GATINEAU – The CRTC has decided Rogers will continue to operate its must-carry national ethnic language TV channel after renewing its license for OMNI Regional for three years until August 2023. Its current license expires next summer.
This means the Commission has denied all of the other hopefuls, each of whom had rather interesting proposals for a new channel to serve the ethnic market (see links below).
“The new service, which will succeed Rogers’ existing OMNI Regional service, will be available on all digital basic television packages throughout Canada,” reads the CRTC press release. “The new OMNI Regional service will better reflect Canada’s diverse ethnic and linguistic communities and offer more news and information programming from a Canadian perspective.”
The Commission held a four-day hearing at the end of November to hear from Rogers, which owns the existing 9(1)(h) license under the OMNI brand until August 2020, as well as applications from Ethnic Channels Group (Voices), an ATN/Telelatino partnership (CanadaWorld), Bell Media (OurTV), Corrcan Media Group (no name), ICTV (Tele1/Tele2), Amber Broadcasting (Amber News Network), and Multicultural Described Video Guide.
TV carriers must carry the signal in their basic channel lineups. “Canadians require access to high-quality local news and programming from a Canadian viewpoint in various languages. Being able to watch content in one’s mother tongue adds a sense of belonging for many, enables participation in civic affairs and our democracy, and helps ensure that Canada’s diversity is reflected in our broadcasting system,” said CRTC chair Ian Scott in the release.
The CRTC granted Rogers' request for an increased wholesale fee ($0.19/subscriber/month), but denied its request for annual increases of that fee. The current wholesale fee is 12-cents.
Each applicant had their own hook, and proposed wholesale fee, which we covered in a series of stories linked below. We’ll have more to come as we talk to some of the rejected applicants, as well as Rogers.
The Last Must-Carry: To OMNI, or not to OMNI
The Last Must-Carry: Poking holes in the applicants
The Last Must-Carry: Commissioners challenge assumptions
The Last Must-Carry: What makes you so special?
The Last Must-Carry: Eight vying for mandatory carriage on the TV dial
