EXCLUSIVE: CBC Gem promotes foreign shows, as it refuses to release subscriber numbers

As CBC/Radio-Canada prepares to defend its refusal to disclose subscriber numbers for its Gem streaming service, renewed scrutiny reveals the “Canadian” platform prominently promotes American imports.

Source: gem.cbc.ca

As CBC/Radio-Canada prepares to defend its refusal to disclose subscriber numbers for its Gem streaming service, renewed scrutiny reveals the “Canadian” platform prominently promotes American and British imports.

Launched in 2018, CBC Gem offers free and paid tiers with Canadian content, CBC originals and international acquisitions.

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American series Portlandia, Friday Night Lights and The Affair are promoted on the service’s front page, alongside the U.K. comedy Amandaland.

Reliance on imported titles raises questions about how taxpayer dollars are being used to compete with private streaming platforms such as Netflix, which already heavily promote foreign media.

The issue comes as CBC prepares to make its case in Federal Court after the federal information commissioner ordered the broadcaster in July to release subscriber figures.

The order followed an access-to-information request from University of Ottawa professor Matt Malone, who challenged CBC’s claim that releasing the numbers would harm its competitive position.

A spokesperson for the public broadcaster has said CBC will argue disclosure would put it at a disadvantage against private streaming rivals.

Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged during the April election to increase CBC’s annual budget by $150 million, raising concerns from critics such as former Reform Party leader Preston Manning who accused Carney of offering “unethical bribes.”

In the Liberal government’s most recent throne speech delivered by King Charles, the government listed CBC/Radio-Canada among its priorities to “protect the institutions that bring these (multiculturalism) cultures and this identity to the world.”