Really? That's partly a surprise, given the public nature of the BBC, yet also not a surprise, given the value of the airtime one gets, even with a lame duck of an idea.

Got a link/reference for this 5%? If not, how did you learn of this?

I don't have a link but I'm pretty certain I've read that elsewhere as well from a pretty trustworthy source. It's not terribly unreasonable, but does seem a bit....predatory(?)

I had a friend that had his company on "Shark Tank." The 5% can be either equity or just based off sales.

That seems like an investment in advertising, more than looking for a free investor. In this case, it's more economically feasible for the small potatoes firm than the big fish. 5% of a firm worth 20K - that's $1000 for a ton of advertising. 5% for a firm with traction work 20 million - no way!

I thought that was just for Shark Tank...I can't see how a government broadcaster (CBC or BBC) would be able to get away with that.