The CRTC has announced (as expected) new requirements for cable and satellite TV operators, starting in March 2016, which “will prioritize local and regional news and information programs.”
What’s coming is an entry-level TV service requirement, capped at $25 per month, required to include the following, starting in March 2016:
By December 2016, cable and satellite TV operators will be also required to offer pick-and-pay channel options as well.
The CRTC said during their Let’s Talk TV hearings last fall, they heard from over 13,000 Canadians about what they wanted with TV. The Commission explains “a key aim of this policy is to give Canadians the ability to create their own value proposition based on the TV services they want to receive and pay for.”
Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC, said the following in a statement:
“Thanks in part to the availability of broadband technology, viewers can watch television content at the times, in the places and on the devices they choose. Viewers are in control. Canadians have a World of Choice at their fingertips. Today’s decision is not about making choices for Canadians. Rather, it is about setting out a roadmap to give all Canadians the freedom to choose the television content that meets their unique needs, budgets and realities—which can even include free, over-the-air television stations. Each household will be able to find the right value proposition.”
Blais said at a live press conference these changes are required as “we have to get ready” for a changing TV landscape.
What do you think about today’s announcement?
