Well done CRTC? It is the networks that are asking this be done. Are you suggesting that the CRTC put more regulations in place to stop this? Without the CRTC you would see a free market, and the cable companies blacking out signals at any time, at the request, and presumably with fees provided, by whichever channel offers them the most money. Not sure what you are looking for here.

The CRTC is the governing body of the airwaves,their job is ensure that Canadian content be shown on Canadian TV,okay fine,I agree with that,
the programming on CBC is without American shows,Global & CTV are also Canadian chanels but they continue to purchase US programing & simsub to earn a bigger revenue for themselves,while do almost nothing to create new Canadian made shows to repalce the American ones.If their job is to promote Canadian content,why then do they not give Global & CTV an ultimatium
saying this:You have 5 years & we demand that all of your programming on your networks is 100% Canadian and failure to do so will result in your broadcasting license being revoked.Either the CRTC can not or will not force a showdown with these 2 networks.They have been getting away with this for way too long & must be taken to task for their dismal failure to create & broadcast only Canadian shows on their netwoks.

I would like the CRTC to mandate that all Canadian channels (excluding the CBC) can show whatever they like in prime time except American programming. British shows or any foreign shows would be fine, just not American. During daytime and overnight, American shows would be allowed.

The CBC would have to show 100% Canadian content in primetime.

nfitz: I was being sarcastic. The CRTC LEGALIZED simsubbing so YES, it is the CRTC's fault. I don't know how you can blame anyone else. Sure the stations ask for simsubbing to occur, but why wouldn't they? They want the advertising dollars. If I could wanted my yearly salary increased to 10 million dollars a year, and the government organization I worked for granted it, would you blame ME for asking or the organization for granting it?

I agree TOTALLY with noaa2000. The CRTC is helping the Canadian ADVERTISING market, at the expense of Canadian programming.

Pardon the expression, but aren't Canadian broadcasters are 'beating a dead horse' by even being ALLOWED to show American shows on our airwaves. Not that I dislike American shows, but if the American station already broadcasts here, why do we need it??

I like noaa's idea of having Global and CTV being forced to have only Canadian programming.

Pardon the expression, but aren't Canadian broadcasters are 'beating a dead horse' by even being ALLOWED to show American shows on our airwaves. Not that I dislike American shows, but if the American station already broadcasts here, why do we need it??
True, but the framework for simsubs began back in the very early days of cable TV where subscribers got a couple of American networks and was the occasional overlap in programming. Now with hundreds of channels, timeshifting, and most of the population getting their TV via satellite or cable, there is a ton of duplication.
Simsubs won't go away unless there's a wholesale review of the television industry in Canada that recommends radical changes such as opening up the system to foreign competition. The Canadian networks won't like that since they've had it pretty good for a while - a protected market with access to international programming.
I like noaa's idea of having Global and CTV being forced to have only Canadian programming.
If anything, the CRTC made things worse in the past few years. They expanded the definition of "prime time" to include the late news, and they allowed reality and news-magazine programming to qualify as CanCon. That's why we have ET-Canada on Global every night at 7PM rather than original dramatic series from 8-11PM. If they defined prime time to be what it truly is, 8PM-11PM, and kept the CanCon percentage requirements in place (I think it's around 20%) you'd see less simsubbing and more Canadian drama programming 'cause they'd have no choice.

That is the major problem,Canadian television benefits from a protected market and is unwilling to give up that gravy train money.The CRTC will do nothing to change that protection racket.Simsubbing so I have read,rakes in over $100,000,000 a year for Global & CTV and they will fight to the death to keep that huge revenue.Corporate greed keeps simsubs going.But I will not let corporate greed ruin the Super Bowl for me next Sunday.I'm off to the US to watch the CBS HD broadcast far enough away from mafia controlled TV.

Yes Noaa, that's awesome. I might have to join you one day.
Hell, I might even move to the US just to escape this whole simsubbing process, it's driving me insane more and more.

Hell, I might even move to the US just to escape this whole simsubbing process, it's driving me insane more and more.Or you could move within 100km of the border and put up an antenna to free yourself from simsubbing.

StanleyParker you don't mention where you live but from your handle I would guess you are in Vancouver. If that is the case then check out the Vancouver thread in the OTA forum - some folks are able to pick up US stations.

Actually, I'm in Kitchener. I've looked at putting up an OTA antenna, but I think I'm just a little too far from Buffalo. Maybe if I double up on the antenna with a pre-amp, I might be able to pick up something. Do you have one in Scarborough?

Do you have one in Scarborough?Yes - I have it hooked up to an HTPC. I can get all Buffalo channels and when I turn the antenna I can get Rochester channels which are 95 miles away. I am also about 83 miles away from the bulk of the Buffalo transmitters that are south of Buffalo but I am on a hill overlooking Lake Ontario and I have a clear line of sight to the south and southeast - the Toronto channels I don't get, other than CBC. You may be able to just get a signal. I think you might even be slightly closer to Erie, assuming that they have transmitters with similar power.

Now that we have digressed enough re: OTA reception, let's get back to our normally scheduled ranting against the CRTC.

Discussion of OTA reception in your area should be taken to the appropriate thread. Thanks.

One thing that I think has been missed in this discussion.... economics of competition.


Simsubbing so I have read,rakes in over $100,000,000 a year for Global & CTV and they will fight to the death to keep that huge revenue.Corporate greed keeps simsubs going.
I don't have the numbers, and I'm quite certain no one outside of the industry has them because of competitive reasons, however I will assume that this $100M quote is accurate. While simsubbing generates this revenue, what do you think it costs them to purchase the Cdn broadcasting rights in the first place?? It is a substantial figure to be certain. The recent Alliance Atlantis sale had the CSI franchise (50% Cdn, 50% CBS) alone valued at $0.8B! Prior to this sale, CTV had locked-up the Cdn distribution rights for 15 years!!! International Second Window Rights (after International First Window and DVD) generated US $250M (worldwide) alone. Imagine the cost of that deal, and that is only one franchise.

So corporate greed keeps the simsubing going.... but it also allows our Cdn dollars to trickle out of the country (i.e. to Amercian productions). These dollars come from Cdn advertisers which in turn generate their revenue from Cdn consumers. These dollars heading to the US, then corresponds to lack of resources to reinvest into blockbuster Cdn content. That is the real reason there is very little high calibre Cdn content being produced that can directly compete against American produced content being simsubbed in Canada.

Until such time as the simsubbing is eliminated by the CRTC, there will be no need for the CTV's/Globals to produce any competitive products. All they have to do is outbid the other networks. Currently they see competition as fighting with the other Cdn broadcasters for Cdn viewers, and that perspective only supplies the viewers with marginal content to satisfy CANCON requirements. There is no need to produce much of anything themselves.

They do not compete directly with their American conterparts in terms of producing quality programming that can "hold it's own" against American programming in Cdn broadcasting markets. They do not look at competing directly with their American conterparts in terms of producing quality blockbuster programming that can penetrate the US broadcasting markets.

That is the only long lasting way to protect Canadian content.

The above mentioned quote, stated the revenue was worth $100M but IMHO, a large portion of that goes out the door to the American programming source provider. Eliminating the CRTC-granted simsubbing rights is the only way to promote high calibre Cdn content programming and give Cdn viewers the true freedom to choose what they want to watch, whether it be American or Canadian sourced.

Hey Stan

I really don't want to do these yearly trips,there expensive,but I am just
fed up completely with the CRTC communists and fed up with simsubbing the HD broadcast of the game,as well as being denied the chance to see those $2,000,000 ads that have become part of the Super Bowl.I dont want to wait to see them online the next day,that is the same as watching the game after you already know who has won.I feel sorry for you & all the others here who will once again have to endure another inferior HD broadcast,courtesy of the CRTC and Global TV.

I want to move to the US as well,but simsubbing is just only one of the reasons that I want to live there.

I've lived here my whole life as well, and Canada's definitely a great country, except when it comes to TV viewing due to the CRTC and simsubbing (that and high taxes!).
I heard the commercials are now up to $3 000 000 per ad - that's $100 000 for each second of air time. Not only do we miss out on ads, but the quality has been inferior in HD, Global has been missing plays, and just the whole premise of Global and CTV hijacking US networks and claiming shows as their own bugs the hell out of me.
You know yesterday Global even did a newspiece on HDTV's and the SuperBowl. They stated that with an HDTV, you will get a great picture, 5.1 audio, and no one will be complaining when they come and watch the game over at your house. They had the audacity to say "no one will be complaining", after Global's received countless complaints about the NFL simsubbing in recent weeks. I almost threw my remote through my 60" HDTV when I saw the newspiece.

I would have probably shot my TV,the nerve of those little creeps at Global to say enjoy the game,they should have said,if your in the US enjoy the game
for you poor suckers in Canada will have to see our inferior broadcast and we want to thank our good buddies at the CRTC for making this sunday as miserible for you as we possibly can.

I definitely felt the salt being poured in the wounds while I tried to watch that newspiece last night. Absolutely disgusting. Global has no shame whatsoever.

Simple fact, get rid of Sim-subbing and you will lose ALL OTA channels since they will have no way to support themselves.

Thats where the OTA broadcasters demand for Fee-For-Carriage comes into play. I believe to qualify for Tier 1 BDU distribution there is an OTA pre-requisite.

noaa2000, this is a rant thread not a slander or flame thread. Its one thing to hate the institution that the CRTC has become (hence the thread) but calling other Canadians communists and suckers is trolling and rude.

Anyone using this kind of language when discussing other members or Canadians will have their accounts de-activated.

This may be a rant thread but civility is still expected.

We'd still get the American OTA channels.