http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2006/15/c7626.html

That's a good new!

It might wake up other network. Hopefully they are serious.

Hopefully,


http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1166183773585&call_pageid=968350072197&col=969048863851

In addition to original programming, HDTV Networks will broadcast a mix of Canadian and foreign content. National operations for HDTV Networks will be based in Vancouver and the goal is to offer national viewpoints and provide anew source of information for Canadians.

Could the description of their programming plans be any more vague?

According to the linked release, this bid comes from CSR Investments, the company responsible for XM Satellite Radio in Canada, and controlled by John Bitove, who helped found the Toronto Raptors and launched Raptors TV. Of course, Raptors HD has yet to figure out how to broadcast any of their actual Raptors games in HD. In other words, I ain't holding my breath.

So John Bitove sees a business model for OTA DTV, yet all the established industry says no.
Maybe someone should invite John Bitove to visit us here at DHC for a chat.

I'd be curious to know what shows he would be carrying. The major networks have the Canadian rights to most of the US network programming so what would he put on the air?

jvincent, that was my thought too. The only thing I can figure is this is a bandwith grab.

Get spectrum cheap and hold onto to it until its dear.


Could the description of their programming plans be any more vague?

Exactly Nels!


Finally, I don't understand why they call it National. Eight cities is significant but hardly what I would call National.

One other point.

Eight cities and HD OTA. How many people will actually have all the equipment to watch this?

Who is going to pay for it? Certainly not advertisers since the audience would be so small.


The more I think about this the less sense it makes....

unless.......

The government subsidizes it so they can give it away free to Canadians!

From wikipedia,..
Rank in 2001 | Census Agglomeration | Population Estimate in 2005

1 Toronto CMA (Mississauga), Ontario 5,304,600
2 Montreal CMA (Laval), Quebec 3,635,842
3 Vancouver CMA (Surrey), British Columbia 2,208,300
4 Ottawa–Gatineau CMA, Ontario–Quebec 1,148,800
5 Calgary CMA, Alberta 1,060,300
6 Edmonton CMA, Alberta 1,016,000
7 Quebec City CMA (Lévis), Quebec 717,600
8 Winnipeg CMA, Manitoba 706,900

Total direct population: 15,798,342
Population of Canada in 2006 (est): 32,623,490
IMHO this does not qualify as national. No representation east of Quebec city,... the list goes on.

Assume 10% would eventually be capable of DTV OTA reception, that does not leave a lot of viewers to target advertising to.

As a broadcaster the cable companies would be required to carry the local station and he is probably hoping that the DTH satellite companies would also carry some if not all of the stations.

It may also be a ploy to make the current broadcasters look bad when they say there is no market for OTA HD.

winnipeg lacks any hd ota channels right now
propose winnipeg channels

2-omni tv
27-cbwt
28-global
46-ctv winnipeg
51-cbwft

"It may also be a ploy to make the current broadcasters look bad when they say there is no market for OTA HD."

I was thinking the same. Wonder if Jim Shaw put him up to this.

Hmm, I got a call from the PR company for HDTV Networks

In rationalizing the need for the new over-the-air network, company CEO John Bitove was quoted in a press release as saying "Canadians are drastically falling behind in HDTV technology and it is critical that as a country we deliver high-definition programming around the clock to all Canadians. Our broadcast system needs to stay relevant to consumer needs and offer the latest in technology at no cost to the public."

This last statement is puzzling since Canada is considered by many to be a world leader in HD programming. With the exception of the United States, Canada has more HD stations than any country in the world.

It seems they objected to the second paragraph and told me that it was wrong and that it is a "fact" that Canada lags Europe and the United States by "four years" in HD programming.

According to this person, these facts were presented in the CRTC's "THE FUTURE ENVIRONMENT FACING THE CANADIAN BROADCASTING SYSTEM" report issued yesterday.

Did anyone read the report because in my review (which was cursory), I found nothing like this written.

Can anyone help me here?

Hugh, yes the report says we lag by about 4 years behind the U.S. OTA environment.

About your question regarding who has OTA gear: any new HDTV now has an integrated ATSC tuner. Some brands now include an indoor antenna like a Zenith Silver Sensor clone. Therefore any of those HDTV owners living in any of the major centres to be serviced by Digital OTA broadcasters would only need to hook up an indoor antenna, although there will obviously be benefits or needs for outdoor antennas in many cases. In the OTA Forum we get new DHCers posting about doing this almost every day now, including our dear Jake. :)

A troubling thing about the aforementioned report is that about 50% of U.S. HDTV owners do not watch HD programming even when it is available free of charge OTA. To me that's a public service announcement project just waiting to happen, because its a case of people just not knowing about it.

The CRTC will not approve it because CTV and Global will complain it will cause them finiacial hardship.They will approve them as a for cable/sat digital channel.Remember TVN was not approved for Niagara area.

^^ How about the CRTC says:

fine CTV and global, if this is going to cause you hardship, we won't approve. However, you MUST have OTA HD channels broadcasting in all 8 cities proposed, in the amount of time proposed by HDTV Networks Inc.. to put up their OTA stations.

To answer Hugh's question:

The CNW Group reported that 45% of Canadians will be HD ready within five years. Given current populations of the 8 biggest metro areas, the proposal would provide service to 48% of Canadians. If in five years just 45% of Canadians have HDTVs, and considering most if not all HDTVs sold now have built-in ATSC tuners, the number of Canadians in the 8 metro areas able to receive Digital OTA would be 7,109,254 Canadians. That number alone is greater than the population of metro Toronto, yet there are networks there that broadcast in digital OTA exclusively for that market. HDTV Network obviously sees a market of viewers other networks either refuse to service, or deny exists anymore.

The thing I like about this proposal is it sounds like they will actively promote the fact that you can receive HDTV OTA, unlike the existing networks who try to keep it a secret and then complain that no one watches them OTA so they don't want to broadcast anymore.

Finally, I don't understand why they call it National. Eight cities is significant but hardly what I would call National.

From an HD perspective it would make them the most National broadcaster hands down. Keep in mind if you are in T.O. you are pretty high up on the world HD ladder. If you are any where else in Canada you are in the stone age. It is just possible ( I know it sounds crazy ) that they were talking about the rest of Canada when they were talking about the amount of available OTA HD.

The CRTC refused some applications for OTYA stations in Calgary a couple of years ago because they deemed we had enough stations. (thanks for making that call ) so I am not holding my breath. I also agree this does smell kinda funny. But Bitlove like Cuban is a bit of a yahoo so you never know.