OTTAWA – The CRTC has turned down an application by Groupe Média TFO seeking must-offer status for its television channel TFO.
The Commission said Thursday that the request is not justified after considering the application “in light of the objectives set out in relevant policies and regulations, as well as the decisions and measures fostering choice for Canadians and flexibility for BDUs resulting from the Let’s Talk TV proceeding”.
The French-language educational media company filed the application in May, accompanied by more than 700 supporting interventions and research indicating that 88% of Canadians living in provinces with little access to French-language television programing say that they want more content in that language.
Calling the CRTC’s decision “disappointing for Francophones across Canada”, Groupe Média TFO said that it “remains resolutely committed in pursuing its efforts to increase the reach of its educational, French-language content on regulated and unregulated platforms”.
"This disappointing decision does not, in the least, diminish our conviction to distribute our educational French-language content to communities who requested it to the Commission," said Groupe Média TFO's president and CEO Glenn O'Farrell, in a statement.
