Bell Media has joined the ranks of companies that are pausing advertising on Facebook and Instagram over parent company Meta’s plan to block news for Canadian users when the Online News Act comes into effect later this year.
The move was effective as of Friday. Bell Media’s holdings include TV channels CTV, Noovo, CP24, TSN, Discovery, MTV and BNN Bloomberg; streaming services Crave and iHeartRadio; and a family of radio stations that includes the Virgin, Bounce, Boom, Move and Newstalk brands.
“Like many Canadians, we are concerned about the consequences Meta’s decision to block links from Canadian news organizations will have on Canadians, and all those who reside or work here, all of whom should be able to rely on independent and trusted news from Canadian sources,” said Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Media, in a statement. “The Online News Act will provide the necessary framework for fair negotiations for access to valuable news content with a Canadian perspective, which is critical for our democracy.”
Bell declined to answer questions about whether its other divisions – namely, its wireless, internet and cable TV services – would also be pausing advertising, or how much the company spends on advertising through Meta-owned platforms.
On July 5, both the federal government and Quebecor announced they would be pulling advertising from Meta-owned platforms in response to the company’s plans to block news for Canadian users. After Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez made his announcement, he was joined by the Government of Quebec in pausing Meta ads, along with the City of Montreal and several other municipal governments in the province. Before the end of the day, CBC, La Presse and Cogeco had also joined Quebecor in the ranks of media companies that would no longer be advertising on Meta platforms. By the end of the week, they would be joined by Torstar, Postmedia and Unifor.
Google has also said that it plans to block news for Canadian visitors, but Rodriguez said during a press conference Wednesday that it was only pulling ads from Meta because he believed a solution to Google’s concerns would emerge from the regulatory process, whereas Meta has had “a very aggressive campaign” and was not willing to further discuss a resolution.
Of the companies and organizations that have paused their Meta advertising so far, exact dollar figures are only available from the federal government. Its most recent advertising expenditure report showed that it spent $11.4 million on Facebook and Instagram advertising from 2021 to 2022.
Meta has not set a date for when it plans to block news from its platforms, beyond that it would be before the Online News Act comes into effect, which is set to happen some time before the end of the year.
Amid declining advertiser demand and ongoing audience shifts, Bell announced last month that it would be eliminating 1,300 jobs and closing six of its radio stations. The company also has an open application to the CRTC to modify several terms of its license, including eliminating local programming and local news requirements for its CTV and Noovo stations, which it said would help it pursue a more “flexible” approach to news coverage. In its application, Bell said that its news operations lost $40 million last year.
