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Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2006-148
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Ottawa, 21 November 2006
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Addition of Headlines Today Channel to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis
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The Commission approves a request to add Headlines Today Channel to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis and amends the Revised list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution accordingly. The revised lists are available on the Commission's web site at www.crtc.gc.ca under "Industries at a Glance".
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Introduction
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1.
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The Commission received a request dated 27 June 2006 from Rogers Cable Communications Inc. (Rogers) for the addition of Headlines Today Channel, a non-Canadian English-language service, to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis (the digital lists). Rogers described the service as follows:
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Headlines Today Channel is an English-language headline news service based in India operating on a 30-minute wheel that runs 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. The service provides a unique perspective on India and world events.
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2.
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The Commission subsequently issued Call for comments on the proposed addition of Headlines Today Channel to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2006-116, 8 September 2006 (Public Notice 2006-116). The Commission did not receive any comments in connection with that public notice.
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Commission's analysis and determinations
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3.
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The Commission's approach to requests for the addition of non-Canadian English- and French-language services to the digital lists was set out initially in Call for proposals to amend the lists of eligible satellite services through the inclusion of additional non-Canadian services eligible for distribution on a digital basis only, Public Notice CRTC 2000-173, 14 December 2000 (Public Notice 2000-173). In that public notice, the Commission indicated that it would assess such requests in the context of its general policy which, among other things, precludes the addition of a non-Canadian satellite service that can be considered either totally or partially competitive with Canadian specialty or pay television services. In applying this policy, the Commission stated that it would take into account all specialty and pay television programming services whose licence applications had been approved by the Commission, including all of the launched and unlaunched Category 1 and Category 2 specialty and pay television services.
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4.
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In Public Notice 2000-173, the Commission also set out specific information that Canadian sponsors must file in support of their requests.
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5.
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In Public Notice 2006-116, the Commission stated that it would rely primarily on the comments filed in identifying the Canadian pay and specialty services with which Headlines Today Channel might compete, and which therefore should be included in its assessment of the competitiveness of the service. The Commission noted that parties wishing to argue that Headlines Today Channel would be competitive should therefore name the specific Canadian pay or specialty services with which they consider it would compete, and provide details, such as a programming comparison, to support their views.
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6.
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As noted above, the Commission did not receive any comments in connection with Rogers' request and, in particular, no comments arguing that the service would compete with any Canadian pay or specialty services. Accordingly, the record of the proceeding indicates that there are no Canadian pay or specialty services with which Headlines Today Channel would be totally or partially competitive.
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7.
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In light of the above, the Commission approves the addition of Headlines Today Channel to the digital lists and amends the Revised list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution accordingly. The lists of eligible satellite services are available on the Commission's web site at www.crtc.gc.ca under "Industries at a Glance" and may be obtained in hard copy on request.
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Secretary General
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This document is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: www.crtc.gc.ca
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Date Modified: 2006-11-21