LET’S TALK TV: Pick and pay in Canada strikes out with U.S. media heavyweights

TORONTO - Some of the big American media companies that participated in the Let’s Talk TV initiative pulled no punches when evaluating the perils of a possible mandated pick and pay subscriber model in Canada.Representatives at Walt Disney, Turner Broadcasting, Viacom and A&E Television Networks (AETN) declined to appear at the September 8th hearing, but had plenty to say in their submissions to the CRTC.Disney, the world’s second largest broadcasting company in regards to revenue, discussed how broad distribution makes for better “channel packaging” for growing advertising, quality production, lower subscriber fees and long-term planning. The mass media company also pointed to a...