Quebecor accuses Radio-Canada of undue preference over Tou.tv

Quebecor Inc. wants CBC/Radio-Canada to shut down its subscription streaming service ICI Tou.tv Extra, and has filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC. In a Friday morning press release, Quebecor -- which runs its own French-language subscription streaming service, Club Illico -- said that it is not challenging the free version of the service, but is taking issue with the charging of $6.99/month subscription fees and offering that subscription service for free to some TV subscribers. Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau said in the press release that Tou.tv Extra is “charging subscription fees for access to content that is already heavily subsidized by the public through income tax and sales tax. Furthermore, by carrying programs from channels such as V, TV5, VRAK and ARTV on Tou.tv Extra, is acting as a broadcasting distribution undertaking, in violation of the Broadcasting Act, without contributing to the Canada Media Fund – from which, by the way, it benefits significantly.” Radio-Canada announced in May 2018 that content from channels owned by BCE Inc., Groupe V Media Inc., and the provincial public broadcaster Tele-Quebec would be added to the service. The press release added the “situation is further aggravated by the fact that SRC is granting exclusive preferential rights to allow its customers free access to Tou.tv Extra. As a public broadcaster, SRC cannot offer television programming on an exclusive or preferential basis to a limited population of subscribers.” Quebecor first filed the complaint with the CRTC on Oct. 30, though it only appeared on the regulator’s website this week. In a letter to the two parties, CRTC executive director of broadcasting Scott Schortcliffe said Quebecor had “raised a number of policy matters that would appear to fall outside the scope of an undue preference complaint,” such as “multiple concerns about the financing of SRC and its role in the digital sphere, arguing that SRC is going beyond its mandate as a public broadcaster.” The Jan. 14 letter said that those questions should be dealt with as part of CBC/Radio-Canada’s ongoing licence renewal process, but that it would hear the complaint about undue preference and exclusivity specifically. Comments on the application are due Feb. 18.

Quebecor accuses Radio-Canada of undue preference over Tou.tv

Brief | January 17, 2020

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Quebecor accuses Radio-Canada of undue preference over Tou.tv

Brief | January 17, 2020

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