OTTAWA – The CRTC has turned down a request from Super Channel parent Allarco to amend regulations in Francophone markets with a significant English-speaking minority community to distribute all English and French-language pay television services.
Allarco said in an application to the CRTC that despite its best efforts, Class 1 BDUs in Quebec have refused to negotiate the distribution of Super Channel in their markets. It argued that by refusing to distribute the pay-TV movie network where there is a significant English-speaking minority community, these BDUs are contravening the government policy put in place to encourage and facilitate access to the widest range of official-language broadcasting services as possible in English- and French-speaking minority communities.
In its decision, the Commission noted the lack of evidence provided that “would reveal a demand for Super Channel or any other English-language pay television service that is not already distributed in these markets”. It also said that the current regulations already provide Allarco “with significant access rights”, and that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that “these regulations subject Allarco to a significant disadvantage in relation to other pay television services”.
