dan9999
11-04-2009, 01:30 PM
CBC wants new Canadian only basic cable packages
Digital Home
November 3, 2009
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.
Digital Home
November 3, 2009
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.