ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2002-214

Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2002-214

Ottawa, 1 August 2002

Rogers Sportsnet Inc.
Across Canada

Application 2001-1431-4
Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2002-10
27 February 2002

Licence amendment for Sportsnet - addition of program categories

The Commission approves the application to amend the licence for Sportsnet by adding to the list of program categories that may be broadcast by the service.

The application

1.

The Commission received an application from Rogers Sportsnet Inc. to amend condition of licence 1(a) for the Sportsnet specialty service (formerly S3) by adding program categories 2a -Analysis and interpretation, and 2b - Long-form documentaries to the list of program categories that may be broadcast.

2.

The applicant submitted that approval of the application would enable it to broadcast sports documentaries on Sportsnet.

Current condition of licence

3.

In S3 - Approved, Decision CRTC 96-601, 4 September 1996, the Commission set out a condition of licence defining the nature of the service that the licensee could provide. The Commission amended that condition of licence in Amendments to licences of specialty and pay television services to reflect revised program categories, Decision CRTC 2001-214, 6 April 2001. Sportsnet's current condition of licence describing its nature of service reads as follows:

1(a) The licensee shall provide a national, English-language specialty service, and shall draw its programs exclusively from Category 1 - News, Category 3 - Reporting and actualities, Category 5b - Informal education / Recreation and leisure, Category 6a - Professional sports, Category 6b - Amateur sports, Category 7 - Drama and comedy, Category 11 - General entertainment and human interest,
Category 12 - Interstitials, Category 13 - Public service announcements, and Category 14 - Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos, as set out in Schedule I of the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990 and as defined in Public Notice CRTC 2000-92, as amended from time to time.

(b) The licensee shall provide programs dedicated to all aspects of sports, distributed using four discrete regional feeds.

(c) Notwithstanding the above, material from category 7 shall be limited to non-dramatic feature length films about sports and sports personalities.

(d) No more than 67% of the programs broadcast on each of the four regional feeds in each broadcast week shall be broadcast on any of the other feeds of the service.

Interventions

4.

The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application.

The Commission's determination

5.

The Commission considers that it is appropriate for Sportsnet to air sports and documentaries, and that the addition of program categories 2a and 2b will not change the essence of Sportsnet's nature of service. The Commission approves the application to amend condition of licence 1 (a) for Sportsnet to read as follows:

1(a) The licensee shall provide a national, English-language specialty service, and shall draw its programs exclusively from Category 1 - News, Category 2a - Analysis and interpretation, Category 2b - Long-form documentaries, Category 3 - Reporting and actualities, Category 5b - Informal education / Recreation and leisure, Category 6a - Professional sports, Category 6b - Amateur sports, Category 7 - Drama and comedy, Category 11 - General entertainment and human interest, Category 12 - Interstitials, Category 13 - Public service announcements, and Category 14 - Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos, as set out in Schedule I of the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990 and as defined in Public Notice CRTC 2000-92, as amended from time to time.

Secretary General

This decision is to be appended to the licence. It is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined at the following Internet site: www.crtc.gc.ca