CBC/Radio-Canada is challenging a transparency order in federal court, refusing to disclose how many people pay for its Gem streaming service.
Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard ordered the disclosure in July after University of Ottawa professor Matt Malone filed an access-to-information complaint.
“We will make our case in our filing with the Federal Court and let the court decide,” CBC spokesman Leon Mar said.
CBC had refused Malone’s initial request, arguing the information related to programming activities and could harm its competitive position against other streaming services. The broadcaster said releasing subscriber data would give competitors sensitive information to lure away Gem users.
But Maynard concluded CBC failed to demonstrate “a reasonable expectation” that competitive harm would occur beyond “a mere possibility.”
CBC launched Gem in 2018 with both free and paid tiers. The paid version costs $5.99 monthly and includes ad-free streaming and access to CBC’s 24-hour news channel.
Malone criticized the court challenge as “a sad but telling attempt to dodge basic transparency,” noting it sets a concerning precedent for a public broadcaster that receives taxpayer funding.
Market research indicates most streaming services don’t publicly release Canadian subscriber numbers, making it an industry-wide practice.
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