Ensuring a Place for Canadian Services
Canadian Services First
A strong and diverse Canadian broadcasting system is a primary objective of Canada's Broadcasting Act, which states, in part, that:
- each element of the system must contribute to the creation and presentation of Canadian programming;
- cable companies and other distributors of broadcasting services, such as direct-to-home satellite services (Bell and StarChoice), should give priority to the carriage of Canadian television signals and, in particular to the carriage of local Canadian stations.
Canadians have reason to be proud of their television system. Although it has developed in close proximity to the world's most prolific producer and exporter of popular television programming, our system supports a large number of distinctly Canadian television stations and discretionary television services. It also offers some of the best of foreign programming, whether on available foreign services or in the schedules of Canadian television stations.
Ensuring a Place for Canadian Services
Distribution undertakings (e.g. cable, direct-to-home (DTH)) must offer more Canadian than non-Canadian audio and television services to each of their subscribers.
The CRTC recognizes the importance of reflecting French-language broadcasting services in a minority environment. It has also adopted policies and regulations to increase the availability to cable subscribers of discretionary services in the minority official language.
In addition, CRTC policies and regulations use the following tools to ensure a diversity of Canadian programming services:
- mandatory Canadian services that all distribution undertakings must carry;
- how Canadian services must be carried - i.e. basic or discretionary packages.
Mandatory Canadian Services
The CRTC has identified Canadian television services that cable companies and direct-to-home satellite services must provide to their subscribers as part of their basic programming package. These channels are also part of the entry-level package that must be priced at no more than $25 a month. For details read sections 17 to 19 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations.
- AMI-audio
- AMI-TV English
- AMI-télé Français
- APTN
- ARTV
- Canal M
- CBC News Network
- Distribution of the Proceedings of the House of Commons on CPAC
- Legislative assemblies of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories
- OMNI Regional
- RDI
- The Weather Network
- TV5/UNIS TV
- TVA
Related Documents
- A World of Choice: A roadmap to maximize choice for TV viewers and to foster a healthy, dynamic TV market
- Achieving a better balance: Report on French-language broadcasting services in a minority environment. A policy to increase the availability to cable subscribers of discretionary services in the minority official language.
- Broadcasting Distribution Regulations
- Criteria for assessing applications for mandatory distribution on the digital basic service
- Let’s Talk TV – Connect - A World of Choice - A roadmap to maximize choice for TV viewers and to foster a healthy, dynamic TV market
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-152 and Broadcasting Order CRTC 2017-153 - OMNI Regional – National, multilingual multi-ethnic discretionary service
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