Sports, HD and new BDUs – broadcasting applications tabled by commission

The CRTC tabled 17 broadcasting applications on Friday, including: requests from CBC and Rogers Broadcasting to launch new sports services; licence applications from High Fidelity HDTV Inc. for two HD and one SD programming services; and two Ontario-based BDU licence requests. More Sports CBC applied for the licence to operate a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service to be known as CBC SportsPlus, which it proposes will consist of programming dedicated to the coverage and celebration of Canadian athletes with a particular emphasis on amateur athletes. Rogers, on the other hand, is seeking permission to transfer the licence of the previously approved Sportsnet 2 to a numbered company. The service, if launched, will be mainly devoted to covering cricket, soccer and rugby. More HD Canadian all-HD broadcaster, High Fidelity, has applied to add two more HD programming services to its line-up. Diversion HD will feature primarily post-pay exhibition window, non-independent feature films spanning all genres, as well as related content including interviews, analysis and ‘behind the scenes' programs. Canada HD Network, meanwhile, proposes to be general interest service providing programming from a variety of genres, but all in true HD. In a third application High Fidelity stepped away from its all-HD heritage by seeking approval to launch Diversion in standard definition as well. More BDUs Included on the docket of applications were two seeking licences to operate Class 1 terrestrial distribution undertakings. The first, from Ravinder Singh Pannu on behalf of a company to be incorporated, seeks permission to operate a BDU serving the Greater Toronto Area. The applicant's filings indicate it will deliver the service over an ADSL2 and VDSL network, and expects to have 33,000 subscribers by the end of its 7th year. The second BDU application comes from TBayTel, which is seeking approval to operate a distribution undertaking in its home territory of Thunder Bay and surrounding area. In an additional application TBayTel seeks a licence to operate a VOD service as well, which it indicates will consist primarily of feature films, and possibily some children's programming, music videos, short films, television shows and third-language programming. More Programming Services Four more of the applications were for licences to launch new Category 2 services, including: Afroglobal Network Inc.'s application to launch a national English, French and African languages undertaking Afroglobal Television, which will be devoted to programming from and about Africa and the African diaspora. Takten Gyurmey Foundation's application for EqualiTV, which will feature programs related to disability issues and will target the billions of people in the world living with some form of visible or invisible disability. Corus Entertainment Inc.'s applications to launch YTV OneWorld and YTV POW!, which will feature international programming targeting six to 17-year-olds and programming related to adventure and superheroes.

Sports, HD and new BDUs – broadcasting applications tabled by commission

News | 05/13/2008 2:30 pm EDT

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