GATINEAU – Cartt.ca has learned that the next decisions stemming from the CRTC’s massive TV Policy Review (the Let’s Talk TV proceeding) are scheduled to be released on March 12.
But, don’t expect to hear word on a mandated skinny basic or what the new pick and pay rules will be that day because the announcement in two weeks is expected to be all about content only. The decisions on distribution and packaging are tentatively set to be released a week later – on or about March 19, according to sources. That day is not set in stone, however.
The announcement on the 12th is expected to be focused on Cancon or, as it said in the Let’s Talk TV working document released in August, the decisions will answer questions on: “ways to foster compelling Canadian programming, including program production, promotion, exhibition and Canadian programming expenditures.”
So the decision will speak to issues like genre protection, whether or not to include online revenues as part of Canadian programming expenditure calculations, whether or not over-the-top services should make Cancon contributions, and the problem of discoverability of Canadian content in TV schedules, among other issues.
The March 12 announcement follows prior decisions already made public, including January’s much-ballyhooed ruling that Canadian broadcasters can no longer perform simultaneous substitution on the Super Bowl, beginning two seasons from now. The Commission also announced then that local broadcasters must keep their over-the-air transmitters running if they want to continue to benefit from must-carry on cable/satellite/IPTV and regular simsub.
Last fall, in the first decision from the TV Policy Hearing, the CRTC told carriers they can no longer wait 30 days to cancel a customer’s TV subscription, when asked.
