Discretionary service

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A discretionary service is a Canadian specialty channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, may be carried optionally by all subscription television providers. It replaces the previous category A, category B, category C (instead split into the categories of "mainstream sports" and "national news"), and premium classifications. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Discretionary services may air programming from any of the CRTC's defined categories, although no more than 10% of programming per month may be devoted to live professional sports. Discretionary services may be authorized to offer multiplex channels. [4]

Background

Prior classifications and genre exclusivity

The CRTC previously licensed specialty television services into one of three categories, which determined their regulatory obligations (such as the types of programming they may offer, and whether they are allowed to compete with other specialty television services), and how they may be distributed by television providers—known legally as broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs). Prior to 2015, there were three types of specialty channel licenses

Reforms and discontinuation of genre exclusivity rules

As part of "Let's Talk TV", a CRTC initiative to reform Canada's broadcasting industry, the Commission announced in 2015 that it would phase out its previous "genre protection" rules, which forbade services with Category B licenses from directly competing with those with Category A licenses. The Commission felt that these restrictions were "no longer needed to ensure programming diversity between services", as "[they] limited programming services to offering certain types of programming and precluded other services from offering that programming." As part of these changes, the CRTC began transitioning all pay and specialty services to standardized conditions of license. [7] [8] [4] [12]

In November 2016, per a request by DHX Media (owner of Family Channel—a network that was licensed as a premium service, but had largely been treated as a non-premium specialty service by television providers), the previous premium television designation was also removed, merging them into the discretionary services category and allowing them to, if they choose, transition to advertising-supported formats. [4] The standard conditions of license were thus amended to allow discretionary services to offer multiplex channels if approved as a condition of license. [4]

List of licensed discretionary services

Former Category A services

Category A services were those which had mandatory distribution by all licensed broadcast distribution undertakings. They consisted of the channels that were licensed before the emergence of digital cable, as well as the narrow tier of digital services which were originally licensed as "Category 1" (must-carry) when digital cable was first introduced.

English

French

Third-language

Former Category B services

Category B services were those which had only optional, rather than mandatory, carriage rights on BDUs, and did not have format protection.

English

French

Third-language

National news and sports discretionary services

English

News
Sports
  • Sportsnet
    • Sportsnet East
    • Sportsnet Ontario
    • Sportsnet Pacific
    • Sportsnet West
  • Sportsnet One
    • Sportsnet Flames
    • Sportsnet Oilers
    • Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey
  • TSN
    • TSN1
    • TSN2
    • TSN3
    • TSN4
    • TSN5

French

News
Sports

Former exempted services

Former premium services

Exempted discretionary services

Services with less than 200,000 subscribers that would otherwise meet the definition of a discretionary service, and services which air 90% of their programming in a "third language (a language other than English, French, or those of Canadian aboriginal peoples), are exempted from formal licensing by the CRTC. They must still comply with standard conditions of license published by the CRTC, maintain a file with the Commission, and, if this is the basis of their exemption, pursue an application for licensing if they exceed 200,000 subscribers. [13] [14]

English

Third-language

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Specialty channel</span> Television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre

A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Channel (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian cable channel

Family Channel is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by DHX Television Inc., a subsidiary of WildBrain. The network primarily airs children's television series, teen dramas, as well as other programming targeting a family audience. Despite having its own headquarters in the Brookfield Place office in Financial District, the channel is transmitted from Corus Quay.

Sportsnet 360 (SN360) is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by Rogers Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth Broadcasting Network</span> Television channel

Commonwealth Broadcasting Network (CBN) is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Aastha TV</span> Television channel

ATN Aastha is a Canadian exempt Category B Hindi language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Jaya TV</span> Television channel

ATN Jaya TV is a Canadian exempt Category B Tamil language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). It broadcasts programming from Jaya TV, a popular television channel from India, and Canadian content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Movies</span> Television channel

ATN Movies is a Canadian Category B Hindi language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Urdu</span> Television channel

ATN Urdu is a Canadian pay television channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). It is an Urdu-language general entertainment network, airing programming that appeals to the entire family including comedies, serials, talk shows, music, religious programs, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Gujarati</span> Television channel

ATN Gujarati is a Canadian exempt Category B Gujarati language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Bangla (Canada)</span> Canadian Bengali-language television channel

ATN Bangla is a Canadian exempt Category B Bengali language pay television channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN B4U Music</span> Television channel

ATN B4U Music is a Canadian Category B Hindi language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). ATN B4U Music broadcasts music-related programming primarily in the form of a variety of music video-based programs and interview series. Programs are primarily sourced from B4U Music, an Indian-based television channel, in addition to locally produced Canadian content.

Canada is served by various multichannel television services, including cable television systems, two direct-broadcast satellite providers, and various other wireline IPTV and wireless MMDS video providers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Punjabi</span> Canadian TV channel

ATN Alpha ETC Punjabi is a Canadian Punjabi-language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network. It broadcasts programming from India and Canadian content in the form of movies, news, dramas, comedies, and talk shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Cricket Plus</span> Television channel

ATN Cricket Plus is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). ATN Cricket Plus broadcasts programming related to the sport of cricket including live and tape-delayed matches and news and highlight series.

Sportsnet World is a Canadian English language discretionary digital cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications operating as a national sports channel complementing the Sportsnet group of regional sports networks. The channel was launched in August 10, 2007 as a Canadian version of Setanta Sports as a joint venture between UK-based Setanta Sports and Rogers Media. In 2011, Rogers acquired the stake of Setanta relaunching the channel to its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN DD Sports</span> Television channel

ATN DD Sports is a Canadian discretionary English language digital cable specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). It airs live and tape-delayed Cricket matches as well as other Asian sports such as Kabaddi, Kho-kho, Field hockey, Archery and Badminton. Programming is derived from DD Sports, India's only free-to-air national Sports channel.

A Category C service is the former term for a Canadian discretionary specialty channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, operates under the conditions of license for "competitive Canadian specialty services operating in the genres of mainstream sports and national news".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATN Sony TV</span> Television channel

ATN Sony TV is a Canadian exempt Category B Hindi language specialty channel owned by Asian Television Network (ATN). It broadcasts programming from SET Asia as well as Canadian content.

References

  1. ↑ "Let's Talk TV - the way forward - Creating compelling and diverse Canadian programming". 12 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Types of TV broadcasters". 4 October 2007.
  3. ↑ "Radio, TV and Cable Broadcasting Services that do and do not need a licence". 3 September 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-436". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chum complaint "an exercise in turf protection"". Mediacaster Magazine. February 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) (2008-10-30). "Regulatory policy - Regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) and discretionary programming services". crtc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  7. 1 2 3 "Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-86: Let's Talk TV - The way forward - Creating compelling and diverse Canadian programming". CRTC. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-96 - Let's Talk TV - A World of Choice - A roadmap to maximize choice for TV viewers and to foster a healthy, dynamic TV market". CRTC. 19 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Conditions of licence for competitive Canadian specialty services operating in the genres of mainstream sports and national news". crtc.gc.ca. CRTC. 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  10. ↑ "ARCHIVED - Conditions of licence for competitive Canadian specialty services operating in the genres of mainstream sports and national news". 4 September 2009.
  11. ↑ "ARCHIVED - Call for comments on amendments to the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations". 10 December 2010.
  12. ↑ Maloney, Val. "CRTC to allow ads on pay-TV channels". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications . Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Broadcasting Order CRTC 2012-689: New exemption order respecting certain programming undertakings that would otherwise be eligible to be operated as Category B services, and amendments to the Exemption order respecting certain third-language television undertakings". CRTC. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  14. ↑ "Exemption order respecting discretionary television programming undertakings serving fewer than 200,000 subscribers". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-23.

See also

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