Royalties: Encore+ earns nearly as much YouTube as it does for Canadian artisans

Encore+, which streams Canadian series and movies for free on YouTube, brought in “nearly $230,000” for Canadian rights holders – including less than 50,000 for those in Quebec – while YouTube earned more than $200,000 for 45 million views recorded on YouTube. This channel has been around since its inception four years ago.

In 2017, during the launch of Encore+ by the Canadian Media Fund (CMF), then-Vice President of the organization Stephan Cardin emphasized that this partnership with YouTube is in line with CMF’s mission and mandate. The initiative will allow “not only [de] Consolidating what we have funded this year, but also what we have been able to fund in recent years,” he stated. Should The person who is now the president of Netflix Canada.

And in terms of the number of clicks, the success is already there: 45 million views in four years. Encore+’s selection includes both Anglo-Canadian films and series, as well as Quebec productions: bagpipeAnd In a galaxy near youAnd me and the otherAnd Ramdam, Wattato…

However, those millions of views resulted in lower royalties, estimates Sophie Prejen, president of the Artists Association (UDA). “Since November 2017, we’ve received $1,801 because I don’t know how many views. In Quebec, equivalent payments – a total of $47,204 – have been paid to three other associations: the Quebec Association for Media Production (AQPM), the Society of Radio, Television and Film Authors (SARTEC) and the Association of Quebec Managers (ARRQ) Minor royalties for businesses that would otherwise be difficult to reach. “Some product sales are still allowed,” acknowledges M.^I Present. Series little life And midnight in the evening Now on ICI Tou.tv; serial these guys It was sold to Bell Media, and WattatoOn Unis TV.

The numbers provided by the UDA are confirmed by the FMC. However, these royalties represent only a portion – albeit a significant portion – of the amounts paid to the rights holders. Agreements reached on the sidelines of those concluded with large associations enabled other artisans to get a share of the pie. Without disclosing the exact amounts paid to beneficiaries in Quebec, the royalties would represent “nearly $230,000” across the country, notes Mathieu Chantilois, vice president of communications and promotions at CMF, in an email. It is considered that the beneficiaries would not have been able to receive these amounts otherwise. “Encore + Currency for potentially pirated content, by creating financial and legal structures, analytics data, and distribution channels.”

It says that the copyright owners of our content are paid for all views. “We are staunch supporters of this principle and constantly monitor those who break laws regarding distribution.”

45% of YouTube’s revenue

The Encore+ channel copyright system is based on Content ID technology developed by Google and created for YouTube. “It is a tool that we provide to rights holders, which makes it possible to brand a product, and thus follow it. [sur la plateforme] “,” explains to Should Andrew Peterson, Head of Content Partnerships at YouTube Canada.

“We scan tens of millions of references per second. So if a user uploads a YouTube video that is tagged with that identifier (the content identifier), the agreed-upon rules apply immediately,” he says.

Thus, rights holders have three basic options: withdraw production, leave it, or monetize it from accompanying advertising. Some like the beneficiaries of little lifeYou want the series to be found only on Encore+ and Tou.tv. Others, such as the popular series In a galaxy close to us, is picked up by many YouTubers, generating traffic that translates into income.

Of the advertising revenue generated, 55% goes to rights holders and the rest (45%) to YouTube. As a result, of the $460,000 in advertising revenue that would have generated broadcast production on Encore+ within four years, according to estimates ShouldYouTube is said to have made about $207,000.

Despite the criticism, Andrew Peterson maintains that YouTube offers services and tools to ensure revenue and respect for copyright. “We may not be perfect, but we’re not bad,” he said. $30 billion has been paid out worldwide over the past three years to creators, artists, and the companies that represent them. “

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