MONTREAL, OTTAWA and TORONTO – Industry stakeholders seem pleased, perhaps even a little relieved, that the CRTC has opened a formal investigation into on-line broadcasting services in Canada.
Music service provider Stingray Digital called the Commission’s fact-finding mission “a very important first step” before deciding upon any regulation of the over-the-top programming services.
“The objective is to ensure that everyone offering services in Canada is playing on a level playing field”, said president and CEO Eric Boyko, in a statement. “For generations, the Canadian broadcast industry has evolved successfully from radio to television and now includes digital cable, DTH, IPTV and wireless while always maintaining the objective of supporting Canadian culture so it only makes sense for the CRTC to evaluate the impact of new Online Broadcasting Services that compete with the traditional, regulated broadcasters”.
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), which is behind the country’s Over-The-Top Services Working Group, said that it is confident that the process will “generate critical dialogue” in the role that these services should play in Canada.
“The CMPA congratulates the CRTC for being pro-active in launching a process that is obviously intended to encourage open and frank dialogue among all stakeholders as it relates to OTT programming services in Canada,” said president and CEO Norm Bolen. “The broadcasting system has served Canadians well over many years. In an era where communication can leap effortlessly across borders, holding firm to the objectives of the Broadcasting Act is more important than ever.”
After encouraging the CRTC to regulate broadcasting in new and digital media for more than ten years, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) also said it welcomed the move.
“On-line broadcasters must be required to offer Canadian programming and contribute to its creation, just like conventional broadcasters and distributors do”, said national president Ferne Downey. “It’s great that Canadians have more choice than ever and can enjoy content where and when they want, however, we can’t deny these changes are having a huge impact on our industry. We must ensure that new and future ways of delivering content are contributing to the objectives of the Broadcasting Act.”
– Lesley Hunter
