But Geist didn't.
One issue that was not raised - indeed it has not received any real public attention - was noted earlier today by Alan Sawyer. He notes that CTV and Canwest have quietly asked the CRTC to order cable and satellite companies to establish a new policy of "program deletion." The new policy (which is supported in a Toronto Star piece today) would mean that when a Canadian broadcaster buys the Canadian rights to a U.S. program, the U.S. broadcast would be blocked in Canada for a seven-day window.
In other words, rather than the current simultaneous substitution policy, which allows for the programs to air at the same time and for the substitution of the Canadian broadcast on the U.S. channel (thereby leading to the annual complaints about Super Bowl commercials), the U.S. broadcast would be blocked altogether. That would allow Canadian broadcasters to air the U.S. program whenever they like and block the U.S. version altogether. In a world when consumers expect to view programs on their schedule, CTV and Canwest seek a return to a prior era when the broadcaster retains (now illusory) control over access to the broadcasts in Canada.
Yup. Let's punish the public. And you know somehow, somebody's gonna figure out how to sell the hoser vote on how this is really all the fault of people who are trying to make homegrown programs.
You know, sometimes I wonder if our industry really isn't too stupid to live.
Dear Meteor,Anytime now.Love, Denis.
And with that, I'm going to go get a bourbon.
10 rumbles:
What I see going on is pretty much the same thing that I saw with the big record labels in the 90s and early 2000s. Short term - quasi suicidal - screw the customer thinking. Screwing the future so they can have a little more now.
Could be the best thing in terms of getting the public to care though. Tell us we can't get House on Mondays at 8 with the rest of the continent and watch us blow up. Or, you know, illegally download.
Besides all the obvious monopoly benefits this brings, are they conniving enough to anticipate the populace saying "$1.50 extra on my cable bill? why? Everything CTV and Global has is on the American channels and they don't do stupid edits and move shows around during the week because there's a 'special episode' of Dancing With Your Mother' on this week."
I'm ticked 'cause I only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials.
It actually could be very good for made in Canada TV - the 800 lb Gorilla has yet to weigh in.
Let's say the CRTC goes for it - what fills the airwaves of the amnets during that time (when it's blacked out). The Canadian cable & sat. people will also want to reduce their carriage fees to the Am nets. Either way the northern US affilates will freak out (New York, Seattle, Detroit etc).
What if the Am Nets say either
a) We won't sell Canadian stations rights under those circumstances
or
b) We're going to have to jack the prices up considerably under those circumstances
If a) happens the Canadian networks suddenly have to fill their own airwaves without help from the states
If b) happens they don't but the increased price of American programming makes Can Con more attractive. (Not on-par still but ...)
I still don't get why we even have the American networks. Is there another nation that gets the conventional broadcasts of another nation like we do? And I don't meen like "BBC Canada," I mean why do we get the exact same ABC that the Americans get? It's not like we need their local news and we get the same shows regardless.
I'm actually a bit for this... Or more for the previously mentioned non-simsub. Unless the Can nets decide to air a show more than a few hours after the US airing, then they're being dumb.
My ideal solution would be to ban the American nets from Canada (for the previously stated reasons) and then up the Cancon requirements. More Canadian shows and no need to schedule exactly as the Americans (which also gives more room for Can shows).
The CanCorpNets will scream bloody murder and worse than bloody murder at such suggestions, of course. And so will a lot of fans of the US shows that get clipped by such ideas being implemented. More and louder screams of "Death to the CRTC!" from the viewership and CanCorpNet lobbyists, ad infinitum...
Is there really a "hoser vote" who would buy this as a means of increasing Canadian shows? I mean, outside of a few dozen CBC Radio listeners?
ARen't the American nets on a separate tier that you pay for. If you don't want them, don't pay for that tier of channels. If they aren't, then put them on a separate tier, like HBO Canada, AMC, A&E, Spike, and the other American channels one can purchase as is the case with BBC. I think you can also order RAI and other European and Asian stations to beam into your home.
"ARen't the American nets on a separate tier that you pay for."
Nope.
Seven days? even the slowest torrent will come in faster than that!
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