CRTC could have added even more foreign services to digital eligibility list: CCTA
CCTA president and CEO Janet Yale acknowledges that the CRTC decision to allow 19 of 30 foreign services to be added to the foreign services eligibility list for digital carriage in Canada was more open than in the past. However, she adds that the commission could have gone further and put even more services on the list. Among the services getting the go-ahead in a decision released July 13 were EuroNews, Eurosportsnews, Eternal Word Television Network, TV Land and Global Television’s overseas stations – Network Ten in Australia, TV3 Republic of Ireland, and TV3 and TV4 in New Zealand. Proposed services that were denied included Noggin, Family Net, Sundance Channel and RTP International. As well, the commission announced it would initiate a separate process for licences for new specialty audio programming services. The CCTA had submitted an application to have the audio service Radio France Internationale added to the eligibility list. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters declined to comment on the decision. More details.