OTTAWA – The CCTA has asked the CRTC to add nine more Asian TV channels to the eligible satellite list for digital distribution in Canada.
Dragon TV, Southeast TV Station (SETV), CCTV-4, Beijing TV (BTV), Southern Television, Guangdong (TVS Satellite), China Yellow River Television Station (CYRTV), CCTV- Entertainment, Hunan Satellite TV (HTV), Jiangsu International TV have all been sponsored by the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association.
"The new CRTC policy on foreign third-language services has opened the door to offering consumers more choice. Providing consumers with increased diversity in television programming," said Michael Hennessy, CCTA president, in a release. "These services from the China International Television Corporate (CITVC) reflect the cable industry’s ongoing commitment to offer consumers the best services from Canada along with the best in the world."
The nine television services originate from Mainland China and represent the best of China’s general interest Mandarin-language channels as well as channels in other dialects including Cantonese and Fujianese. They offer a wide variety of programming including sports, movies, documentaries, dramatic series, children’s programs, talk shows and news.
Under the CRTC’s approval criteria for foreign third-language services, CCTA has already requested that 12 other services be added to the lists of eligible satellite services.
CCTV Entertainment’s Mandarin programming includes TV dramas, music and Chinese opera, folk arts, Chinese acrobatic shows and gala presentations.
CCTV – 4 focuses on documentaries, talk shows and news. There is some dramatic programming. It is 100% Mandarin.
Beijing TV (BTV) has a national audience of more than 200 million. The 100% Mandarin programming includes culture, history, fashion, lifestyle, travel, sports, children, technology and entertainment.
Dragon TV provides more than six hours of news programming a day including some English language news (approximately 0.5% of the overall weekly programming schedule). The Mandarin programming also includes entertainment, sports, documentaries and drama. The service is headquartered in Shanghai and airs in almost all major cities across the Mainland, parts of Australia, Japan and Macau.
China Yellow River Television Station (CYRTV) primarily features programs related to teaching and training, including Chinese-language learning, Chinese chess, painting, poems, operas, local dancing, music, Chinese antiques, Chinese cuisine and cooking, Chinese Kung Fu and traditional Chinese medicine. It is 100% Mandarin.
Hunan Satellite TV (HTV) is the market leader in Chinese entertainment and information in China. It mainly features entertainment and informational programs in Mandarin, which capture the pulse and essence of city living in China.
Jiangsu International TV Channel showcases the "Wuyue" culture along the southern Yangtse River, home to one of China’s most economically developed regions. The Mandarin programming includes news, financial information, entertainment, education, TV dramas, cultural and travel programs. There is also an element of English-language programming – news – which represents approximately 2.87% of the weekly schedule (4.5 hours a week).
Southeast TV Station (SETV) highlights the unique characteristics of the Diaspora Chinese culture. The programming is broadcast in the Fujianese dialect and includes news, entertainment, sports, and financial information. The programming reaches the whole of Asia, North America, Eastern Europe, Africa and most of Oceania; it is Fujian’s only satellite channel. Approximately 2.87% of the overall weekly programming schedule is English-language news without subtitling or Second Audio Programming.
The Satellite Channel of Southern Television Guangdong (TVS Satellite) is broadcast in the Cantonese dialect. The programming includes lifestyle, fashion, entertainment, and drama as well as news and information.
