The Canadian distribution context: the Online Streaming Act and Canadian content

Technical delivery happens inside a business and legal framework. Who commissions a title, how it is financed, what rules apply to the service and how the people who made it are paid after release all affect production decisions, including technical ones. A series financed partly with public money has extra deliverables. A title made under union agreements carries obligations that continue long after delivery. This lesson looks at that framework. The general ideas apply in both countries, but the institutions and rules are very different, so much of the lesson is specific to where you are viewing it. Laws and regulatory decisions in this area have changed often in recent years; the descriptions below reflect public information at the time of writing (October 2026) and should be checked against current sources before you rely on them.

How streaming deals shape technical requirements

Before looking at each country, it helps to see how deals affect delivery.

• Originals are usually fully financed by the service, which owns or controls worldwide rights and sets all technical requirements.
• Licences give a service rights in certain territories for a period. The licensor delivers to the service's specification, but may also need versions for other buyers.
• Co-productions and co-financing split rights and costs among partners such as a streamer, a broadcaster, public funders and international co-producers. Each partner's delivery requirements must be met, which can mean several masters, frame rates and audio standards.
• Windows determine when and where a title is shown: theatrical, streaming, broadcast and so on. Each window can add deliverables.

For a cinematographer, the main consequence is that the delivery plan may have to satisfy more than one set of specifications, and the deliverables budget and schedule must cover them.

The Online Streaming Act

The Online Streaming Act received royal assent in April 2023. It amended the Broadcasting Act so that online streaming services, including foreign services, became "online undertakings" regulated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The act's goals include supporting Canadian and Indigenous content, French-language content, diversity and accessibility.

• In June 2024, the CRTC required large online streaming services, those with at least 25 million dollars in annual Canadian revenue and not affiliated with a Canadian broadcaster, to make base contributions equal to 5 % of their Canadian broadcasting revenues to funds supporting Canadian content and news.
• Several foreign services and industry groups appealed. In December 2024 the Federal Court of Appeal allowed the appeals to proceed and the payments were stayed while the case continued.
• In 2025 the CRTC continued its proceedings, including new decisions on the definition of a Canadian program and on contribution requirements.
• In June 2026 the federal government announced it would direct the CRTC to review its approach and promised new annual government support for the audiovisual and audio sectors. In July 2026 the government told the Federal Court of Appeal that it intends to eliminate the base contribution requirement on streaming services and replace it with government funding, through a policy direction to the CRTC.

At the time of writing, the policy direction had not been finalized, and the court case had not been decided. Expect further changes; check the CRTC and Canada Gazette for the current position.

Canadian content certification

Canadian productions can be certified as Canadian content, which affects broadcaster obligations, access to public funds and tax credits. The Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO), part of Canadian Heritage, certifies productions for the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC). The traditional test awards points for key creative positions held by Canadians.

• The scale awards up to 10 points for Canadians in key creative roles, such as director, screenwriter, lead performers, director of photography, composer, production designer, picture editor and art director.
• A production generally needs at least 6 points, with either the director or the screenwriter and at least one of the two highest-paid performers being Canadian, plus spending requirements on Canadian services and post-production.
• The CRTC has its own certification rules for broadcasting purposes and has been modernizing its definition of a Canadian program. Check current CRTC decisions for the latest point systems.

The director of photography is one of the key creative positions on the CAVCO scale, so a Canadian DP can help a production qualify.

Tax credits, funds and delivery

Canadian productions often combine several sources of money: broadcaster and streamer licence fees, the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, federal and provincial tax credits and private investment. Each source brings delivery requirements, such as closed captions and described video, French and English versions, preservation materials and reporting on costs. The federal CPTC is generally 25 % of eligible Canadian labour expenditure, with limits; the Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC) supports foreign productions using Canadian services. Provincial credits vary by province. The cinematographer's camera and post plan should be reviewed against all of these requirements during prep.

International sales and versions

Titles often travel beyond their home country. International sales and co-productions can require versions with different frame rates, loudness targets, rating edits, dubbed audio and subtitles. Treaty co-productions, such as those Canada has with many countries, may require that certain work be done in each partner country. These requirements should be identified early, because they affect the post schedule and budget.

Why this matters to the cinematographer

The distribution context can seem far from the camera, but it affects the cinematographer's work in practical ways.

• Financing and certification rules can affect who is hired, including the director of photography.
• Extra partners mean extra deliverables, such as additional frame rates, SDR versions or archive copies, which affect capture and finishing plans.
• Labour agreements set working conditions on set and payments after release, which shape schedules and budgets.
• Accessibility rules affect timed text and audio description, which interact with framing and visual storytelling.

A cinematographer who understands the deal and its obligations can plan the camera and post pipeline to meet them without surprises.

Contracts and the technical team

The rights and obligations described in this lesson are written into contracts: licence agreements, co-production agreements, funding agreements and union agreements. These contracts often attach the delivery schedule and technical specifications as exhibits, which makes the technical requirements legally binding. A missed deliverable can delay payment of the final instalment of a licence fee or a fund's last advance. That is why post supervisors track deliverables closely and why the cinematographer's camera and finishing plan should be checked against the delivery exhibits early, rather than after the grade.

• Ask the producer or post supervisor for the delivery schedule attached to each financing or licence agreement.
• Note which items affect picture, such as HDR masters, frame rates, aspect ratios, textless elements and archive copies.
• Flag conflicts between partners' requirements early, such as different frame rates or mastering standards.
• Confirm who pays for each extra version, since this is often negotiated in the agreements.

In Canadian co-financed projects, funders such as the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada usually release final payments only after the producer submits the required deliverables and final cost reports. Delays in technical deliverables can therefore delay the money a production needs to close its accounts.

A practical summary for prep

During prep, ask three questions about the business side of any streaming project. First, who are all the partners, and what does each one require at delivery? Second, which rules, such as certification, incentives, accessibility or union agreements, depend on decisions the camera department makes, including who is hired, where work is done and how long days run? Third, which deliverables are tied to payments, so that their deadlines are fixed? Answering these questions early lets the cinematographer plan capture, finishing and archive work that satisfies every partner, without last-minute changes that put the image at risk.