Media Beat: January 15, 2020

By David Farrell

Judge denies media request to broadcast Huawei CFO extradition hearing

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes says in her ruling that she agrees with lawyers for Meng and Canada’s attorney general that broadcasting the Huawei CFO’s extradition hearing could compromise the woman’s right to a fair trial in the United States. — CP

CBC news service moves to integrate with national media outlets

Canada's public broadcaster has an obligation to help news organizations gutted by shrinking advertising revenues and rounds of layoffs, the corporation's president says.

The message from Catherine Tait comes as the CBC is accused of unfairly fighting for advertising dollars with news organizations that aren't funded by the government to nearly the same degree. — Ian Froese, CBC News

Bell Media partners with TIFF: 11 films to showcase on Crave

TIFF and Bell Media have announced that 11 feature films that premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival will stream on Crave. The partnership, which is being called TIFF Selects, is a first for TIFF as a Canadian distribution opportunity for its festival programming. — Aisha Malik, Mobile Syrup

Crave's 'frenemy' relationship with streaming competition

Bell Media president Randy Lennox expects Canada's streaming market to have seven major players — which he calls the "Big Seven" — and they're Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple, a Viacom-CBS offering, Crave and Hulu. The last one is a wildcard because Hulu is majority-owned by Disney, but the company hasn't announced plans of coming to Canada yet.

Lennox sides with most analysts who believe the average household will be willing to pay for three services. His job is convincing most Canadians to make his platform one of them. — David Friend, CP

Shaw Q1 earnings report

Overall revenue in the quarter ending November 30 was $1.38B, up from $1.35B last year, as the increased wireless revenue helped offset declines in some of its non-wireless consumer segments, including in video, satellite and phone subscribers.

Net income came in at $162Mor 31 cents per share for the Q1 ending Nov. 30, down from $186M or 36 cents per share for the same quarter last year. — CP

Stopping Google’s end-run on ‘safe harbor’ privilege in new NAFTA agreement

Getting the DMCA incorporated into USMCA is, let’s face it, a major lobbying victory for Google that takes the sting out of big losses in the European Parliament on the European Copyright Directive.

But see what they did there?  Google is having trouble stopping the headlong defense against its safe harbor abuse through the front door, so they make an end-run by lobbying for language in USMCA that gives them their treasured “groovier than thou” safe harbor privilege.  That privilege saves Google and other Big Tech publishers from complying with the law the same as anyone else, from copyright infringement to profiting from illegal goods to advertiser fraud.  And now, of course, they want USMCA to become a model for all other trade agreements–including, no doubt, the coming bilateral agreement with the UK after Brexit. — Chris Castle, Hypebot

Brit media racism may have been behind Markle's royal 'step back'

"The UK tabloid press has been relentlessly racist and sexist toward Meghan — a fact that her husband, the women MPs of Parliament, and many legitimate press outlets (including Insider) acknowledge," royal commentator Kristen Meinzer says. — Mikhaila Friel, Insider

Russia-China media cooperation aimed at sullying US expansionism

Beijing-friendly content on RT and other Russian foreign-language news outlets underscore efforts by the governments and state media of China and Russia to foster cooperation in what Moscow sees as an information war against the U.S. Relations between Moscow and Beijing have blossomed as both countries’ ties with Washington have wilted. — Thomas Grove, WSJ