If this were 2017, the Victoria’s Secret Super Bowl commercial would be no secret to Canadians watching the game on CTV. Under a demagogic declaration Thursday from Jean-Pierre Blais, head of the obsolete Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the blonde in the red bra featured in the Victoria’s Secret ad for U.S. viewers of the 2015 Super Bowl would be mandated viewing for Canadian NFL fans.
Four months after listening to hours of gloomy testimony from Canada’s top broadcasting executives about how broken they think the country’s revenue model for local television is, the federal regulator made an announcement focusing its attention instead on something entirely else: ensuring Canadians will finally see flashy U.S. commercials during the Super Bowl.
For the first time, the CRTC will place a limited ban on the common industry practice known as simultaneous substitution, chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Thursday at a London Chamber of Commerce gathering in London, Ont. This swapping practice generates a total of $250 million annually for Canadian broadcasters by allowing them to provide their own feed of international programs — from sports to sitcoms — swapping out American commercials for spots sold here to Canadian advertisers.
Terence Corcoran – Globe and Mail – January 29, 2015
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