ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-56
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Route reference: Part 1 application posted on 22 November 2012
Ottawa, 13 February 2013
Fairchild Television Ltd.
Across Canada
Application 2012-1462-6
Addition of Now BNC to the List of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution
The Commission approves an application to add Now BNC to the List of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution (the list) and amends the list accordingly. The revised list is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Broadcasting Sector.”
Introduction
1. The Commission received an application dated 20 November 2012 from Fairchild Television Ltd. (Fairchild) to add Now BNC to the List of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution (the list). The Commission received an intervention in support of this application.
2. Fairchild described Now BNC as a Cantonese (90%) and Mandarin (and other Chinese dialects – 10%) niche channel that focuses on Asia’s business news, stock and trade information, as well as wealth management analyses. Its target audience consists of Cantonese-speaking Chinese Canadians, and its programming would be sourced from Hong Kong.
3. In Broadcasting Public Notice 2004-96, the Commission stated that requests to add non-Canadian general interest third-language services to the list would generally be approved, subject to any requirement it deemed appropriate. In the case of non-Canadian third-language services that provide narrowly targeted or “niche” programming, the Commission stated that it would continue to apply a case-by-case assessment to determine whether such services are partially or totally competitive with Canadian pay or specialty services.
4. In regard to non-Canadian news services, however, the Commission considers a more open-entry approach to be consistent with the importance it places on a diversity of editorial points of view. In this regard, in paragraph 246 of Broadcasting Public Notice 2008-100, the Commission stated that “absent clear evidence, as determined by the Commission, that a non-Canadian news service will violate Canadian regulations, such as those regarding abusive comment, the Commission will be predisposed to authorize non-Canadian news services for distribution in Canada.”
Commission’s analysis and decision
5. In the absence of opposing interventions and any evidence that the service would violate Canadian regulations, such as those regarding abusive comment, the Commission approves the application by Fairchild Television Ltd. to add Now BNC to the List of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution and amends the list accordingly. The list is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Broadcasting Sector” and may be obtained in hard copy on request.
Secretary General
Related documents
- Regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings and discretionary programming services – Regulatory policy, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2008-100, 30 October 2008
- Improving the diversity of third-language television services – A revised approach to assessing requests to add non-Canadian third-language television services to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2004-96, 16 December 2004
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