OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Rogers Broadcasting’s “optimal solution” has prevailed with the CRTC approving its plan to rebrand Metro 14 (CJNT-TV) as Citytv Montreal. The Commission also approved a new multilingual television station to be called International Channel/Canal International (ICI) and operated by the Nowrouzzahrai family. Channel Zero, which bought CJNT and Hamilton's CHCH from Canwest Global for $12 in 2009, sold CJNT to Rogers for $10.3 million.
As reported by Cartt.ca in September, Rogers in its application indicated it had found the “optimal solution” to provide Montreal with a new English-language commercial TV station while also supporting a local plan for a new multilingual station.
Rogers promised that if CJNT could be rebranded as Citytv Montreal with programming and conditions of licence similar to the company's other Citytv stations, it would also throw its weight behind a local application from the Nowrouzzahrai family for an over-the-air multilingual TV station to serve the city’s ethnocultural communities.
"These two television services will increase the diversity of voices in the Montreal region," said Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC. "The English-language community as well as over 18 ethnic communities will benefit from these two new services."
The Commission ruled that the conversion of “CJNT-DT into an English-language television station will have a positive impact on the Canadian broadcasting system and the Montréal market in particular.” ICI will provide programming in at least 15 different languages, including Romanian, Mandarin, Creole, Persian and Portuguese. It will devote 14 hours per week to local ethnic programs.
ICI says Rogers has entered into a program supply agreement with it to provide up to 200 hours per year of OMNI ethnic and third-language programming for a period of five years, at no cost to ICI. Channel Zero will provide ICI with a $1 million loan, as well as master control hosting and origination services for five years, free of charge (this paragraph has been corrected from an earlier version).
With CJNT rebranded as a Citytv station, Rogers has significantly broadened its national coverage. Citytv Montreal marks the third expansion for the brand in 2012, with Citytv launching in Saskatchewan this past summer and becoming available long-term in three key markets in Western Canada – Kamloops, B.C., Prince George, B.C., and Medicine Hat, AB. Citytv is now available in eight provinces, reaching more than nine million homes across Canada.
In its application Rogers argued that national coverage was necessary to compete with larger, national over-the-air broadcasting networks. In addition, Rogers asserted that the channel conversion would allow the repatriation of viewing from U.S. services, resulting in more advertising revenue flowing into the Canadian broadcasting system.
"The launch of Citytv Montreal is a crucial step in our overall strategy to deliver our premium original and acquired content to a national audience, and we are pleased that the CRTC recognizes Citytv's commitment to local programming in Montreal," said Scott Moore, President, Broadcast, Rogers Media. "Breaking into this key market gives Citytv the momentum to better serve and reflect Canadians through our programming and engage audiences across the country as we move towards our goal of becoming a fully national network."
Launching as a new English-language network, Citytv Montreal will air premium original and acquired programming, including hit series Modern Family, 2 Broke Girls, Revolution, and How I Met Your Mother, Canada's #1 lifestyle show for women – Cityline, and upcoming new Citytv original comedies Seed and Package Deal. Citytv Montreal will also produce and deliver 15.5 hours of original local programming not currently available from existing English-language stations in the market – including daily weekday morning show Breakfast Television and weekly sports show Connected Montreal. The new Citytv Montreal in-house productions will add more than 20 new production jobs in the Montreal market.
Citytv Montreal will operate out of a newly built studio in Montreal's downtown core with support from the extended Citytv and Rogers Media family.
