OTTAWA – The National Football League wants to come to Canada. Specifically, it has asked to appear in Court as part of Bell Media’s appeal of a CRTC decision banning simultaneous substitution during the Super Bowl.
In documents filed with the Federal Court of Appeal last week, the NFL officially asked for intervener status in Bell’s appeal of BRP 2015-25 which, among other decisions, ruled that simsub may no longer be performed by Canadian broadcasters for the Super Bowl effective at the end of the 2016 NFL season.
Bell Media, the Canadian rightsholder of the big game that airs nationally on…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Now that the CRTC has made the big decisions as part of its Let’s Talk TV process, it’s up to the major broadcasters to decide how they want to game the system to their advantage. And Bell Media has already taken the first steps.
On Monday, the CRTC posted applications from Bell to convert Bravo!,The Comedy Network, Discovery Channel, E!, MTV (Canada), M3, Much and Space from Category A services to Category B. Before the Let’s Talk TV process, this would have been a dramatic and unlikely change. But now it’s just accelerating a process that the Commission…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC will release its decision on wholesale wireline services late Wednesday.
The Commission confirmed that it will stage a media “lock-up” from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET on July 22 at its Central Office to provide a technical briefing to explain the different elements of the decision. The decision itself will be released at 4:00 PM and Cartt.ca will be there.
When the hearing into wholesale wireline kicked off last November, CRTC chairm Jean-Pierre Blais directed that it focus on the themes of:
– Whether changes should be made to the CRTC’s framework for wholesale telecommunications services;
– What considerations…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC is launching a proceeding to examine the framework for French-language vocal music (FVM) in order to foster its discovery, promotion, creation and consumption in the digital era.
Noting that Canadians’ consumption habits are changing thanks to new broadband-driven technologies, streaming music services, and a trend that sees some listeners migrating from French-language stations to English-language ones, the Commission said Monday that the goal of the proceeding is to ensure that French-language content is present in music programming and to provide French-language vocal music listeners with access to programming that reflects their needs, interests and culture.
The CRTC…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – There is broad consensus among the smaller Internet providers, consumers groups and local governments that high speed Internet is a critical part of Canadian society and the economy. They are now telling the CRTC that it should take the steps necessary to include broadband as part of the basic service objective and find ways to ensure its rollout is funded by the industry and government.
As the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) noted in its July 14 submission to the CRTC’s review of basic telecommunications services, broadband has a “prominent influence” on Canada’s economic, social and cultural identity.
“Broadband…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Could Vidéotron be forced to refund cash to its TV subscribers for failing to give them proper community access television?
A grassroots community TV group that got the CRTC to declare Videotron’s MAtv community channel non-compliant with regulations has filed a class action lawsuit against the company on behalf of all subscribers in the greater Montreal area. The group is seeking a refund of part of the two per cent of gross revenues that are redirected to MAtv for greater Montreal over the past three years (roughly $4 total per subscriber), plus moral and punitive damages of $2…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has kicked off a call for comments on proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations in order to implement some decisions from the recent Let’s Talk TV proceeding.
Among other things, the Commission said that the amendments seek to:
– provide Canadians with access to a small entry-level service offering (basic service) and pick-and-pay and flexible package options;
– eliminate genre protection to allow more programming flexibility, while streamlining the licensing regime for discretionary services;
– ensure that a diversity of voices is offered to Canadians by requiring that vertically integrated distributors offer one English- or French-language independent service for…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has announced plans to give Canada’s 9-1-1 networks a stress test and then decide whether to mandate 9-1-1 network quality-of-service standards.
Canadians have access to either Basic or Enhanced 9-1-1 service through wireline, wireless, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services in areas where 9-1-1 call centres, also known as public safety answering points (PSAPs), have been established by provincial, territorial, or municipal governments. The Commission said Thursday that it wants to proactively review the reliability and resiliency of 9-1-1 networks and various elements in light of significant service disruptions to 9-1-1 services in the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – A sharp increase in telecommunications prices over the past year combined with slower economic growth are affecting Canadian consumers' ability to afford their current telecom services, according to The Conference Board of Canada.
In the latest Outlook for Canada's Telecommunications Industry report, telecommunications industry revenues are forecast to increase by only 2.3% this year, the smallest increase since the 2009 recession, while the industry's GDP is expected to expand by less than 1%.
The telecommunications price index rose by almost 5% in 2014, most likely driven by wireless price increases associated with the adoption of…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Spending on tangible public benefits related to the acquisition of regulated Canadian broadcast television assets increased by 27%, or $29.9 million, to $138.7 million in the 2013-2014 broadcast year, according to new research from Ottawa-based research firm Boon Dog Professional Services.
Of the $138.7 million in television benefits spent in 2013-2014 (the broadcast year ended August 31, 2014), 87% or $120.9 million went to on-screen/programming-related initiatives — primarily the creation of new Canadian programming — and the remaining 13% or $17.8 million went to social initiatives such as funding for digital television upgrades, training programs, and…
Continue Reading
