As millions on both sides of the border prepare to watch Sunday's Super Bowl, a local MP wants a closer look at cross-border advertising.
Windsor West MP Brian Masse, the NDP's innovation, science, and industry critic, has asked for a review of digital cross-border ads on television. The review would identify trends for promoting authorized practices, ensure Canadian viewers are protected, and make sure transactions are appropriately taxed and regulated.
"From Super Bowl ads to sports betting and vital community alerts, Canadians deserve and expect next-generation protections along with maximum local benefits from a new era of cross-border internet television," said Masse in a media release. "Television advertising not only funds local news and journalism but digital TV commercial insertion practices impact vital accessibility features that Canadians depend on, including closed-captioning services and regulations on commercial loudness."
Masse said he has heard from people concerned about what kind of data is being collected by those whose broadcast signals cross the border from Michigan, and how the data will be used. While free TV, which involves the traditional broadcast networks, is considered essential, internet protocol (IP) broadcasting raises privacy issues. Data is often collected to gauge demographics so advertisers can tailor their campaigns to audiences.
"These are not transactions in borderless communications spaces, but in local markets and communities like Windsor and Detroit," said Masse. "Canadian consumers need proper guardrails and a penalty box for telecommunications licensees."
Billions of dollars in advertising and donations have changed hands since digital broadcasting became mandatory in Canada in 2011. In the U.S., over-the-air broadcasting has been digital since 2009.
