Shaw says cable customers don’t want automatic access to PrideVision

Shaw Communications Inc hopes to show that public support is on its side with a new survey showing that most of its customers approve of how PrideVision is being offered. The recent survey of 650 Shaw cable subscribers reveals that 89 per cent prefer having the new gay and lesbian channel distributed on a "request only" basis. Shaw included the survey results in a Sept. 26 submission to the CRTC explaining why it will not acquiesce and make PrideVision automatically available on cable or on its Star Choice Communications Inc satellite TV service during the free preview period for new digital specialty channels. The battle between Canada’s largest digital distributor and the country’s first gay and lesbian channel escalated last week when PrideVision applied to the commission to resolve the dispute. At a news conference held in Vancouver Sept. 25, the new channel turned up the heat even more by urging digital subscribers to boycott Shaw in favour of its competitors. PrideVision notes that Rogers Cable Inc, Cogeco Inc, and Bell ExpressVu LP are offering its service in the same manner as the other new digital services. For Shaw, which is based in the conservative heartland of western Canada, its preference is to market PrideVision as a discretionary add-on like the Playboy Channel, due to the "adult" nature of its content. As far back as the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) convention in May, Shaw CEO Jim Shaw said he would not offer PrideVision in regions where communities objected even though it is a must-carry channel (CCR, June 7/01). Shaw points out that even PrideVision limits its web site to viewers 18 years of age and over. Shaw contends that it is offering the must-carry Category 1 channel on a "request only" basis to help prevent younger viewers and children from being exposed to certain sensitive content during primetime hours. It also notes that PrideVision is being offered on some of Shaw’s Class 3 systems, which are exempt from regulation, providing the channel with about 60,000 additional households. PrideVision isn’t convinced. It accuses Shaw of trying to "minimize subscriber take up for reasons that can only be attributed to Shaw’s apparent opinion about the nature of the service." PrideVision executives fear the channel won’t attract enough subscribers if it’s not seen on an equitable basis during the free preview period. PrideVision has asked the CRTC to force Shaw to make the channel available without any fees or secondary traps on an immediate, interim basis. It also wants the commission to direct Shaw to make PrideVision available on an open unrestricted basis, in the same manner as it is doing with other Category 1 and 2 services, for the same number of days that it offered the service subject to the secondary trap requirement. In its Sept. 19 complaint, PrideVision accuses Shaw of advertising the specialty channel as a pay-per-view channel, in at least Vancouver and Calgary. Shaw digital subscribers are told they must pay one cent and other undisclosed fees and taxes each time they sign on to view PrideVision. Shaw notes in its response to the complaint that a "technical problem" resulted in viewers being charged a cent to get PrideVision, but that no such charge would be levied. It also noted that it was "working diligently to correct this technical problem." PrideVision also points out that Corus Entertainment Inc, an affiliate of Shaw, is licensed to offer a number of digital services, but that none of those services is subject to "secondary trap requirements on any of the Shaw cable or satellite systems." The CRTC has promised to deal with the complaint quickly, although it’s cognizant that the sensitive nature of the channel could trigger a political firestorm on both sides of the debate. The commission is obligated to ensure that all channels are distributed on a fair and equitable basis and appears to have little leeway to maneuver if subscribers in one part of the country are offended by a particular channel’s content.

Shaw says cable customers don’t want automatic access to PrideVision

News | 09/27/2001 4:00 am EDT

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