GATINEAU – The arrival of skinny basic TV programming packages and pick-and-pay options on Tuesday mark a “new era of choice for Canadian television viewers”, according to the CRTC.
Effective immediately, all licensed television service providers must offer an affordable basic package (a.k.a skinny basic) costing no more than $25 per month, not including equipment. The package must include local and regional television stations such as CBC, CTV and Global, channels of public interest like the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), educational channels, community channels, and services operated by provincial legislatures, where available.
The basic package may also include, at no additional charge, local AM and FM radio stations, non-local over-the-air TV stations (up to a maximum of 10), stations affiliated with U.S. networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) and PBS, and educational channels of another province or territory in each official language (if no educational channel is offered).
TV service providers must also offer channels either individually on a pick and pay basis or in small bundles of up to 10 channels by December 1st. The exception to the rule is service providers with fewer than 20,000 subscribers, though both of the country’s satellite television providers must offer these options.
The Commission announced changes in TV packaging rules about a year ago, following its Let’s Talk TV consultation. It said the move was based on feedback from Canadians demanding more choice, flexibility and affordability in their TV services.
"The television system is evolving as Canadians’ viewing habits change and technology provides more options”, said CRTC chairman and CEO Jean Pierre Blais, in a statement Tuesday. “During the Let’s Talk TV conversation, Canadians told us that they wanted the freedom to choose services according to their needs, their realities and their budgets. Canadians can now make television choices on their terms.”
