AS A CANADIAN LIVING in California, I still follow developments in Canada, particularly in the broadcasting system. As someone formerly involved in CATV, in specialty services and the public sector, I miss the Canadian system for what was and continues to be a very unexpected reason.
I had assumed, while living in Canada, that the U.S. system would be superior to Canada’s, which had always struck me as over-regulated and over-priced.
Well, it sure turned out to be VERY not so. It is significantly more expensive here for inferior offerings and limited choices. The greatest difference is in pay TV, where we instantly realized that the Canadian movie networks offer the best of Showtime and HBO at roughly half the price. Moreover, the on demand feature of Canadian Pay TV, which is part of one’s subscription, is not available here, and the multiplexing is profoundly inferior.
One aspect of the Canadian system I don’t miss is the rabid self-interest of the established players and the viciousness of their attacks on new entrants, new ideas and new ways of doing things. Obviously, the same mindset prevails here but nothing in the U.S., including the recent spat between Scripps and Cablevision, comes close to the vitriolic battle between CATV and the broadcasters that was waged in the Canadian media in November and December.
Now, I’m hearing of the same kind of rancorous attacks by Canada’s CATV operators against Mediadenovo’s proposal to make use of the two minutes of avails in U.S. satellite services. Mediadenovo is proposing to put roughly $100 million into Canadian programming over the next three years. CATV is offering to put less than $10 million to the same end and yet they are behaving as if allowing a new and independent player would be dealing them a death blow.
Mediadenovo would put 70% of the proceeds into Canadian production compared to 6% by CATV. Why is there even a discussion about this? It would seem to be one of the easiest decisions the CRTC ever had to make.
Apart from the question of money, new players have typically revitalized the broadcasting system with new ideas and new ways of looking at improving the system and solving its problems. The CRTC, by approving Mediadenovo’s application, would send a wonderfully clear message that the Commission, and the broadcasting system as a whole, is open to new players and to innovation.
Juris Silkans
(Juris Silkans was president of Atlantis Broadcasting from 1995-2000)
