Financial statements show cabinet’s feud with Facebook cost the CBC millions of website visitors, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Digital reach for the CBC is trending below target due to Facebook’s news withdrawal in Canada,” said the CBC in a financial statement. CBC has been the longest-running, most popular news website in Canada, with content uploaded from 1,000 staff by official estimate. Traffic at its website was down to an average 16 million unique monthly visitors compared to 20.7 million in 2022 — a 23% decline.Facebook began suspending links rather than surrender millions in advertising revenues to Canadian newsrooms in August. This action followed Parliament passing Bill C-18 in June, which compelled Facebook to pay publishers a portion of ad income generated by links to news stories.Its management blamed its declining website traffic on Facebook’s suspension of links. They did not disclose how much website traffic was generated by weather forecasts, sports scores and content other than its stories. “We are facing financial pressures resulting from structural challenges affecting all of the media industry in Canada such as rising production costs, declining television advertising revenues and fierce competition from the American digital giants,” it said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Facebook was harming democracy by refusing to provide free links to Canadian publishers at its own cost. “It is time for us to expect more from corporations like Facebook,” said Trudeau. Trudeau called it “so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians and reach them where Canadians spend a lot of their time, online, on social media, on Facebook.”A reporter pointed out Facebook was responding to Bill C-18. “It is Facebook’s decision,” he said. Cabinet said in a budget document on February 29 it would raise CBC funding by $96.1 million to a record $1.4 billion this year. “We know it is difficult for them right now,” said Treasury Board President Anita Anand.Trudeau said on February 7 Canada must continue to subsidize the CBC to stand up for democracy. READ MORE: PM Trudeau says CBC funding strengthens democracyHe promised taxpayers would continue to prop up the CBC to make sure the truth prevails.“At a time of misinformation and disinformation and the transformation of our media and digital era, we need CBC/Radio-Canada to be strong to protect our culture, to protect our democracy and to tell our stories from one end of the country to another,” he said.
Financial statements show cabinet’s feud with Facebook cost the CBC millions of website visitors, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Digital reach for the CBC is trending below target due to Facebook’s news withdrawal in Canada,” said the CBC in a financial statement. CBC has been the longest-running, most popular news website in Canada, with content uploaded from 1,000 staff by official estimate. Traffic at its website was down to an average 16 million unique monthly visitors compared to 20.7 million in 2022 — a 23% decline.Facebook began suspending links rather than surrender millions in advertising revenues to Canadian newsrooms in August. This action followed Parliament passing Bill C-18 in June, which compelled Facebook to pay publishers a portion of ad income generated by links to news stories.Its management blamed its declining website traffic on Facebook’s suspension of links. They did not disclose how much website traffic was generated by weather forecasts, sports scores and content other than its stories. “We are facing financial pressures resulting from structural challenges affecting all of the media industry in Canada such as rising production costs, declining television advertising revenues and fierce competition from the American digital giants,” it said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Facebook was harming democracy by refusing to provide free links to Canadian publishers at its own cost. “It is time for us to expect more from corporations like Facebook,” said Trudeau. Trudeau called it “so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians and reach them where Canadians spend a lot of their time, online, on social media, on Facebook.”A reporter pointed out Facebook was responding to Bill C-18. “It is Facebook’s decision,” he said. Cabinet said in a budget document on February 29 it would raise CBC funding by $96.1 million to a record $1.4 billion this year. “We know it is difficult for them right now,” said Treasury Board President Anita Anand.Trudeau said on February 7 Canada must continue to subsidize the CBC to stand up for democracy. READ MORE: PM Trudeau says CBC funding strengthens democracyHe promised taxpayers would continue to prop up the CBC to make sure the truth prevails.“At a time of misinformation and disinformation and the transformation of our media and digital era, we need CBC/Radio-Canada to be strong to protect our culture, to protect our democracy and to tell our stories from one end of the country to another,” he said.
