The new rules announced Thursday are so complex even industry experts are trying to decipher what they mean. Here are six key decisions the CRTC made on Canadian content.
1. Cancon quotas relaxed: Half of prime-time programming on local TV stations will still have to be Canadian, but the daytime quota was dropped from 55 per cent to zero for local networks, and to 35 per cent throughout the day for specialty channels. The number of dollars spent on Canadian programming is required to remain at current levels.
2. Genre protection over: Until now, “genre protection” shielded specialty networks with niche programming such as Food Network or HGTV Canada from direct competition, allowing them time to find an audience. CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais called the policy a relic of the past, but its demise may cause some independent stations to die out.
JAMES BRADSHAW – Globe and Mail – Mar. 12, 2015.
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