CRTC orders Super Bowl simsub ban, for now

OTTAWA – Canadians may be able to watch U.S. ads in next year’s Super Bowl after the CRTC officially moved to prohibit simultaneous substitution for the big game starting in 2017.The Commission issued a distribution order on Friday that effectively halts simultaneous substitution (simsub) for the event starting with Super Bowl 51, scheduled for February 5, 2017. Simsub occurs when a BDU temporarily replaces the signal of one TV channel with that of another channel showing the same program at the same time. According to the CRTC, during the Let’s Talk TV proceeding Canadians expressed ongoing frustration with the practice, including the...