OTTAWA – The CRTC has approved a trio of new specialty channels, including a five-year license for Shaw Television to operate Shaw Media Sports, a national, English-language service that has been licensed as a Category C service.
Shaw is the latest media company to apply and receive permission to operate a sports channel, since the CRTC opened up competition in the mainstream sports segment. Rogers, CBC and MLSE have previously applied to the regulator and been approved to launch their respective sports channels, but one wonders what big name sports rights are left for another new sports channel to acquire.
Category C services are services that provide programming in genres that the commission has opened up to competition. These services are subject to standard conditions of licenses as detailed in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2009-562. BDUs are not required to distribute Category C services.
With the approval, industry insiders now expect a possible CBC/Shaw bid on the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. They would be going head-to-head against the CTV-Rogers Olympic consortium.
Also approved were Ethnic Channels Group’s application to operate South Asian News and Information TV, a national, ethnic specialty Category B service programming undertaking operating in the English language. The station is devoted to news, information and public affairs programming about or reflecting views from the South Asian continent. The applicant also requested authority to broadcast up to six minutes per hour of local advertising.
The third specialty channel approved is from Astral Broadcasting Group to operate Investigation, a national, Category 2 specialty service operating in the French language. It will be devoted to exploring justice and forensic science: legal and police investigations, major trials, procedures, legal firms, coroners, forensic pathology, etc. Intended mainly for adult viewers, Astral proposes to air magazines, documentaries, dramas and reality television shows related to justice and forensic science.
