Overview of the policy and what’s changing
On November 18, 2025, the CRTC issued Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-299 to modernize Canadian content rules and facilitate the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which brought significant updates to the Broadcasting Act. The purpose of this new policy is to ensure that Canadian and non-Canadian broadcasters, including major online streamers such as Netflix, actively support Canadian content and talent. Key changes include updates to the definition of Canadian content (Cancon), revised mandatory copyright retention rules for Canadians, the introduction of AI-related policies, and new financial reporting requirements for both broadcasting and online platforms.
Canadian content & copyright
The CRTC’s updated policy modernizes the Canadian content points system for current broadcasting and streaming practices. It is premised on the same former rules of the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) for assessing Cancon using a points systems, however, the list of key creative positions to calculate total points has now been expanded to include roles like showrunner, head of costume department, make-up and hair artists, and visual and special effects directors.The policy also adds flexibility by allowing up to 20% of key creative roles such as Director, Screenwriter, and Storyboard Supervisor to be non-Canadian, compared with the previous rule requiring all key creatives to be Canadian, to support co-production arrangements with other countries.
The Commission now requires Canadians to retain at least 20% of a program’s copyright for it to be eligible as a Cancon supporting Canadian ownership and strengthening competitiveness in the production industry. Under the previous rules, there was no such requirement. Following these changes, productions with 20–50% Canadian copyright ownership must earn at-least 80% of the maximum points for key creative roles, while Productions with over 50% Canadian ownership need only 60% of the points. These thresholds are applied along with other requirements outlined by the Commission for key creative roles in live-action and animated productions.
AI related policy & financial reporting requirements
The CRTC has addressed the adaptation of creative industry to use of AI by changing the definition of Cancon. The new definition establishes that work created by AI will not qualify for Cancon and that key positions must be filled by humans only. While the Commission disqualified AI from staffing for Cancon points, it affirmed the prospective benefits of AI tools by recognizing that content created with assistance of AI can be accepted for points, provided that central control is maintained by humans.
The Commission, in the policy, requires Canadian broadcasters and foreign online undertakings with at least $25 million in annual Canadian revenues to report their Canadian broadcasting revenues, programming expenditures (CPE), and other contributions. The CRTC will aggregate this data at the entity level and publish these key metrics, starting with data collected for the 2025–2026 broadcast year.
Key takeaways
The updated framework strengthens support for Canadian content by giving Canadian creators greater flexibility in co-productions with international partners while preserving control over creative and copyright ownership rights. Imposition of disclosure obligations on Canadian broadcasters and non-Canadian online entities would enhance transparency and accountability across all players. The policy also emphasizes the importance of human creativity and control when using AI tools, ensuring that Canadian content is driven by human authors rather than machines. These measures reflect a shift from traditional broadcasting systems to digitally driven models while protecting the core Canadian identity and culture in storytelling.
Read the full CRTC's Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-299 here:https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2025/2025-299.htm
Authored by: Sonali Mishra
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