By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Monday ordered online streamers to provide closed captioning (CC) for their entire program catalogues by 2031.
Within that space of time, the streamers will have one year from now to provide CC for all new original pre-recorded English- and French-language programs; all original English- and French-language live programs, including those made by a third-party supplier; and all previously captioned programs on traditional TV.
To strike a balance between accessibility and avoiding straining CC resources, the CRTC said it will give them four years to have CC on 80 per cent of their program catalogues and five…
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By Howard Law, author of MediaPolicy.ca and Canada vs. California: How Ottawa took on Netflix and the streaming giants (Lorimer, 2024)
The other shoe dropped last week when the CRTC delivered two rulings that nearly complete its new regulatory framework for Netflix and the rest of the Hollywood streamers, as well as Canadian television broadcasters.
The reaction to the rulings from the Hollywood streamers and their Canadian enablers offered more heat than light. Media reports played them as a trade story and some breathlessly speculated on Culture & Identity Minister Marc…
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Regulator aims to float services of “exceptional importance” through fund
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Thursday ordered online streamers to contribute a total of 15 per cent of their annual Canadian revenues into the broadcasting system, which includes the five per cent base amount the regulator ordered them to pay in a 2024 decision that foreign streamers are currently fighting in court.
Simultaneously, the regulator is reducing the amount Canadian private broadcasters have been paying into the system – from between 30 and 45 per cent to at least 25 per cent – which is the CRTC’s answer to leveling the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has turned down a 2023 application that asked it to align the rates competitors pay Bell for disaggregated and aggregated fibre access.
Quebecor’s application, which hoped for an update to rates established in 2017, was opposed by Bell and Rogers for a reason that the CRTC would adopt Tuesday: the regulator is already reviewing how to update the disaggregated regime, which forces competitors to get their own transport/traffic facilities to obtain access to the fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) portion of the legacy telcos’ network.
“The proceeding initiated by Telecom Notice of Consultation Continue Reading
President says organization will submit a comprehensive application “promptly”
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has denied Vues & Voix a three-cent increase in the rate broadcasters must pay to carry its 24-hour French-language radio station Canal M, saying there is insufficient evidence to justify it.
The discretionary service, which provides news and current affairs programming for the accessibility community and for people with disabilities, requested a three-cent rate increase – from four cents to seven cents per subscriber, per month – due to financial pressure. The not-for-profit said it has had to implement significant budget cuts, which resulted in…
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The CRTC last week announced the establishment of a CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) ad hoc relief planning committee (RPC) to examine options and make recommendations for providing numbering relief to the area codes 368, 403, 587, 780 and 825 in Alberta.
The Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) has advised the CRTC that the existing area codes in Alberta are projected to exhaust by February 2029.
The 403 area code covers southern Alberta including Calgary, while the 780 area code covers the northern part of the province including Edmonton.
Area codes 368, 587 and 825 are overlay area codes that…
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Brad Danks | CEO, OUTtv Media Global
Part 7 – CARTT Series: Beyond the Walled Garden
Read – Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
At this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, a high-level panel titled “Balancing Cultural Diversity, Artistic Freedom and Competitiveness in the Platform Era” felt like a genuine policy turning point. European Parliament First Vice-President Sabine Verheyen summed up the moment: “If a handful of players decide which stories are visible, whose voices are amplified, and which languages are profitable, cultural diversity is no longer guaranteed,…
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Brad Danks | CEO, OUTtv Media Global
Part 6 – CARTT Series: Beyond the Walled Garden
Read – Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
Moving toward global distribution doesn’t make the domestic market irrelevant. In fact, the opposite is true: countries that export the most media usually have the strongest homegrown broadcasting institutions. Export success isn’t just supported by a solid domestic base, it depends on it.
Domestic strength isn’t about protectionism. It’s the industrial backbone that allows us to achieve both cultural goals and export ambitions.
The International Evidence
This pattern…
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Expects mandatory roaming and tower sharing to be feasible in all cases
By Ahmad Hathout
The department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) has launched a consultation this week on a set of proposals to streamline the tower build process and updated the conditions of licence to find that mandatory roaming and tower sharing are technically feasible in all cases.
Through a consultation document released Monday, ISED is asking for comments about the following proposed measures: whether it should allow telecoms, tower owners and broadcasters to forego public consutlation and notification to a land use authority (LUA) if the proposed tower…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Akash Broadcasting Inc. has filed a notice of discontinuance at the Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday to pull back its case challenging a CRTC decision to deny its buy of AM radio station CKMX in Calgary.
The operator of ethnic stations was granted a hearing at the high court in December and was supposed to file a requisition for a hearing date by tomorrow.
A question to Akash and its law firm as to why it discontinued the application was not returned.
Akash entered into an agreement with Bell in 2024 to acquire the assets of the station,…
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