This June, the passing of the controversial Bill C-18 mandated that major tech firms compensate media outlets if they want to retain Canadian news content on their platforms. Although Bill C-18 is scheduled to officially come into effect in December, we’re already seeing waves of change in the Canadian news media landscape. Some Canadians are noticing a decrease in the availability of local news on Meta platforms. Others are still unfamiliar with Bill C-18 and unsure how it impacts Canadian news. Meanwhile, both news media outlets and major tech firms have expressed strong pushback against the law.This latest report from Vividata takes a closer look at consumer responses to Bill C-18, to better understand where Canadians stand on the matter.
Younger Canadians (those aged 18-34) expressed greater concern about the effects of Bill C-18 on their ability to access news via Meta platforms – platforms these individuals tend to frequent. More than half of respondents 18-34 are concerned about missing local news on Meta platforms, with 22% saying they are “very concerned”.
