IN A VIRTUALLY unprecedented display of unity, Canada’s biggest broadcasters and BDUs unanimously agreed that the federal government’s decision to step in on the fee-for-carriage issue was a good one.
In a joint statement, CTV, Global and CBC all said that they welcomed the government’s “commitment to consumers” and “new negotiation for value regime”.
"We are in agreement that consumer interests should be front and center when it comes to implementing a new negotiation for value model for local television across the country," said Charlotte Bell, Global’s SVP of regulatory and government affairs, in the statement. "Going forward, we welcome a clear process and swift decision."
Paul Sparkes, CTV’s EVP of corporate affairs, called the government’s involvement “a positive step forward".
“Consumers no longer benefit from the broken broadcasting model, and we welcome the government’s support in implementing a solution that recognizes the value of local TV for consumers," Sparkes said.
The three broadcasters recently banded together on a national campaign called ‘Local TV Matters’ which advocates that consumers should not pay more for basic services, including local television.
Simultaneous press releases from Rogers, Bell and Shaw used words like “applauded”, “welcomed” and “commends” to describe their thoughts on the government’s involvement.
"The Government says the CRTC must take into account the impact on consumers of a fee-for-carriage regime which is something we have consistently advocated," said Rogers’ vice chair Phil Lind, in the release. "We must ensure that consumers are front and centre in this discussion."
Mirko Bibic, Bell’s SVP of regulatory and government affairs, echoed Lind’s sentiments.
"Minister Moore and the government have clearly recognized that an issue of such broad impact on consumers as potential new TV taxes should be considered a matter of government policy and therefore decided by government," Bibic said in a statement. "By committing to put the interest of consumers first, the Minister has reassured Canadians that their voices will be heard."
Shaw, as usual, was more to the point in its praise of Heritage Minister Moore’s decision to “put affordability and the needs of consumer first."
"You can dress this up anyway you like, but the so called fee-for-carriage is a tax on TV viewers with absolutely no benefit," said CEO and vice chair Jim Shaw, in a statement. "There is no justification for increasing the financial burden of ordinary Canadians to bail out broadcasters, further shelter the CBC, subsidize over-spending on foreign programming and reward bad business decisions."
– Lesley Hunter