Hmmm, does David really stand a chance against the online platform Goliaths in the digital advertising war?
Another casualty of the digital advertising war occurred this week as 900 CHML in Hamilton went off the air. The news came abruptly via a somber, on-air announcement at precisely noon on Wednesday. But the writing was on the wall as commercial advertising breaks on Wednesday morning were ominous dead air.
My father routinely listened to the talk radio shows on 900 CHML so he feels the loss keenly as do many others in the city in which the station has been a mainstay for nearly a century.
Owner Corus Entertainment attributed the decision to “shift of advertising revenues to unregulated foreign platforms combined with the difficult regulatory and competitive landscape”. Foreign refers to tech giants like Meta who are the Goliath in the ongoing David and Goliath arm wrestle for advertising dollars.
The demise of 900 CHML is unfortunately just the latest toll in the ongoing death knell for Canadian media. Bell Media announced earlier this year that it was ending multiple television newscasts and making other programming cuts after its parent company put 45 of its 103 regional radio stations up for sale.
Both Corus Entertainment and Bell Media have blamed the federal government for being too slow with regulatory supports that they maintain are necessary to level the playing field. The feds have put in place two pieces of legislation:
Bill C-18: The Online News Act, meant to force tech giants to compensate Canadian news outlets for their content. The feds are in a standoff with Meta over Bill C-18. Meta continues to block Canadian news links on its platform.
Note: Ottawa capped the amount of money broadcast media can get from Google’s $100 million annual payments at $30 million with the remainder to go to print and digital news outlets.
Bill C-11: An update to the Broadcasting Act requiring digital platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and Tiktok to contribute and promote Canadian content.
All of these developments are part of the digital transformation tsunami that is sweeping across the media world. Corus Entertainment has indicated they are “applying new workflows and ways of working, using the latest server-based technology that will enable us to pave the way forward”. I will leave you to interpret that technical jargon on your own.
My layman’s take on the matter is that the battle is already lost. The notion of protecting borders and keeping advertising revenue at home is pretty much a non sequitur in the new environment.
Government regulations amount to a sling shot and stone aimed at the tech giants. It worked for David in the biblical battle of David and Goliath. But the Goliaths of the digital world brush aside the regulatory stones with disdain and carry on as they please.
And so we bid a fond farewell to 900 CHML – another casuality in the digital advertising war.
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Tags: 900 CHML · Corus Entertainment · Meta · metaphor · Michael Robert DyetNo Comments