CRTC decision on fate of OTA

[Jorgek]

OTA will not be scrapped.


http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/2015/01/29/crtc-chairman-jean-pierre-blais-announcing-decisions-on-the-future-of-canadian-tv

[DrSat]

Mostly beneficial decisions by the CRTC but you can tell the author of this article never watched OTA in HD on a modern TV before as he mentions that everyone needs a digital converter box to make OTA work which is only the case for older TV's.

Good that they are not scrapping sim subbing as many OTA stations would have been shut down as a result. Also cool is that sim subbing will no longer be allowed during the Super Bowl as of 2017 which should stop many people from complaining.

Only bad thing is the CRTC not willing to mandate fee for carriage in regards to local broadcast stations. Eliminating this source of revenue discourages smaller and less profitable broadcast stations from continuing operations. Perfect example of this is Sun TV which transitioned to Sun News under a new specialty channel license and surrendered their OTA broadcast license shortly after.

[DrSat]

FYI, here's a summary of the recent decisions by the CRTC in regards to their "Let's Talk TV" initiative:

Quick Facts

Over-the-air transmissions

• During the Let’s Talk TV conversation, there was significant public opposition to the CRTC’s proposal that local stations be allowed to shut down their transmitters.
• The CRTC has reaffirmed that free over-the-air television is a competitive alternative to cable and satellite television in the near term.
• The CRTC recognizes that local programming is an important source of news and information.
• Broadcasters electing to shut down their over-the-air transmitters will lose the privileges of mandatory carriage on the basic service and of requesting simultaneous substitution.
• 97% of Canadians have access to over-the-air television.
• 76% of Canadians have access to at least 5 free over-the-air television channels.
• 54% of Canadians have access to at least 10 free over-the-air television channels.
• Over 40% of prime-time viewing in the English-language market and over 50% in the French-language market is to local television stations.

Simultaneous substitution

• The CRTC is prohibiting simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl starting at the end of the 2016 NFL season (i.e. Super Bowl 2017).
• The CRTC is putting in place regulatory measures to prevent substantial and avoidable simultaneous substitution errors.
• Simultaneous substitution is, for now, still important to the broadcasting system in Canada as it helps keep advertising dollars in Canada, which in turn helps create programs that Canadians value (including news and information), maintains jobs and supports local economies.

Mobile TV

• The CRTC favours an open and fair marketplace for mobile TV services, enabling innovation and choice for Canadians.
• Mobile service providers cannot give their own mobile television services an unfair advantage in the marketplace.
• Bell Mobility must eliminate its unlawful practice by no later than April 29, 2015.
• Vidéotron must ensure that any new mobile TV service it offers does not give it an unfair preference or advantage over similar services.

Quote

     “We heard Canadians when they told us that they rely on their local television stations for news and information. We also heard that missing parts of football games and other live events due to substitution errors is a major irritant. Canadians are also increasingly watching television in different ways, and they told us that they want an open communication system. We heard them.

    We are building a framework that takes into account today’s realities by acknowledging that some elements remain important to Canada’s television system, though for how long is an open question. Yet at the same time, we are setting the course for the future of television – a future where Canadians benefit from innovations and more choice. Today’s decisions, along with the others we will be releasing in the coming weeks, are the building blocks that will shape the television system of tomorrow.”

Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC

Source: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=926529