Canada boosts CBC funding by $214m, confirms industry injection

The Canadian government has pledged an extra C$300m (US$214m) over two years to public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada, in addition to confirming a previously announced C$600m funding injection for the country’s audiovisual and audio industries.

Mark Carney

Bryan Berlin via CC

The federal budget, announced on Thursday, proposes an additional C$150m in both fiscal 2026/27 and 2027/28 to “strengthen [CBC/Radio-Canada’s] capacity to meet the evolving needs of Canadians across the country.”

The added funding over the next two years will ease some of the financial pressures on the public broadcaster, which also received an additional C$150m in last year’s federal budget.

CBC/Radio-Canada typically receives around 70% of its budget from the government, while the remaining 30% comes from advertising. In 2025/2026, it received C$1.46bn from the federal government, up from C$1.31bn the previous year.

Elsewhere, premier Mark Carney’s Liberal Party confirmed the C$600m funding boost intended to provide “immediate” support for the film, TV, digital and audio sectors.

When it was announced in June, the C$600m pledge caused a backlash from the production community because it replaced a long-promised plans to regulate global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.

At the same time as announcing the funding, the government said it would block a move by the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to require foreign-based streaming services to contribute 15% of their Canadian revenues to local production. It also promised to issue “new policy directions” to the CRTC.

In the time since, the local industry wants to know whether the Online Streaming Act (OSA) – legislation that was introduced in 2023 to regulate streamers – is being scrapped, neutered or whether it could still be implemented in an impactful way.

In its budget announcement, the government said the new policy directions for the OSA “will ensure that the framework supports Canadian creators and cultural industries while keeping Canadian content accessible and affordable for Canadians.”

While many in the local industry are hoping that streaming service regulation remains on the table, the more pressing matter at hand is when the C$600m will begin flowing through the system and which entities will be in charge of distributing it.

C21 understands that more information will be released later this month, with the Canada Media Fund likely dispersing a significant portion of the money.

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) welcomed the confirmation of the C$600m, particularly the fact the funds will be released within the current fiscal year (before March 31, 2027).

“This will enable a number of ‘shovel-ready’ projects to go to camera in the coming months and for great Canadian stories to reach audiences across the country and around the world,” said CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin.