As Canadian broadcasting systems are covered by streaming, traditional media and telecom companies say they are struggling to compete and hope to take a light touch to the country’s broadcast regulators.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) consults on how Canadian broadcasting systems can survive the transition from traditional television to international streamers.
This is part of the regulator’s work on implementing online streaming laws, and has updated the broadcasting laws to capture online platforms.
CRTC will be releasing the market in January as Canadians move from traditional broadcasting and cable (under various CRTC rules and regulations) to streaming services dominated by international giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney+. We have started consultations to investigate dynamics.
The application is scheduled for Monday, and the CRTC will hold a consultation hearing in Gatineau, QUE, in May.
In his submission, Rogers argues that rules implemented by CRTC to manage the traditional cable and satellite television markets currently place those companies at a disadvantage against online streaming companies. did.
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“Many of the Commission’s existing regulatory tools are ineffective as they undermine the competitiveness of the Global Streaming Giants’ Canadian Broadcasting Station,” Rogers argued in his submission.
“These tools are largely not needed to achieve legal policy goals — are dragged into the Canadian broadcasting system by hampering innovation, investment and risk-taking.”
Rogers, among other things, concerns how providers package TV channels into cable products, including the forced distribution of some TV channels and the requirement that TV providers should provide a basic cable package of $25. I quoted the rules.
Bell asked the CRTC to “accept that some deregulation of the traditional system is necessary.”
He also argued that “as long as traditional broadcasters take over the asymmetrical regulatory burden.”
Bell, who owns Crave Streaming Service, asks CRTC to introduce new regulations on foreign streamers to promote Canadian and Indigenous content available through Canadian television stations and its affiliated streaming services. I did.
The filing lists many rules that apply to traditional systems but apply to foreign streamers.
“I argue that many of these regulations are counterproductive even within a closed system, but at least they were consistently applied to all participants,” Bell said.
“However, now that foreign streamers have established dominant position within the Open Canadian broadcasting system, many of these rules have significantly undermined the competitiveness of our services.”
In their submission, Big US Streamers urged the CRTC not to impose regulations developed for traditional cable and satellite systems in the online marketplace.
Paramount said the CRTC “should reject the proposal to simply transpose it into a normative regulatory tool designed for closed linear broadcasting systems and online businesses.”
Apple told CRTC that current rules were developed primarily to address vertical integration in traditional systems, and that “the tools are neither appropriate nor relevant for online businesses.”
This focused on rules stating vertically integrated companies that own both broadcast channels and vertically integrated companies that own both cable companies that carry these channels.
Netflix told CRTC it has no jurisdiction over the commercial terms and conditions that make the program available to content owners.
“Therefore, the committee must downplay it and avoid overreaching economic ties between online businesses and other broadcasting organizations.”
