OTTAWA–GATINEAU – Canadian-made content can hold its own among the best in the world, and therefore no longer requires “certain” regulatory protections, CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Thursday while releasing the third round of decisions from the Let’s Talk TV proceeding.
The Commission is cutting the Canadian content quota for local TV stations during the day from 55% to zero, but will keep the weekday prime time requirement that 50% of programming aired between 6:00 and 11:00 PM. Specialty channels, which currently have quotas that range from 15% to 85%, will see their Cancon requirements harmonized at 35% overall with no specific requirement for the evening hours. Broadcasters will also soon have more flexibility to better promote original Canadian television programs.
Two new pilot projects will allow greater flexibility in the funding of Canadian programs, and the CRTC will also host a Discoverability Summit this fall to explore how technology can be used to help viewers find content made by Canadians in the digital environment.
Lastly, the CRTC is creating a new hybrid video-on-demand exemption where services may offer exclusive content to their subscribers, provided that they are available to all Canadians over the Internet without a television subscription. This will enable Canadian services to compete on a more equal footing with online video services, it said.
"Canadian television rests on a solid foundation. We have more than enough money and talent to tell our stories”, Blais said in a statement. “But the system cannot remain frozen in time when the world around us is changing. That's why we are adopting bold and forward-looking measures to ensure that Canadians can produce and promote compelling content that attracts audiences within and beyond our borders. We know that it will not be easy for everyone to adapt to this shift. We are confident, however, that Canadian creators have the know-how and tools to succeed.”
More to come.
