Slashdot Mirror
Canadian Regulator Threatens To Impose New Netflix Regulation
An anonymous reader writes: Netflix appeared before the Canadian broadcast regulator today, resulting in a remarkably heated exchange, with threats of new regulation. The discussion was very hostile — the CRTC repeatedly ordered Netflix to provide subscriber information and other confidential data. As tempers frayed, the Canadian regulator expressed disappointment over the responses from a company that it said "takes hundreds of millions of dollars out of Canada." The CRTC implicitly threatened to regulate the company by taking away its ability to rely on the new media exception if it did not cooperate with its orders.
why does anyone other than netflix need to know who their customers are?
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
except the number of shows available in Canada is terrible! License some decent programming to make the subscription actually worthwhile!
Institute a low cap on monthly data consumption, then watch who hits the cap.
Nose thumbing turn on.
BLAME CANADA!!! BLAME CANADA!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
FTA: "(conversely, U.S. regulators can provide guarantees of confidentiality)"
WHY does ANYONE other than Netflix need to know who the subscribers are or what they watch?
I'm sure you'd find most Canadians won't support the CRTC in this action. We are waiting for our next election to give our federal government the boot. And it's been estimated that there are as many as 14 million netflix subscribers (or close to half the population of Canada) so it's likely that netflix would like to stay offering their services in Canada.
Because they make the most money, and money is what those greedy regulators are after.
Everyone I know (including people who aren't "techies") uses VPN cause Canadian Netflix already sucks cause of content regulations. I don't give a fuck!
All major media based .coms should just block access to all users coming in from Canada.
Let's show those backwater twerps what power they really have over the Internet.
Canada is their 2nd most successful market.
I could care less to support Canadian made content that I could care less to watch. Funny how this pops up just when Shaw and Rogers are releasing their version of Netflix. Netflix should just pull out but allow people to buy and look the other way. I`d rather pay for a VPN to access than to let the gov clamp down on emerging technology and markets.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
A) Bullshit
B) It's none of their business
C) Hundreds...of millions....of dollars? Buddy, even if Netflix tanked right this second, Canadians like all free citizens of the world who have internet access will find a cost effective, free, and/or illegal way to watch their shit without pumping money directly into the Canadian economy. Welcome to capitalism, you know, the other half of your economy - the non-socialist half. If a Canadian business offered a better service, shit even Amazon.ca could but doesn't, and nothing is stopping them from trying, Canadians would use it.
I say fuck the CRTC.I thought they were starting to become more lax by finally allowing services like Netflix and channels like HBO to operate in Canada, but it looks like I was wrong. It's noble that they want to protect "Canadian identity", but most of the stuff people want to watch here comes from the US anyhow, and most people would just keep pirating if it weren't for Netflix, so it's too late for them.
Yeah, and being 2nd, they account for less than 5% of their total subscriber base.
Fire the entire entity and create a new one that is responsive to taxpayer needs and concerns instead of big companies.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
Netflix should have laughed in their faces and told them that if they want to stop Canadians from subscribing, they'd need to get every ISP and VPN provider in the country to block access to it, then continued on happily taking credit card payments and sending traffic to Canada.
It's not Netflix fault that Canada doesn't produce any noteworthy cultural exports. Lots of other good stuff, sure, but TV and movies not so much.
Otherwise, I just see it as a government body trying to throw its weight around... however that just seems quite un-canadian though.
Sounds like I need to contact my MP, last time the CRTC pulled this shit with UBB it took the federal government threatening to pull their mandate for them to smarten up. Fellow canucks can contact their MP via this list here. Sounds like they need to be threatened again, and if they decide to piss on us--I'll get a VPN and get the US netflix. And if they make it illegal like US satellite dishes, people will say fuck you anyway.
There's a reason why the cableco's up here are hemorrhaging subscribers.
Om, nomnomnom...
What other Canadian shows would be worth brining back as Netflix exclusives?
- My question is: Can Slashdot be Slashdotted? -
I've got a solution that will make everyone happy:
Have NetFlix partner with the NFB to distribute NFB content... globally. Nothing like providing global access to Canadian content. NetFlix could even provide it for free to everyone in Canada with an account but no current subscription. Under this setup, the CRTC wouldn't have a leg to stand on, as at that point, they will get their Canadian Content on NetFlix (not sure about the French/English ratio though).
HOWEVER
I'm pretty sure this really has nothing to do with NetFlix and EVERYTHING to do with the new consortium raising a Canadian NetFlix "competitor" (Shomi) whispering nasty things in the CRTC's ear. Yes, blame Rogers/Shaw for this fracas, as they're likely where the blame really lies.
The US can finally get around to annexing Canada, no more CRTC, problem solved!
Someone should tell the Canadian regulator he (they) got Burger King.
You Can`t Do That on Television
War Of The Worlds
Live It Up
My Secret Identity
Beach Combers
Earth Final Conflict
First Wave
Friday the 13th: The Series
The Friendly Giant
Jonovision could lead into Trailer Park Vision
Just For Laughs
Kevin Spencer even my kids were like WTF?
There`s lots but not that many vs the shiat ones.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
The CRTC is nuts. The only things the CRTC should regulate are telecommunication tariffs, bandwidth allocation, telemarketing abuse and wireless interference. Trying to "protect" Canadian content is ridiculous in 2014. Either our Canadian content is good and will find a Canadian and international audience, or it's crap and the content producers will deservedly go out of business.
There's no place any more for cultural protectionism.
Nothing but Sum 41 and Juno for entertainment. I'd go mad. No wonder you guys invented poutine, you have literally nothing else to do.
Maybe the U.S should stop subsidizing medical drugs and equipment to Canada and our entertainment, actually, to the rest of the fucking world for that matter. We don't need Canadian energy. Seriously, it's about time u.s either withdraw from the world stage(isolationism for at least a decade to recoup) or bring back tariffs to level the playing field. If the corporate world does not like this, well, they could all go and fuck themselves. They have been getting so many tax breaks, subsidies, jail free cards(no accountabilities) while small businesses like mom's and pops get fucked in the ass on a daily basis.
Fuck the internet movie streaming, fuck the whole $$$ internet, and just bring back DVD's type media.
Damn I wish AC had mod points
Actually, this federal government is more likely than the Liberals and way more likely than the NDP to restrain the CRTC. So if you are not happy with the CRTC, giving Harper the boot is not going to help. (Not that I'm a Harper fan, particularly, but on this issue his party is probably closer to the consumers' position than the other parties.)
If Netflix really feels pressured, they will simply leave Canada. I suspect their Canadian revenues make up a pretty small piece of their pie. Thanks, CRTC.
Stasis is death. Embrace change.
Netflix appeared before the Canadian broadcast regulator today, resulting in a remarkably heated exchange, with threats of new regulation. Blah blah blah, confidential data that CRTC may or may not have right to see but we won't tell you, blah blah blah, redundant stuff, blah blah, no more information, blah blah blah, click the link if you actually want to know what the fuck we're talking about, blah blah blah...
It's pretty much impossible to expect a reasonable discussion on Slashdot when the summary is such redundant tripe. After all, nobody around here RTFA. So all we have is basically, "Netflix and CRTC had a fight about something". I'm not Canadian, I don't know anything about the CRTC or why it has any regulatory authority over Netflix, or what these ominous-sounding "regulations" might be. And I doubt every Canadian could answer those questions either.
Although considering the article itself, maybe that's actually the best the summary could do. I learned more than the article had to say just by scrolling through the existing Slashdot comments to see if anybody else had already made the comment I'm making. These being Slashdot comments, however, I'm a little scared about the value of that information.
I sometimes ask revealing, often ignorant-seeming questions. Maybe they're harder to answer than you think.
Global, CBC, ATV, CTV, etc have to to comply. The stations that rebroadcast or simulcast American Television content.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseofCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC&PostalCode=N8H2M9
go here to find out your mp, call them and complain
At how terrible a TV watching experience is. I live in Ontario Canada but I suppose this is true everywhere. I went to look after my Dad while my mother was off jetting around the world for her 80th birthday present. She looks like a fashionable mid 60ish while my dad sits home with dementia. It seemed like a very fair thing to do to take care of him for a bit. I haven't bothered with cable since my ex took the TV with her 17 years ago. If I want to watch a show I just torrent it. Anyway, I sat down with my Dad and watched TV with him. I swear the content was 1/3 commercials. If changed the channel the next 10 channels were in commercial too so there was no practical escape. He had 100+ channels and as far as I could tell 90% of their non-commercial offering was tripe. TV as a medium must die and soon, it's a pox on humanity.
Just do away with classic TV and CRTC. All we need is internet pipes. Cable and sat companies should be internet distributor only. TV producers and distributors should all be internet-based service like Netflix.
so it's time for Canadian Corner (aka The Great White North) 24x7x365 now, eh. ya hosers.
I guess by now they could run Mike Holmes and Love It or List It on the second channel, too.
if they want educational TV, put a camera outside Churchill, and the kids can guess which tourists will get eaten by polar bears. math, least-path theory, lots of fine educational opportunities.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
And that's the root of it. The socialist hypocritical hatred of profit.
I thin you'll find the socialists are quite happy to accept massive profits while decrying anyone else who profits as an "exploiter".
They usually try to disguise their hypocrisy by referring to their profit as "cost underruns" or some other euphemism. They are really big on having *you* share your wealth, but theirs is special and they deserve to keep it.
You included Earth: Final Conflict?! Have you even watched that show? Inluding season 5 where the show writers all contracted vCJD (my working hypothesis to explain the insanity)?
Statists rejoice...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Netflix showed up with no evidence to back up their written statements, no indication of what they would be able to supply confidentially, repeatedly declined to volunteer information in confidence, suggested they didn't know how long it would take them to get information, danced around questions, and generally acted as if the commission weren't smart enough to pursue a line of questioning. Generally companies are collegial with the commission -- they volunteer information rather than decline to do so and be ordered.
Given that the people they were talking to had previously granted them a very sweet exemption from regulation -- one they could retract -- it was a bit head-scratching that they hadn't done anything to help the commission out.
Netflix should seriously consider abandoning Canada. Or even, just take a week off and refund all of their customers 1/4 of their monthly payment.
People will call their elected representatives if they lose access to something they want.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I lived in Canada for a year and kept my netflix subscription at the time. The content there was definitely different, and somewhere near the top of lists of suggestions has always been the category of Canadian shows (of all genres bunched together). So they are promoting Canadian content in Canada, as far as their model of allowing the viewer to freely pick what they want to watch allows. In fact, that's no different from having a certain amount of Canadian shows on a cable channel, where the viewer can just turn off the TV at the right times to avoid all the Canadian content, except it's much more convenient.
I'm a NetFlix subscriber in Canada and I would gladly pay an extra 25% and see it directed to Netflix to buy Canadian content.
1. Did Netflix think it could get away without offering 1/3 Canadian content in Canada in both English and French?
2. Why do they need subscriber data (unless it proves Netflix isn't addressing 1)?
It's Canada. You don't want to deal with Canadian regulators, don't do business in Canada, it's that simple (and, yes, I do have a degree in business in Canada and have run businesses and worked for them there).
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Yeah, and being 2nd, they account for less than 5% of their total subscriber base.
True, but if that's accurate that means they have 13% penetration in the Canadian market and only 12% in the US.
and then when netflix is screwed people go back to totally free pirating , sides crap made in canada is garbage.
Sounds like someone is channeling Bono...
I am truly ashamed right now. I'm pissed off too, at the Canadian government and bureaucracy that are increasingly taking their cues, and sometimes even their orders, from our Big Brother south of the border.
My country used to be better than this.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
For what it's worth, losing the Canadian market would be roughly the equivalent to losing the California market for them as far as population goes. From a regulatory perspective, it'd be even easier.
some karma... and kinda lukewarm about it.
Plus Netflix can easily swing the populace against their own government
Seriously, you believe that there will be a "revolt" because netflix was taken away?
Bunch of culture Nazis, go fuck yourselves, just as bad as Quebec radicals
Bullshit.
When businesses use tactical planning to ensure their industry pie slice, why is it bad when We the People do it?
You've been fed an old and oft-repeated line from corporate interests using their own tactic: trick people into supporting them with spurious appeals and through this, Win The Market.
And for your information, Hollywood North is awesome, and I enjoy the content they produce. So do you, I'd wager. "A stronger industry", usually means that people give up any say or control and throw the dice on the deregulated crapshoot where you have a good chance of ending up with rolling blackouts because of psychopathic management and no way to fix it yourself. You're stuck hoping that the so-called, "Free Market" will somehow repair things despite its having done a lousy job so far.
The Free Market, if left to its own devices, has no motivation to actually provide decent services at reasonable prices if it can rig the table to funnel cash with no expenditure. Regulation allows people to stop table rigging.
Why is that so hard to grasp?
get this canuck filth off of here.
No one in Canada with any sense watches netflix.ca. Everyone runs a proxy and watches netflix.com, because the selection on netflix.ca blows chunks.
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
This silliness can be explained by the streaming service offered by Shaw/Rogers. That's what is really behind this CRTC furor in a teapot. Perhaps S/R want to know who is watching Netflix now so they can make them an offer they can refuse...and most will. The new service 'Shomi' is dead in the water before it even is launched. Roger's hoped that by buying hockey they could make everyone go back to cable. That's not going to happen either.
All this conversation about Canada culture and arts etc doesn't matter period this is a internet issue period internet doesn't care about borders all governments need to stop legisating and tax etc thing that have anything to do with internet.Current government have a hard time understanding that we are one planet and the internet is just the first of many things that will happen sooner our later.Someday there will be one currency,one court,one government and they will look back at all this time people worried about there national identity and laugh.Most of this won't happen till a asteroid going to hit the earth and we work together to stop it or ET show up and the goverments can no longer hide what they known about UFO etc and there force to work together or it won't mater because we all be working for ET.So let find something more important to solve than how many videos from which country are on Netflix.
They do not need customer information to asses Canadian content, they need only to look at their licencing list. They probably already meet the requirements, or could meet it pretty easily, I doubt licencing a bunch of Canadian content would be all that expensive. I suspect it is more about how well Netflix enforces the Canada VS US access. That is how many subscribers that have a Canadian billing address and credit card information that happen to be connecting to Netflix using a US IP address which is a very easy thing to do, and Netflix doesn't really try to stop it all that hard really, probably because it isn't really in their best interests to do so. I would say a good chuck of Canadian customers have used the US version of Netflix on more than one occasion because certain content is only available on the US version and not on the Canadian one. You can enforce all the Canadian Content rules you like, but if everyone just connects to the US version it isn't going to make a lick of difference.
That is of course if this whole debate really has anything to do with Canadian content, and not about the CRTC being a shill for the Canadian telecommunications industry which are launching their own competition for Netflix...