Licences for large English and French-language television groups
OTTAWA and GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 30, 2018 /CNW/ - The CRTC responded today to the government's Order-in-Council to reconsider its decisions regarding large television groups by imposing conditions of licence on them to ensure the continued support of the Canadian creative sector. The government asked the CRTC to re-examine original Canadian French-language programs, programs of national interest in the English-language market and short-form programming, including music. These changes were made to preserve the viability, stability and competitiveness of the creative sector and the Canadian television market.
For the French-language market, the CRTC now requires each group to make significant investments in the creation of French-language programs, representing 75% of its Canadian programming expenditures for original French-language programs starting in 2019-2020. The percentage in 2018-2019 will be 50%, which will enable the groups to adjust to the new requirements and ensure sufficient support for the production of original French-language content for the French-language market.
The CRTC is also increasing expenditure requirements for programs of national interest in the English-language market. The percentage will now be based on historical expenditures, to ensure sufficient investment in the production of these programs and financial contributions according to each group's financial resources. Therefore, the requirements are increasing from 5% to 7.5% of previous years' revenues for Bell, and from 5% to 8.5% for Corus, while requirements for Rogers remain at 5%. The CRTC believes this approach will ensure the Canadian production sector continues to play an essential role in the Canadian economy and offer high-quality content to viewers in Canada and abroad.
The CRTC determined that the groups in both language markets will be required to allocate an average of $5.5 million per year to support the production of musical programs (FACTOR and MUSICACTION). These expenditures will be imposed from 2019 to 2022, and will ensure regulatory uniformity among the groups.
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"These measures will help our creators produce quality original content that meets Canadians' expectations, while adapting to the constantly evolving television environment. We will continue to require that these large groups contribute to the expansion of original Canadian programming according to their respective financial capabilities, so that they may play an essential role in the Canadian economy."
Ian Scott, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the CRTC
Quick Facts
- The Governor-in-Council asked the CRTC to reconsider its decisions relating to the licence renewals for the television services of large English and French-language private ownership groups issued on May 15, 2017.
- The CRTC issued two notices of consultation, one for each market, and provided two opportunities for Canadians to comment on these issues.
- The amended conditions of licence will apply from September 1, 2018, to 2022.
- The large groups affected by these decisions are: Bell, Corus, Rogers, Quebecor and Groupe V.
Related documents
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2018-334 - Reconsideration of licence renewal decisions for the television services of large French-language private ownership groups
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2018-335 - Reconsideration of the licence renewal decisions for the television services of large English‑language private ownership groups
- Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-428 – Reconsideration of the decisions relating to the licence renewals for the television services of large French-language private ownership groups
- Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-429 – Reconsideration of the decisions relating to the licence renewals for the television services of large English-language private ownership groups
- Order in Council PC Number 2017-1060
- Order Referring Back to the CRTC Decisions CRTC 2017-143 to 2017-151 to Renew the Broadcasting Licences
- The CRTC supports the production of original content
Related Document 1: Key Indicators for large French-language groups
| French-language Market |
Requirements |
| Original programs |
75% of Canadian programming expenditures for original French-language programs |
Related Document 2: Key Indicators for large English-language groups
| English-language Market |
Requirements |
| Expenditures for programs of national interest |
Bell: 7.5% |
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SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
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