Heated Rivalry creators defend Online Streaming Act at Ottawa conference

Creators of the hit show Heated Rivalry publicly supported the Online Streaming Act at a media production conference in Ottawa, arguing the five per cent contribution for large foreign platforms is reasonable. The event unfolded as some global streamers are challenging contribution and disclosure rules in federal court and U.S. trade officials have raised concerns.

Heated Rivalry’s creators spoke in support of the Online Streaming Act at the Prime Time media production conference in Ottawa on Thursday. They framed the law’s requirement that large foreign streaming platforms contribute five per cent of their Canadian revenues as a modest obligation. The conference drew attention because several large foreign streamers are challenging contribution and disclosure rules in Federal Court and U.S. officials have flagged the law as a trade concern. Government ministers spoke at the conference but stopped short of defining final positions on contribution levels. Key points: - Heated Rivalry was developed for Bell Media’s Crave and later picked up by HBO Max, and its international success brought notable attention to the conference. - The show’s creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady defended the Online Streaming Act and described the five-per-cent requirement as not a large cost of entry. - The CRTC ordered large foreign streaming companies to pay five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues into funds for Canadian content; a Federal Court pause on payments was put in place in late 2024, with payments estimated at least $1.25 million per company per year. - A separate legal challenge has been launched against a CRTC decision that would require disclosure of financial information by foreign streamers, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has raised concerns ahead of a trade review. - Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon and Culture Minister Marc Miller addressed the conference; Miller noted there are "red lines" around culture and protecting artists but did not specify whether the five-per-cent level is one of them, and the CRTC’s regulatory process to finalize contribution rules is not complete. Summary: The presence of Heated Rivalry’s creators highlighted industry support for the Online Streaming Act while underscoring tensions between cultural policy objectives and ongoing legal and trade disputes. Federal Court challenges and an international trade review are still underway, and the CRTC has not yet completed its full regulatory process. Outcomes from those proceedings and negotiations will shape how the rules are applied going forward.