Netflix and YouTube are warning Quebec not to interfere with their apps. The two companies are fighting Bill 109, which would force apps and smart TVs to prioritize French content, make French the default language, and fine companies up to $300,000 if they don’t comply.
Quebec’s culture minister Mathieu Lacombe called the plan “essential for the future of our culture and our language,” saying it gives the province “the power to require platforms and manufacturers to feature cultural content in French — and, above all, to make it prominent,” according to The Gazette.
Netflix disagrees, saying in a brief “there are no obstacles for our users in Quebec to discover and enjoy French-language content.” It warned the bill would “disrupt the user experience and reduce the accuracy and relevance of content recommendations.” The company added, “The imposition of requirements to prioritize (French-language) content would have the opposite effect and could also have harmful consequences.”
YouTube made a similar argument in its brief, saying “when users feel that the recommendation system is being manipulated for external purposes, they lose confidence in the platform.” The company said customizing algorithms by language is “operationally unfeasible” and that forcing French as a default setting would “override the user’s explicit choice.”
Local media companies Bell and Québecor support Quebec’s goal but warned that extra rules could hurt Canadian firms already heavily regulated.
Quebec’s French language commissioner Benoît Dubreuil said the bill is crucial, arguing, “There is no area where the decline of French is more pronounced than in culture.”
Earlier this year, some experts said Bill 109 could result in a federal legal showdown. If Quebec makes it too difficult to operate in the province, streamers could choose to close up shop and leave.
Should Quebec force these defaults onto streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube?
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I’ve been trying to use the streaming apps to get French content for my daughter and it’s not easy, with the exception of YouTube with its channels which I can subscribe to. It really should not be as hard as it is. They are pretty lazy in my opinion. In order to have an episode of something run in French on DisneyPlus, I have to change the language for the entire app on Roku and restart it and then it will play all content in French. To get it back to English I have to do the same thing all over again. I can’t simply switch an episode of something from English to French. I was flabbergasted when I discovered that. I never realized how hard it was until I started looking for stuff for my daughter. Somebody needs to stand up to these companies or nothing will change. It is also surprisingly hard to simply find content in French in many apps, like Netflix.
As per usual Quebec sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.
Stay in your lane