CRTC grants Corus, TVA CanCon relief; other BDUs must wait

The CRTC approved amendments to Corus Entertainment Inc.'s broadcasting conditions that would grant the independent broadcaster much needed regulatory relief, gave Quebecor Inc. permission to alter its local news and programming requirements, and is forcing other broadcasting undertakings to wait on their regulatory relief. The Corus decision, announced Monday, addresses its financial situation, exacerbated by factors including strikes in the U.S. film and TV industry, inflation, declining profitability, and the loss of annual local expression funds following the Rogers-Shaw merger. Corus filed an application with the CRTC requesting immediate amendments to its conditions of service. The amendments specifically target expenditures on programs of national interest (PNI) and Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) under-expenditures for its English-language television stations and discretionary services. “Corus stated that the two requested amendments are crucial in the short-term, and that they will help Corus to continue to make contributions to the broadcasting system. This is an important issue for the commission to consider, as losing the contributions made by Corus to the system would greatly reduce the options Canadian viewers have for content,” the CRTC wrote. “Corus is a vital source of local news and local expression through the Global Television Network, and is also the largest provider of independent programming in Canada. The loss of Corus’ contributions would significantly impact the Canadian broadcasting system, which would affect audiences and creators.” Corus may now reduce its requirement relating to expenditures on PNI from 8.5 per cent to five per cent of the previous broadcast year’s gross revenues and extend the CPE under-expenditure repayment deadline beyond the end of the licence term. The commission also decided to consider Quebecor’s TVA Group Inc.’s application because it aimed to alleviate certain requirements specific to the station, “not to modify the existing regulatory framework.” TVA argued that it is the only private broadcaster to have such restrictive conditions of service. The CRTC ruled that TVA’s television station CFCM-DT Québec, must continue broadcasting 5.5 hours of news produced in Quebec per week but may determine the most appropriate time for the broadcasts. The station will no longer be required to broadcast two newscasts on weekends. Its local programming hours have been reduced from 18 hours to 16 hours per week. “The changes, which should have a modest impact on the Québec station’s overall programming, will give the licensee greater flexibility while maintaining the number of hours of local news produced by the station. They will also enable it to maintain a production center in Québec, including the presence of journalists and editorial decision-making,” the CRTC stated. BCE Inc., and Rogers Communications Inc. are also seeking changes to their conditions of service for local news, local programming, and Canadian programming. The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) jointly asked that the CRTC suspend the Bell and Rogers applications – along with other requests from Corus and Quebecor – and consolidate them into a single proceeding. Monday, the CRTC officially denied that request, noting that only Corus is in a unique situation as an independent broadcaster that is not part of a vertically integrated company with distribution assets. The commission plans to incorporate the other applications into forthcoming proceedings on the Online Streaming Act which it says will provide ample opportunities for comprehensive evaluation and inclusive participation from stakeholders. – Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

CRTC grants Corus, TVA CanCon relief; other BDUs must wait

Broadcast | May 13, 2024

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CRTC grants Corus, TVA CanCon relief; other BDUs must wait

Broadcast | May 13, 2024

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