GATINEAU – The CRTC approved ZoomerMedia’s application for religious service VisionTV to completely alter its programming, but denied its request to cut down some of its Canadian content requirements.
UPDATE: However, according to the company, that doesn’t mean it is getting out of religious programming.
Thanks to the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV policy changes, genre exclusivity is on the outs, so the Commission decided because of that, (and the fact that Vision will no longer be a must-carry for Canadian carriers as of August 31, 2020), it would allow Vision’s request to drop its current conditions of license (COLs). All of the requirements are now gone as of Tuesday’s decision, meaning VisionTV can really alter its course, freed from having to ensure that 75% of its schedule be religious programming, for example.
The decision, showing the deleted COLs, is here.
Vision will also be allowed to dedicate up to 10% of its schedule to live sports.
However, the Commission did not okay Zoomer’s request to eliminate the 387 hours of original Canadian content it must air annually.
“The Commission finds that the amendments, as proposed by ZoomerMedia, are consistent with Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2015-86 and the Commission’s previous determinations regarding similar applications,” reads the decision.
“However, ZoomerMedia’s request to delete its condition of licence on original Canadian programming is not consistent with the Commission’s transitional approach outlined in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2015-86, given that the condition does not specifically pertain to the service’s existing genre or nature of service, namely, religious programming,” the decision continues.
“The Commission is of the view that the amount of original hours of Canadian programming prescribed in the current condition of licence is still achievable since the service is currently broadcasting significantly more hours of original programming than it is required. In addition, it will be easier for the service to meet this condition of licence because it will no longer be bound by a prescriptive nature of service condition of licence, including requirements related to Mosaic programming and other requirements that ZoomerMedia cited in its reply as impediments to meeting the requirements of the original Canadian programming condition of licence going forward.”
UPDATE: The deleted COLs won’t mean Vision will be making a dramatic shift in course, however, except in prime time. The channel will remain a multi-faith channel.
“We are still going to be doing the religion. That likely will not change,” ZoomerMedia’s vice president, program distribution and block time sales, Tony Greco, told Cartt.ca in an email. “The only real change is, prior (to the CRTC decision) we were mandated to deliver at least 75% religion, and had to file logs proving same. Now, the amount of religion will be at our discretion without the pressure of hitting 75%.”
Until now, virtually all series and movies Vision shopped for had to be religious programming, meaning it was restricted “to only content that touched upon the human condition, spirituality, human/moral conflict, etc.,” wrote Greco. “Now, we can keep our religious programming (Mosaic) while having more flexibility with regard to our prime time movies and series.
“Vision will remain the largest and strongest voice in Canada for the Faith market, as it has been for decades.”
