CRTC chair urges CTVglobemedia and CBC to reach agreement on Olympics coverage

CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein told MPs this week that CTVglobemedia and the CBC should be able to reach an agreement that will allow CBC to broadcast the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to Francophones communities in Quebec. Testifying before the Standing Committee on Official Languages on Tuesday, von Finckenstein said at the very least, the CBC should be able to broadcast key events of the Olympics such as the opening and closing ceremonies. He also said CTVglobemedia has a responsibility to deliver coverage of the games to Canadians in either of the official languages. The CRTC chair’s comments come in the wake of a major disagreement between CTVglobemedia and the CBC over broadcasting the Olympics. A CTVglobemedia and Rogers Communications consortium won the bid to broadcast the games for US$153 million in 2005. CTVglobemedia has asked the CBC, which has the infrastructure to reach all corners of Canada, to carry the private broadcaster’s over-the-air signals outside the National Capital Region and Quebec, but the request was turned down. In January, during the minority language hearings, von Finckenstein urged executives to share broadcasting of the games in order to reach French-speaking communities in Quebec who receive their TV over-the-air. At the time, both broadcasters said talks on sharing broadcast of the Olympics had broken down and there was no hope in reviving them. A series of letters detailing communication between CTVglobemedia and the CBC were made public at the hearing. The letters showed a war of words that exposed how divided both broadcasters were on the issue. CTVglobemedia has said its affiliates in Quebec—TQS, RDS, and RIS—will be available for free on all cable carriers that carry digital signals in English-speaking markets. But von Finckenstein told the Official Languages Committee that this still leaves out “a small number of francophones who rely on over-the-air television signals or who subscribe to analog cable without access to French coverage of the Games. Their options will be limited to watching English broadcasts or, for those who have access, relying on the Internet or mobile devices,” he said. CTVglobemedia reaches 95% of Canadians, leaving 9, 273 Francophone households without Olympics coverage. Following the minority languages hearing, von Finckenstein followed up with letters to executives from both broadcasters. However, he told the Official Languages Committee that the response was not positive. “We feel that we have gone as far as we can. An agreement can only be reached through commercial negotiations—if it’s not already too late—and it’s not the commission’s place to impose itself in these types of negotiations. You may want to ask the broadcasters to explain why they have been unable to come to an understanding,” he said, reiterating that the “best solution” would be for both CBC and CTVglobemedia to reach an agreement that would allow CBC to broadcast the games. “The commission feels very strongly about this. We have encouraged CTVglobemedia and the CBC to work through the current impasse. We see no reason why they would be unable to reach a compromise,” he said.

CRTC chair urges CTVglobemedia and CBC to reach agreement on Olympics coverage

News | 05/14/2009 6:43 pm EDT

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