It was the worst-kept secret in Ottawa.
For months, people in the television industry had been whispering ominously about an impending decision by the broadcast regulator that would give Canadian consumers the ability to pick and pay for exactly which TV channels they wanted.
The decision, which the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission finally handed down on Thursday afternoon, mandates cable and satellite TV providers to offer so-called “skinny basic” packages for a maximum price of $25.
Subscribers will be able to add whichever channels they want, on either a standalone basis or in packages. The CRTC’s chair Jean-Pierre Blais trumpeted the move as “another important step forward for Canada’s television system,” and one which was “all about choice and affordability.”
Simon Houpt – Globe and Mail – March 20, 2015.