizations, which use social networks primarily for marketing purposes to increase their subscriptions, remain tight-lipped about the immediate impact of such a lockdown. On the other hand, pure players are already feeling the devastating effects.
Adjust the sales strategy
Philippe Lamarre, founder and head of Urbania, a digital media group, saw traffic to his website drop by 35% in August. “For the audience I’m targeting, the 18- to 35-year-olds, we no longer exist,” he states. Young people are used to seeing journalistic content when they scroll through their Facebook or Instagram feed. You are no longer exposed to any information. » When this press officer is concerned about this “democratic risk,” he is primarily recognizing the urgency of having to adapt his sales strategy in the near future.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers A large-scale Chinese disinformation operation that was repelled by Meta
The Canadian media, particularly the Association of Broadcasters, unanimously welcomed the passage of the law in June and applauded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s desire to redress the balance of power with digital heavyweights accused of getting rich on its back On their platforms alone, they generate up to 80% of the approximately 14 billion Canadian dollars (9.8 billion euros) in online advertising revenue recorded in the “Land of the Maple” in 2022.
But now the concern prevails: Given Meta’s intransigence, which prefers to make it invisible and forego its content, the hope of a few hundred million dollars as “fair compensation” promised by the law is beginning to falter. Mezza voce – as they continue to show solidarity with Canada’s new legislation – several of these media executives are calling on the government to find a way out. So far, however, no compromise seems to be in sight.
You still have 54.97% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.