CCTA continues to push for right to carry HDNet, Discovery HD to boost high def

The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) continues to believe that the addition of two U.S. high-definition (HD) services are needed to boost viewership to the new technology, despite the fact that more and more Canadian broadcasters are beginning to offer HD programming. CCTA acting president Michael Hennessy says that the CRTC should immediately consider the organization’s application to add HDNet and Discovery HD Theatre because they offer high-definition programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He further notes that the impact of adding the two U.S. high-definition channels would be minimal since they are non-competitive with existing Canadian services that could convert to HD programming and that the HD audience size is not significant at this moment. "We deliberately didn’t do an HBO high definition or ESPN high def (which would be competitive with Canadian channels)," he notes. "It’s critical to have a couple of channels that can really demonstrate that when you turn your television on, this is a revolution worth subscribing to. We’re just missing a huge opportunity. The economic impact of adding services like this is zip. I mean we’re talking about 2% or 3% of (digital) audiences subscribing to the HD platform, so it’s a share of a share." Last month, the CCTA sent the CRTC a letter, asking the commission to "issue a public notice asking for comments on our application" and that it "proceed immediately to consider the association’s application to sponsor HDNet and DiscoveryHD Theatre (for carriage in Canada)." Hennessey feels that there is no reason now for the CRTC to delay gazetting the request, since the commission released its policy framework for the distribution in digital of over-the-air TV stations last November. When the CCTA initially filed for regulatory approval to carry the two U.S. high-definition channels on Feb. 5, 2003, the CRTC responded that it could not proceed until it had released its policy on digital channel distribution (CCR, May 8/03). But the TV landscape has changed since the February application, with Citytv, CTV Inc., TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, and Discovery Channel Canada launching high-def signals (CCR, Aug. 22/03). As well, many TV distributors have announced the carriage of more HD channels. For example, Rogers Cable Inc. announced in October that it was adding six new HD channels, including U.S. network HDTV channels from Seattle (CCR Update, Nov. 5/03), and satellite TV distributor Star Choice Television Network Inc. announced just this month the addition of two additional HD channels (CCR Update, Jan. 7/04). The small cablecos are also jumping on the HD bandwagon. Among the small cablecos planning to introduce HD channels early in 2004 are Wood Lake Cable Ltd., EastLink, Bluewater TV Cable Ltd. and affiliated company Ex-Cen Cablevision Ltd., Cable Cable Inc. and Kincardine Cable TV Ltd. In the fall of 2003, Access Communications, Mountain Cablevision Ltd. and Norcom Telecommunications Ltd. added two more HDTV channels to their lineups, and Northern Cablevision Ltd. introduced its first four channels of HDTV programming. Although distributors have been able to pick up HD versions of the U.S. networks as well as some Canadian conventional and specialty offerings in high definition, Hennessey contends that there is still not enough HD content to convince more digital viewers to purchase the high-definition box necessary to receive the higher quality signal. "The critical issue remains that there is a very large deficit when it comes to HD content, and these are two of the only channels (HDNet and Discovery HD) that are actually real HD 24/7," states Hennessey. "Most HD channels today, particularly the Canadian ones, have virtually no HD programming on them. They have up-converted digital, but the quality difference between a standard-definition signal or an upconverted signal versus high definition is dramatic, or a viewer will have to wait until 8 p.m. to see programming in HD." When the commission released its policy framework for the distribution of over-the-air television signals in digital in November, it indicated that it would look next at the more controversial issue of carriage of analog specialty channels in digital. The November framework, however, included an interim policy for the carriage of specialty channels in digital that calls on Canadian digital channels to be given priority over non-Canadian services (CCR, Nov. 14/03). A CRTC source says that the commission hasn’t decided yet how it will handle the CCTA’s request to add HDNet and Discovery HD to the list of services eligible for carriage in Canada. The move, though, will be fought by Canadian broadcasters, who have so far been vocal about the cable industry’s attempts to bring in more foreign services. In another decision, the CRTC sided with the broadcasters, denying the CCTA authorization to carry 17 U.S. channels, including HBO and ESPN, in digital (CCR, Nov. 14/03).

CCTA continues to push for right to carry HDNet, Discovery HD to boost high def

News | 01/15/2004 5:00 am EST

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