CCR Short Takes

Broadcasters submit V-chip timetable to CRTC
The CRTC is reviewing a proposal from Canadian broadcasters that would see the V-chip introduced in Canada next year. If approved, broadcasters would begin encoding their programming to work with V-chip equipped television sets. The commission is expected to respond to the proposed timetable within the next few weeks. Broadcasters currently use an on-screen ratings system, that places icons in the top left-hand corner of the television screen to alert viewers as to a program’s violence, language or sexual content. With V-chip-ready televisions now coming onto the market, broadcasters say they’re ready to begin encoding their programs. The CEO of a Canadian company that manufacturers the V-chip says encoding the ratings system into the video portion of the program is the "missing link" that was required to rollout the V-chip in Canada. Najmul Siddiqui of Tri-Vision International Ltd notes that Canada has not made V-chip compliance mandatory, as was done in the U.S.

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CRTC approves CanWest, Corus acquisitions

The CRTC has allowed CanWest Global Communications Corp to become a national network, but at the same time has quashed a bid by Corus Entertainment Inc to own more analog specialty channels.

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Documentary film making on rise, but quality may not be up to par, warns report

Canadian documentary films are enjoying astounding annual growth, but their quality and marketability could decline because of funding agency priorities, a study funded by government agencies and industry players concludes.

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CBC faces competition from Chum and Astral in bid for French arts channel

Cost and content will likely the overriding factors that determine whether the CBC or a joint bid by Chum Limited and Astral Media succeeds in winning a national licence for a French-language arts channel. The CRTC has begun its deliberations following a June 27 public hearing in Montreal, with a decision expected to follow later this year.

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Migration to digital television among CRTC’s priorities for next three years

The CRTC is gearing up to spend much of the next three years on the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, but the regulator’s broadcast section also has a full load of business and cultural issues to review.

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BCE paints itself as white knight that can save CTV & Canada’s broadcasting system

BCE Inc has voluntarily exceeded regulatory and Canadian content obligations to convince federal regulators that its plan for CTV Inc is the best remedy for Canada’s largest private broadcaster and for the country’s broadcasting industry as a whole. In an application that’s sure to impress even the most skeptical industry watchers, BCE subsidiary BCE Media has tabled a $230-million benefits package that hits virtually every public policy hot button.

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Pick and pay versus bundled packages- Cable industry faces stiff opposition in bid to offer new TV channels à la carte

A large rift has opened up in the Canadian television industry over how new digital specialty channels will be sold to consumers. The Specialty and Premium Television Association (SPTV) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) are facing off against the major cable companies, represented by the Canadian Cable Television Association, (CCTA) over the issue of whether digital channels should be offered on a pick and pay basis or sold in packages. Both sides gave the issue high priority in their interventions to the CRTC, which begins licence hearings for new digital channels on August 14.

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NL Editorial

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.

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Lessons learned from Telus-BCTel merger

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NL Short Takes

Sprint Canada introduces new long distance plan
Sprint Canada has introduced a new LD rate in Quebec and Ontario. Subscribers in those two provinces can call anywhere in Canada for 10 cents during peak times each weekday and five cents for evenings and weekends.

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