CBRA Non-Commercial Media Monitoring Tariff

Summary#

This notice publishes the CBRA non‑commercial media‑monitoring tariff for 2027–2029. It tells government monitors what short radio/TV excerpts and transcripts they may make, and sets a royalty of 14% of monitoring costs each semester. The item was published on May 30, 2026 under the Copyright Act.

What it does#

• Allows a government “monitor” to copy and keep short parts of radio or TV news/current‑affairs programs for internal, non‑commercial use.
• Limits excerpts to two per program of up to 10 minutes each, with some narrow exceptions where up to 10% of items may exceed those limits.
• Permits delivery by phone, low‑resolution email attachment, or a password‑protected database with strict rules (excerpts no larger than 320 pixels by 240 pixels, 15 frames per second, and removed after six months).
• Lets monitors make monitoring notes, summary notes or transcripts; transcripts may be kept up to 10 years, other notes can be kept indefinitely.
• Requires monitors to pay a royalty equal to 14% of their CBRA‑related monitoring costs each semester (paid by the beginning of the third month of the semester).
• Imposes reporting, record‑keeping and audit rules, including keeping records for six years and providing semester and annual reports.
• Offers an exemption procedure for monitors whose total media monitoring costs will be below $100,000 for a year (they must notify by January 31).
• Includes indemnity and default rules: failure to pay or comply can stop a monitor from using the tariff rights.

Who's affected#

• Government monitoring services and anyone who monitors media for government bodies (federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, legislative bodies, and registered political parties as defined in the tariff).
• Companies that provide media‑monitoring services to government (they must track costs, follow the rules, and may collect royalties).
• Broadcasters represented by the CBRA, because the tariff sets when and how their copyrighted program material can be used by government monitors.
• It is unclear from the notice whether some specific uses (for example, embedded third‑party content like music or newswire material) are covered; the tariff says monitors are responsible for permissions for elements not owned or controlled by a CBRA broadcaster.

Why it matters#

• Practical cost impact: government monitors and their vendors will need to budget for a 14% royalty on monitoring costs and meet reporting and record‑keeping rules.
• Limits on sharing: government users can use excerpts only for private, internal analysis and cannot distribute or use them for legal, political, advertising or public purposes — that affects how clips can be used in briefings or by staff.
• Operational changes: monitoring services may need new processes (secure databases, low‑res clips, deletion schedules) to comply.
• The exemption threshold ($100,000) may help very small monitoring operations, but larger operations will have added compliance and audit obligations.