Voyageur 110
Streamers Have to Fund Canadian Shows Now. Hollywood Is Suing, and Canada Beat the G7 to Generic Ozempic.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Streamers Have to Fund Canadian Shows Now. Hollywood Is Suing.
The CRTC ruled on Thursday that big streaming services have to put 15 per cent of their Canadian revenue toward Canadian and Indigenous content. That is triple the 5 per cent rate the regulator decided was appropriate in 2024.
Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video are among the players who will be on the hook. The CRTC says the move will hold Canadian-content funding steady at around $2 billion a year. Traditional Canadian broadcasters got a break in the same decision, with their obligation dropping to 25 per cent from a range of 30 to 45.
The American side is not happy. Apple, Amazon, Spotify and the Motion Picture Association are fighting an earlier version of the order in federal court, and the payments are paused until a ruling is delivered. The MPA's Charles Rivkin said the rules are "unprecedented, unnecessary and discriminatory" and a breach of the CUSMA trade deal. Canada says culture is carved out of CUSMA.
Read more: National Post / Global News
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A photo from the old country:
Canada Beat the G7 to Generic Ozempic
Generic versions of semaglutide, the chemical that Ozempic is made of, are landing on Canadian pharmacy shelves over the coming weeks. Apotex, a Canadian company, shipped its first batch to wholesalers in mid-May.
Canada got to generics ahead of the pack. It became the first G7 country to approve a generic semaglutide on April 28, and Health Canada has since cleared a second one and is working through seven more submissions. Health Canada says generics usually run 45 to 90 per cent cheaper than the brand name.
The generic drug is approved for adults with type 2 diabetes, which is Ozempic's lane. The weight-loss version sells under the name Wegovy. Supply is expected to vary by province and by pharmacy.
For Canadians paying out of pocket abroad, where a month of brand-name semaglutide can run into the hundreds, a cheaper supply back home might be one more reason to stock up on a visit.
Read more: National Post / CBC News