More foreign-owned ethnic channels seeking entry into Canada
More foreign-owned specialty TV channels are seeking authorization to be carried in digital in Canada, including Sun TV, a 24-hour service from India offering programming in the Tamil language (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-125) and ATV Home Channel (America), a service from Hong Kong with programming in Mandarin and Cantonese (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-123). Comments on these services, whose entry into Canada is being sponsored by the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA), are due on January 30 and January 16 respectively. The CCTA is also seeking approval for nine other general interest Chinese-language TV channels: CCTV-4 (serves audiences from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), The Satellite Channel of Southern Television Guandong (lifestyle and entertainment news in Cantonese), Southeast TV Station (in the Fujianese dialect), Jiangsu International TV Channel (a channel showcasing the Wuyue culture along the southern Yangtse River), Beijing TV (culture, history, fashion, travel, sports, etc. programming in Mandarin), CCTV Entertainment Channel (TV dramas, Chinese acrobatic shows in Mandarin), Dragon TV (news programming in Mandarin and English), China Yellow River Television Station (programming in Mandarin related to teaching and training), and Hunan Satellite TV (entertainment and informational programs in Mandarin). Comments on these nine channels are due by January 16 (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-124). The cable association is also looking for approval for the entry of GEO TV, a 24-hour general interest channel from Pakistan (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-112). As well, Quebec cablecaster Vidéotron ltée is seeking approval to carry four foreign-owned Spanish-language TV channels in Canada: Canal 52 MX, Supercanal Caribe, TELEFE Internacional, and TVColumbia (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-126). Ethnic Channels Group Limited is also seeking the go-ahead for German-language ProsiebenSat.1 to be allowed to be carried in Canada (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-113).

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