CBC wants new Canadian only basic cable packages
In a submission filed with the CRTC on Monday and received by Digital Home Canada, CBC/Radio-Canada is recommending that basic cable and satellite television distributors be required to offer Canadian consumers a pared-down package of basic TV programming.
The public broadcaster is also recommending that a percentage of the price paid by consumers go towards subsidizing local television broadcasters.
In what is essentially a modified Fee-For-Carriage proposal, CBC’s all-Canadian cable or satellite package would only include local Canadian television stations and government mandated stations with a maximum price to be determined by the CRTC.
Currently cable and satellite distributors require Canadian consumers purchase a basic cable or satellite programming package which contains aboriginal, government funded, parliamentary and weather channels mandated by the CRTC, local Canadian and U.S. television stations and shopping channels. According to the CBC, these basic packages range in price from $18 to $38 and carry from 20 to 46 channels.
In its submission, CBC/Radio-Canada is suggesting a smaller “Canadian only” basic cable and satellite package whose content and price is fixed by the CRTC. The CBC does not specifically say which channels would be in the revised basic package except to say that it would exclude U.S. stations and digital specialty channels.
Although not spelled out in the CBC document, the proposed CBC package would likely include CRTC mandated channels such as APTN, the legislature channel, public broadcasting channels, the Weather network along with all local over-the-air French and English stations.
For a city like Toronto, that would likely include about 15 channels including: the cable community channel, CTV, Global, CBC, CityTV, Legislature, APTN, CPAC, Star, Weather Network, SunTV, Omni1, Omni 2, CP24, TVO, RDI and CTS. The CBC is proposing the price be between 78 cents and $1.28 per channel in the package which would make such a package come in at between $12 and $20 per month, a potential savings of $6 to $18 a month over existing packages.
Channels, often found in cable and satellite basic packages that would be eliminated under the CBC proposal would include all American networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, and WB), all digital channels (TSN, SportsNet) and any timeshifted Canadian stations.
The CBC says that by eliminating these extra stations and using a portion of the proceeds to fund local broadcasters, both consumers and broadcasters will be better off. Consumers pay less for basic cable and local broadcasters will get more funding.
The problem with the CBC’s logic is that most, if not all Canadian cable subscribers want those U.S. television stations and want stations like TSN. Under the CBC proposal, Canadians would then be required to pay for a second add-on cable package for the local U.S. stations and perhaps a third add-on Sports package to get all the stations originally in their original “basic” package.
Add all those essential U.S. local stations and Sports channels back in mix, add in the new amounts being funneled back to broadcasters, and the cost to consumers under the new CBC plan would likely be even higher to consumers.
Discuss and download the complete submission in our Canadian Television forum.
I threw out my tv 17 years ago, sick of American garbage, soft-core porn permeating the majority of programing, entertainment masquerading as news, mutilated woman of the week cop shows, glut advertising and ignorant television personalities who couldn’t do an interview if their lives depended on it.
This Canadian option might get me back. Let’s see what the offer is first.
The CBC proposal is an excellent idea. But the basic fee is not high enough. We should pay at least $5 per channel and 99% of the money should go towards the TV stations.
No because our lazy producers are overcharging for the crap they produce.
You know what would be just?
EVERYBODY pay for tv, like in Engalnd. Put a new annex in the annual tax decleration. Why will it always bee the people using cable that should pay for the rest?
Oh, it’s not OK? Why? because Canadian TV is crappy?
Yeah, tought so
Right now I get all my CBC channels for free with rabbit ears, I’m expecting (hoping) that continues.
People listen!!!
You can get FREE TV OVER THE AIR!!!!! …..with a good old UHF antenna from Channel Master for around $60.00 to $100.00 each.
The broadcaster are switching from “Analog” to “Digital” transmission of the signal.
All new HDTV are equipped with a ATSC tuner to receive the “Digital” broadcast from OVER THE AIR with antenna.
Most main network broadcast in HD !!
If you have a old TV set just buy a ATSC tuner at BestBuy or FutureShop or Wal-Mart for around $70 bucks and voila….you can watch TV for FREE!!!!!!!!
And forget about the DIGITAL word on every box or package it’s only for marketing!!
An antenna will receive any signal it doesn’t matter if it’s broadcast in digital or analog .
Enjoy!
ps: screw the CBC,CTV,GLOBAL and CRTC……Long Live OTA!!!!!
You live in a big city, don’t you? Let me guess Toronto or Vancouver area?
Read everything before you post. OTA is NOT available to everybody.
Won’t these Canadian Networks get a hold of themselves?
The cable companies do the stations a service: by allowing cable tv to carry your signal, you don’t have to keep your transmitters going, and still have “service” going to the people who wish to pay shaw, rogers, or bell expressview. CBC has the best of both worlds already. They have simu-sub when they air at the same time a US station does for their regular stations, and they have extra money comming in from Bold and Documentry. What the cable companies pay for Newsworld, i’m not sure….
But CBC has been dis-affiliating and shutting down transmitters…
Kamloops and Prince George are both out in the cold. Our TV stations have gone “independent” but it sure seems like they’re can-west affiliated now. No more Don Cherry on rabbit ears here.
I prop up CBC with my tax money, and don’t even have a CBC-tv transmitter to show for it. Of course, they still broadcast the FRENCH station out here, just not an English one.
Why has the CRTC issued so many licenses for so called local channels CTV GLOBAL CITY-TV and there is an A channel. Non of these stations produce any worth while prgramming 1 hour of local news a day US stations produce the same and in many ceases more local news also more some produce much more local shows. CTV and Global have never lived up to there license content requirements and who really wants these channels, they programme the same shows as US border stations and simply pirate the channel space. I dont watch these channels there garbage i can get better quality signals watching the network stations. Why should i pay for this crap, I already pay taxes to support the CBC which in 55 years hasn’t produced anything worth while and has half a dozen cable channels. I pay enough for cable and why should we be paying to upgrade transmitter and studio equipment for these locals (under the disguise money needed for local programming campaign ) so they can make enormous profits.
Robert has hit the nail on the head!
Prime time broadcast of Global/CTV/City/A contain no Canadian content to speak of. The only reason we watch any of these networks is because the cable provider must substitute a Canadian network for a US network when programming is substantially the same.
Think about it. How can Global/CTV/City/A not make money? They have a guaranteed market for their broadcasts and the advertisers they sell to. Only mismanagement or competition can produce a red bottom line – Oh wait, there is competition from all the speciality channels so the OTA market is shrinking – Oh wait, the OTA complainers are part of the same company that owns the specialty channels. Well I guess the truth comes out, the OTA guys have simply mismanaged themselves into a corner and need the regulator and the politicians to bail them out. God help the politician who does not side with the OTA bandits – can you imagine the local news coverage they will get?