ACTRA, CMPA oppose Bell Media request for more channel flexibility

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) are opposing BCE Inc.’s requests for more licensing flexibility to air different types of programming on some of its specialty channels. Bell Media, BCE’s media division, applied to the CRTC in February to ease the Canadian programming restrictions on its specialty channel The Comedy Network. It also asked the commission for more programming flexibility for channels Discovery World HD, Comedy Gold, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery, allowing them to air content from other categories, including sports, music videos and religious programming. Bell said in its applications that the changes would have minimal financial impact on the stations and would give them more flexibility to compete “in an increasingly fragmented marketplace.” In comments filed with the CRTC this month, actors' union ACTRA said Bell’s requests, if approved, would cause a “fundamental shift” in the channels’ “orientation and identity,” and would harm viewers “who currently enjoy what the service offering.” The group said the CRTC should reject the Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery applications, saying they are motivated by “the pursuit of maximizing” Bell’s profits. “Animal Planet’s current licence states that the channel will consist of a ‘service broadly based on family entertainment that will explore the animal kingdom, including the interaction between humans and animals,’” ACTRA said. “Given that definition, ACTRA fails to see where religious, sport or music video programming will help the service fulfill that mandate.” ACTRA said it believes that, on The Comedy Network, Bell aims to air more animated American shows like South Park, The Family Guy and The Simpsons as the company prepares to sell off cartoon channels. Bell may be looking to “beef up” its animation on The Comedy Network as the CRTC considers the company's reworked application to acquire Astral Media Inc. for $3.38-billion, which according to a deal with the Competition Bureau, would require Bell to divest Teletoon, Teletoon Retro, Télétoon Rétro, and other channels, ACTRA wrote in its regulatory filing. In a reply to ACTRA’s interventions dated March 22, Bell said the union’s argument that it is seeking to maximize its profits for Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery is “simply not true.” Bell said in the reply that ACTRA is implying that the company would “shirk” its regulatory commitments for the channels. “These services are very mindful of those obligations and should these applications be approved, they will continue to be programmed within the confines of those licence obligations,” Bell said. In its applications, Bell requested that the conditions of licence for The Comedy Network, a Category A “must offer” service, be changed by removing a requirement that all programming be Canadian from the categories of theatrical feature films and animated TV and films. The CMPA, which represents independent Canadian producers, said in a comment filed with the CRTC March 15 that Bell’s application to ease programming restrictions for The Comedy Network is “déjà vu” as the CRTC previously denied similar requests from the company. “The Comedy Network is now submitting the same application for the third time, and, for the most part, simply repeating the same language it used in the two previously denied applications,” the CMPA said, adding that Bell made the same requests during the company's licence renewal process in 2011. “Notably, the applicant is using the exact same language in this current, third incarnation,” the CMPA said. Corus Entertainment Inc. filed a comment with the CRTC that said if the commission approves the new licensing flexibility for The Comedy Network, the channel could compete with Corus’ Category A specialty channel Teletoon. Corus said if Bell’s request for The Comedy Network is approved, all other Category A “must offer” services should be permitted to change their licence conditions in the same way. The company said it did not oppose Bell’s application though it must be considered in context. No interventions were submitted on Bell’s applications for Discovery World or Comedy Gold. Bell declined to comment for this story. Bell's reply comments on The Comedy Network and Comedy Gold are due April 2 and April 4, respectively. —With reporting by Danika Grenier at dgrenier@thewirereport.ca, Nicholas Kyonka at nkyonka@thewirereport.ca, and editing by Simon Doyle at sdoyle@thewirereport.ca

ACTRA, CMPA oppose Bell Media request for more channel flexibility

News | 03/26/2013 8:49 pm EDT

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