Multichannel television in Canada
Encyclopedia
Many Canadians
now receive their television
service through some sort of multichannel television platform, such as cable television
or satellite television
, as opposed to an antenna-based system providing only conventional stations. While the technical details of these platforms differ, the governing Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations are similar for all providers.
, the other being satellite television
. MMDS and low-power broadcast subscription channels are available in some markets.
The development of the system relied on reaching agreement with Quebec Hydro-Electric Commission to utilise their existing network of power poles supplying power to the Montreal Metro area.
Initial discussions began with a meeting with Montreal City Council on June 21, 1949. After many months of negotiation, agreement was reached between Hydro Quebec and Rediffusion Inc. on February 28, 1950 for an initial 5 year period.
The Rediffusion cable system was operational in 1952 and eventually supplied 80,000 homes in Montreal Quebec.
Cable television in Canada began in 1952 with community antenna connections in Vancouver
and London
; which city is first is not clear. Initially, the systems brought American stations to viewers in Canada who had no Canadian stations to watch; broadcast television, though begun late in 1952 in Toronto and Montreal, did not reach a majority of cities until 1954.
In time, cable television was widely established to carry available Canadian stations as well as import American stations, which constituted the vast majority of signals on systems (usually only one or two Canadian stations, while some systems had duplicate or even triplicate coverage of American networks). During the 1970s, a growing number of Canadian stations pushed American channels off the systems, forcing several to expand beyond the original 12-channel system configurations. At the same time, the advent of fibre-optic technology enabled companies to extend their systems to nearby towns and villages that by themselves were not viable cable television markets. In 1977-78, regional cable services such Telecable and Cable Regina in Saskatchewan
began to emerge, offering access to American networks for the first time, though a third system, CPN, which offered specialty channels such as HBO, failed after two years.
Specialty television channels available only on cable began to be established in 1983, and systems continued to expand and upgrade their channel capacity, notably by deploying fibre-optics to carry signals as far as neighbourhoods before converting to coaxial cable for the final run to the customer premises. The use of Fibre Optic cables as far back as the 1970s does not imply that Cable companies were using digital methods to transmit signals as is sometimes assumed by the modern viewer. This is a common misunderstanding very similar to the misunderstood belief that LaserDisc was a digital format, which it isn't. Methods were developed and deployed as far back as the 1970s to transmit analog video using frequency division multiplexing via fibre-optic cabling. Digital signaling is a much more modern practice which only began in the early 2000s. Two-way capabilities were introduced, and larger systems were able to use "addressable" descramblers to offer pay-TV and different tiers of channels.
Cable television began to face serious competition from DTH satellite services in the late 1990s. Telephone companies and cable television companies have since been permitted, in most parts of Canada, to compete to provide services originally provided by the other. Cable television services are not the prime providers of broadband Internet in Canada, but they are a very strong competitor for the service.
During the early 1970s, Canadian television stations obtained regulatory rulings that required cable television operators to substitute
their signals for distant (usually American) stations carrying the same television program at the same time. This was to protect the stations' advertising sales.
Many systems were originally locally owned, and many large cities had several providers each covering specific sections of a city; a long series of consolidations and acquisitions rapidly brought most major cities' systems under the ownership of a small number of large companies.
, Shaw Communications
, Vidéotron
, Cogeco
, Persona, Cable Axion
, Dery Telecom
and EastLink
. Most of these "first-generation" cable companies do not compete with each other, as the CRTC has traditionally licensed only one cable provider per market. Even in markets where more than one distributor has been licensed, each has an exclusive territory within the market. However, most telephone companies such as Bell Canada
, Telus
, Aliant
, Manitoba Telecom Services
(MTS) and SaskTel have recently secured IPTV
distribution licences in their own territories, several of which are already in use.
, although many viewers receive American signals through pirate decryption
. Whether such activity is grey market
or black market is the source of often heated debate between those who would like greater choice and those who argue that the protection of Canadian firms and Canadian culture
is more important.
In October 2004, Quebec
judge Danièle Côté ruled Canada's Radiocommunication Act
to be in direct violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
, insofar as it bans reception of unlicensed foreign television services. The judgment gave the federal government a one-year deadline to remedy this breach of the Constitution. However, this contradicts prior Supreme Court of Canada
decisions and, at last word in late 2004, was expected to be appealed.
In addition, Canadian satellite providers continue to be plagued by the unquestionably black market devices which "pirate" or "steal" their signals as well as by a number of otherwise completely lawful devices which can be reprogrammed to receive pirate TV
.
One cable TV CEO (Karl Péladeau of Québecor
, which owns Vidéotron
) is on public record as demanding conditions be placed on the CRTC license issued to Bell TV, due to Bell TV’s reputation for vastly inferior security compared to its cable rivals and Shaw Cable–owned Shaw Direct.
Although there are no official statistics, the use of American satellite services in Canada appears to be declining as of 2004.
Some would claim that this is probably due to a combination of increasingly aggressive police enforcement and an unfavourable exchange rate
between the Canadian
and U.S. currencies. As the U.S. dollar has been declining as of 2005 versus other international currencies, the decline in DirecTV viewership in Canada may well be related not to a cost difference as much as to the series of smart card swaps which have rendered the first three generations of DirecTV access cards (F, H and HU) all obsolete.
, Northwest Territories
and Nunavut
), which are too sparsely populated to make conventional cable a financially viable operation. The fate of such capacity-limited services, heading into the era of digital television, is uncertain.
s, unlike their counterparts in the U.S., must be licensed by the CRTC. They cannot include general-interest services of the likes of USA Network
or TNT
- most of their original series are carried instead on broadcast stations, perhaps an indication of why there are now so many broadcast "systems" in the Canadian industry - but do include such categories as sports (TSN
), news (CBC News Network and CTV News Channel), music (MuchMusic
), arts (Bravo!), kids (YTV and Nickelodeon
) and drama (Showcase).
As a general rule, specialty channels cannot be directly competitive. However the commission has given leeway in certain broader categories. For instance, in theory CBC News Network and CTV News Channel are the Canadian equivalents of CNN
and CNN Headline News
respectively, although in practice they are directly competitive in most respects. Similarly, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet
and The Score
are licensed as national sports, regional sports, and sports news services respectively, but they compete for the rights to several key national broadcast properties, including Major League Baseball
and the National Hockey League
. However, The Score has specific restrictions due to its status as a sports news service, such as a requirement a ticker with sports news and scores running at all times, and restrictions on the amount of live programming it can air weekly. In a public notice published by the CRTC, Broadcasting Public Notice 2008-100 (Regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings and discretionary programming services), it was revealed that the competition rules would be removed entirely for news and sports services.
Specialty services can generally be divided into four types. To the end user, there is little if any distinction between the first two ("analog") and last two ("digital") categories:
s such as CNN and Spike TV
, are permitted. The current list of "eligible satellite services" is maintained on the CRTC's website.
In general, foreign channels are permitted provided that they are deemed not to directly compete with Canadian channels at the time of their introduction. In rejecting a 2003 application proposing the addition of several U.S.-based channels, the CRTC stated that by allowing Canadian channels to maintain control over these types of programming, they are able to fully access the available advertising and subscription revenues, which would otherwise flow outside the country, in order to fund Canadian programming. Examples of well-known U.S. channels not permitted in Canada include Nickelodeon
, ESPN
, HBO, Showtime, USA Network
, and TNT (although , there are Canadian versions of HBO and Nickelodeon, which license their names and logos from Time Warner
and Viacom
, respectively but are operated by different owners than their American counterparts); nonetheless some Canadians choose to subscribe to these channels via the grey market, as outlined above.
The commission is also permitted to revoke a foreign channel's status should another channel launch within the same genre. However, the only time the CRTC has unilaterally removed an American channel from the eligible services list – that is, without the consent of the American broadcaster – was at the launch of New Country Network, when the American channel CMT
was removed. This led to a protracted dispute eventually resolved by the sale of a stake in NCN (now CMT Canada) to CMT. Since then, the CRTC has been more lenient on existing eligible channels; Spike TV
and Comedy Central
have retained their eligibility despite the launch of mentv
and The Comedy Network
. Even if a channel is approved, other issues such as programming rights may prevent their carriage, as in the cases of Comedy Central and, until late 2006, AMC and TCM
.
U.S. cable networks are not subject to the same simulcast rules as American broadcast stations. However, unlike the broadcast stations, cable networks must own all applicable programming rights, and may be forced to provide alternate programming if they do not. For example, even though NBC
's Olympic
coverage or its broadcasts of Deal or No Deal
are available in Canada (assuming they aren't being simsubbed), CNBC
broadcasts of these programs are normally blacked out and replaced with CNBC World
, in deference to the rights of CBC and Global respectively. An exception to both rules is TBS, as the superstation
WTBS Atlanta, a broadcast station, is approved for carriage in Canada, not the national feed. As of October 2007, this reason prevents TBS from being carried in Canada any longer, as WTBS was separated from TBS and rebranded as WPCH, Peachtree TV - and carrying the TBS cable feed would require regulatory approval.
Some U.S. channels, such as TBS or CNBC
, are passive entrants with little Canadian promotion. Others, such as A&E Network
, are more proactive; that service has frequently advertised in Canada with the help of its cable partners (such as in the Rogers
-owned Maclean's
or in the "ad avails" of U.S. cable networks, usually used in Canada to promote domestic channels).
, serving Ontario and east, and Movie Central
, serving Manitoba
and west, and French-language Super Écran
, all successors to the original general-interest pay services, have become very successful and very profitable, more so in recent years thanks to the shift towards digital terminals and the success of original series from sources such as HBO
. These services presently operate in a virtual monopoly in their respective markets, although Allarco Entertainment
has recently received a licence to compete nationally with the two English services.
Family is also licensed as a pay service and airs commercial-free, but is now treated by most providers as a specialty channel and packaged with other specialty channels.
Many third-language or "ethnic" services licensed for analog distribution are mostly treated as pay television services by cable and satellite operators.
Traditionally the package also includes
Other "discretionary tiers" or packages include other Canadian specialty or premium services and foreign services, as noted above. The distribution of these services is covered by various regulations, including one that states that a package cannot consist exclusively of foreign services and must maintain a certain ratio of Canadian to foreign services.
In addition to the category 1
and category 2
services noted above, digital and satellite services also offer a range of timeshift channel
s, which may be either network affiliates from a different time zone
, in the case of broadcast networks, or a time-delayed retransmission of the original programming feed for cable-only channels. In addition, all four regional feeds of Rogers Sportsnet
can be offered on a digital or satellite cable service; only the local feed can be offered on an analog tier.
Digital and satellite providers also run a package of audio services, commonly called "digital television radio
", from providers such as Galaxie
and Max Trax.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
now receive their television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
service through some sort of multichannel television platform, such as cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
or satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
, as opposed to an antenna-based system providing only conventional stations. While the technical details of these platforms differ, the governing Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations are similar for all providers.
Platforms
There are two main multichannel distribution platforms in Canada. The first, and by far the largest, is cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
, the other being satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
. MMDS and low-power broadcast subscription channels are available in some markets.
History
In 1949, Broadcast Relay Service began negotiations for the implementation of what was to be the first large scale cable TV system in North America.The development of the system relied on reaching agreement with Quebec Hydro-Electric Commission to utilise their existing network of power poles supplying power to the Montreal Metro area.
Initial discussions began with a meeting with Montreal City Council on June 21, 1949. After many months of negotiation, agreement was reached between Hydro Quebec and Rediffusion Inc. on February 28, 1950 for an initial 5 year period.
The Rediffusion cable system was operational in 1952 and eventually supplied 80,000 homes in Montreal Quebec.
Cable television in Canada began in 1952 with community antenna connections in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
; which city is first is not clear. Initially, the systems brought American stations to viewers in Canada who had no Canadian stations to watch; broadcast television, though begun late in 1952 in Toronto and Montreal, did not reach a majority of cities until 1954.
In time, cable television was widely established to carry available Canadian stations as well as import American stations, which constituted the vast majority of signals on systems (usually only one or two Canadian stations, while some systems had duplicate or even triplicate coverage of American networks). During the 1970s, a growing number of Canadian stations pushed American channels off the systems, forcing several to expand beyond the original 12-channel system configurations. At the same time, the advent of fibre-optic technology enabled companies to extend their systems to nearby towns and villages that by themselves were not viable cable television markets. In 1977-78, regional cable services such Telecable and Cable Regina in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
began to emerge, offering access to American networks for the first time, though a third system, CPN, which offered specialty channels such as HBO, failed after two years.
Specialty television channels available only on cable began to be established in 1983, and systems continued to expand and upgrade their channel capacity, notably by deploying fibre-optics to carry signals as far as neighbourhoods before converting to coaxial cable for the final run to the customer premises. The use of Fibre Optic cables as far back as the 1970s does not imply that Cable companies were using digital methods to transmit signals as is sometimes assumed by the modern viewer. This is a common misunderstanding very similar to the misunderstood belief that LaserDisc was a digital format, which it isn't. Methods were developed and deployed as far back as the 1970s to transmit analog video using frequency division multiplexing via fibre-optic cabling. Digital signaling is a much more modern practice which only began in the early 2000s. Two-way capabilities were introduced, and larger systems were able to use "addressable" descramblers to offer pay-TV and different tiers of channels.
Cable television began to face serious competition from DTH satellite services in the late 1990s. Telephone companies and cable television companies have since been permitted, in most parts of Canada, to compete to provide services originally provided by the other. Cable television services are not the prime providers of broadband Internet in Canada, but they are a very strong competitor for the service.
During the early 1970s, Canadian television stations obtained regulatory rulings that required cable television operators to substitute
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
their signals for distant (usually American) stations carrying the same television program at the same time. This was to protect the stations' advertising sales.
Many systems were originally locally owned, and many large cities had several providers each covering specific sections of a city; a long series of consolidations and acquisitions rapidly brought most major cities' systems under the ownership of a small number of large companies.
Present day
Presently, cable is provided to most cities and towns, depending on the region, by companies such as Rogers CableRogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
, Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
, Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
, Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
, Persona, Cable Axion
Cable Axion
Cable Axion is a cable television distributor and Internet service provider based at Magog, Quebec.-Areas of Operation:*Estrie** Austin** Barnston** Brome** Brome Lake** Bonsecours** Bromptonville** Chartierville** Compton** Cookshire-Eaton...
, Dery Telecom
Dery Telecom
Dery Telecom is a cable television distributor and Internet service provider in Canada based in Saguenay, Quebec....
and EastLink
EastLink (company)
EastLink is a Canadian cable television and telecommunications company. In 1970, EastLink was established in Amherst, Nova Scotia, when it was issued one of the first cable licences granted by the CRTC...
. Most of these "first-generation" cable companies do not compete with each other, as the CRTC has traditionally licensed only one cable provider per market. Even in markets where more than one distributor has been licensed, each has an exclusive territory within the market. However, most telephone companies such as Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
, Telus
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
, Aliant
Aliant
Bell Aliant Inc. is a communications company providing services in various areas throughout eastern Canada, as Bell Aliant throughout Atlantic Canada, and under the NorthernTel, and Télébec brands in rural areas of Ontario and Quebec....
, Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
(MTS) and SaskTel have recently secured IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
distribution licences in their own territories, several of which are already in use.
Satellite television
In Canada, the two legal DBS services available are Bell TV and Shaw Direct. The CRTC has refused to license American satellite services, but nonetheless hundreds of thousands (up to a million by some estimates) of Canadians access or have accessed American services — usually these services have to be billed to an American address and are paid for in U.S. dollarsUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
, although many viewers receive American signals through pirate decryption
Pirate decryption
Pirate decryption most often refers to the reception of compromised pay TV or pay radio signals without authorization from the original broadcaster...
. Whether such activity is grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
or black market is the source of often heated debate between those who would like greater choice and those who argue that the protection of Canadian firms and Canadian culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
is more important.
In October 2004, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
judge Danièle Côté ruled Canada's Radiocommunication Act
Radiocommunication Act
The Radiocommunication Act is an Act of Parliament respecting radiocommunication in Canada.-External links:*...
to be in direct violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
, insofar as it bans reception of unlicensed foreign television services. The judgment gave the federal government a one-year deadline to remedy this breach of the Constitution. However, this contradicts prior Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
decisions and, at last word in late 2004, was expected to be appealed.
In addition, Canadian satellite providers continue to be plagued by the unquestionably black market devices which "pirate" or "steal" their signals as well as by a number of otherwise completely lawful devices which can be reprogrammed to receive pirate TV
Pirate decryption
Pirate decryption most often refers to the reception of compromised pay TV or pay radio signals without authorization from the original broadcaster...
.
One cable TV CEO (Karl Péladeau of Québecor
Quebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
, which owns Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
) is on public record as demanding conditions be placed on the CRTC license issued to Bell TV, due to Bell TV’s reputation for vastly inferior security compared to its cable rivals and Shaw Cable–owned Shaw Direct.
Although there are no official statistics, the use of American satellite services in Canada appears to be declining as of 2004.
Some would claim that this is probably due to a combination of increasingly aggressive police enforcement and an unfavourable exchange rate
Exchange rate
In finance, an exchange rate between two currencies is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another. It is also regarded as the value of one country’s currency in terms of another currency...
between the Canadian
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
and U.S. currencies. As the U.S. dollar has been declining as of 2005 versus other international currencies, the decline in DirecTV viewership in Canada may well be related not to a cost difference as much as to the series of smart card swaps which have rendered the first three generations of DirecTV access cards (F, H and HU) all obsolete.
Other platforms
In some areas, an additional option is a form of over-the-air broadcasting, either via MMDS, also known as "wireless cable", or via encrypted low-power transmissions in the NTSC format. This type of distribution is most commonly used in the territories (YukonYukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
and Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
), which are too sparsely populated to make conventional cable a financially viable operation. The fate of such capacity-limited services, heading into the era of digital television, is uncertain.
Specialty channels
Specialty channelSpecialty channel
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....
s, unlike their counterparts in the U.S., must be licensed by the CRTC. They cannot include general-interest services of the likes of USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
or TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
- most of their original series are carried instead on broadcast stations, perhaps an indication of why there are now so many broadcast "systems" in the Canadian industry - but do include such categories as sports (TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
), news (CBC News Network and CTV News Channel), music (MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
), arts (Bravo!), kids (YTV and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (Canada)
Nickelodeon is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel based on the U.S. cable network Nickelodeon. It is wholly owned by Corus Entertainment, with its name licensed from MTV Networks International, a division of Viacom....
) and drama (Showcase).
As a general rule, specialty channels cannot be directly competitive. However the commission has given leeway in certain broader categories. For instance, in theory CBC News Network and CTV News Channel are the Canadian equivalents of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
respectively, although in practice they are directly competitive in most respects. Similarly, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
and The Score
The Score
The Score may refer to:* The Score Magazine, a Chennai magazine* The Score Television Network, a Canadian sports channel* The Score , a 1996 album by Fugees* The Score – An Epic Journey, a 2005 album by the symphonic metal band Epica...
are licensed as national sports, regional sports, and sports news services respectively, but they compete for the rights to several key national broadcast properties, including Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. However, The Score has specific restrictions due to its status as a sports news service, such as a requirement a ticker with sports news and scores running at all times, and restrictions on the amount of live programming it can air weekly. In a public notice published by the CRTC, Broadcasting Public Notice 2008-100 (Regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings and discretionary programming services), it was revealed that the competition rules would be removed entirely for news and sports services.
Specialty services can generally be divided into four types. To the end user, there is little if any distinction between the first two ("analog") and last two ("digital") categories:
- Dual-status - analog channels intended for the basic package of a cable/satellite provider, unless the two parties agree in writing otherwise. These include first-generation services such as CBC News Network, VisionTV, YTV, MuchMusicMuchMusicMuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, TSNThe Sports NetworkThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, CMT, The Weather NetworkThe Weather NetworkThe Weather Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts weather-related news and information 24 hours a day....
, RDIRéseau de l'informationRéseau de l'information is a Canadian French language Category C news channel operated by CBC/Radio-Canada. RDI began broadcasting on January 1, 1995, and is considered the French-language equivalent of the CBC News Network, also owned by the CBC....
, TV5, VRAK.TVVRAK.TVVRAK.TV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media.-History:...
, MusiquePlusMusiquePlusMusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
, RDSRéseau des sportsRéseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
and MétéoMédiaMétéoMédiaMétéoMédia is a 24-hour Canadian French language Category A specialty channel and web site, which provides weather information 24 hours a day. It primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as well. It is available nation-wide...
. Although other Canadian speciality services can also be distributed on the basic package as well. - Modified dual-status - analog channels intended for discretionary packages of a cable/satellite provider, unless the parties agree otherwise. These include second- and third-generation services such as ShowcaseShowcase TelevisionShowcase is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. Showcase is a predominantly fiction-based service centred around scripted television series and films....
, Bravo!, Discovery Channel, W NetworkW NetworkW Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women....
, Canal VieCanal VieCanal Vie is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media. Canal Vie airs lifestyle and entertainment programs aimed at women in the form of talk shows, documentaries, reality TV series, films, and more...
, MusiMaxMusiMaxMusiMax is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating out of Montreal, Quebec.MusiMax is devoted to music and music related programming focusing more on adult contemporary, soft-rock, classic rock and lighter music than its sister station, MusiquePlus...
, Canal DCanal DCanal D is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media. Canal D focuses on documentary programming primarily in the form of documentary-style television series that focus on a variety of topics such as crime, biographies, nature, science, and more.-History:In June...
and more. Several dual-status services, such as TSN, have changed to or are considering a change to this type due to limits on the rates they can charge on the basic service. - Category A digital - channels with mandatory carriage in one or more discretionary packages of the digital service of a cable/satellite provider. These include OUTtvOUTtvOUTtv is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that airs entertainment and lifestyle programming for LGBT audiences.OUTtv's licensee is OUTtv Network Inc. which is 55.9% owned by Shavick Entertainment, 24.94% owned by Pink Triangle Press, 15% owned by Peace Point Entertainment...
, MTV2, ichannelIchannelichannel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Stornoway Communications. Its programs focus on public, social and current affairs...
, FashionTelevisionChannelFashionTelevisionChannelFashionTelevisionChannel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel broadcasts programming related to fashion, modelling, photography, art, architecture and design...
, documentary, MystèreMystère (TV channel)addikTV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Groupe TVA, a division of Quebecor Media. The channel broadcasts programs devoted primarily to drama programming focusing on mystery, suspense, and thriller TV series and films....
and more. - Category B digital - channels with no mandatory carriage in digital-service discretionary packages. Unlike the other types described above, these channels have no protection from other Category B channels within the same niche but have lighter Canadian content regulations. Certain ones have become more popular than any of the Category 1 services. Category B services include BBC CanadaBBC CanadaBBC Canada is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel. It presents programming primarily from the BBC. BBC Canada is a joint venture between Shaw Media and BBC Worldwide.-Programming:Main article: List of programs broadcast by BBC Canada...
, CourtTV CanadaCourtTV CanadaInvestigation Discovery is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel. Investigation Discovery primarily features programming related to crime and justice....
, NHL Network, MovieolaMovieolaMovieola is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Channel Zero Inc....
, National Geographic Channel, Prise 2Prise 2Prise 2 is a Canadian French language Category B specialty channel with programming featuring television series and films mainly from Quebec and the United States from 25 years ago. It is owned by Groupe TVA, a division of Quebecor Media. The channel launched on February 9, 2006....
and more.
Foreign channels
In addition to these specialty channels, certain foreign channels, most commonly American cable networkCable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
s such as CNN and Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
, are permitted. The current list of "eligible satellite services" is maintained on the CRTC's website.
In general, foreign channels are permitted provided that they are deemed not to directly compete with Canadian channels at the time of their introduction. In rejecting a 2003 application proposing the addition of several U.S.-based channels, the CRTC stated that by allowing Canadian channels to maintain control over these types of programming, they are able to fully access the available advertising and subscription revenues, which would otherwise flow outside the country, in order to fund Canadian programming. Examples of well-known U.S. channels not permitted in Canada include Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, HBO, Showtime, USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
, and TNT (although , there are Canadian versions of HBO and Nickelodeon, which license their names and logos from Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, respectively but are operated by different owners than their American counterparts); nonetheless some Canadians choose to subscribe to these channels via the grey market, as outlined above.
The commission is also permitted to revoke a foreign channel's status should another channel launch within the same genre. However, the only time the CRTC has unilaterally removed an American channel from the eligible services list – that is, without the consent of the American broadcaster – was at the launch of New Country Network, when the American channel CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
was removed. This led to a protracted dispute eventually resolved by the sale of a stake in NCN (now CMT Canada) to CMT. Since then, the CRTC has been more lenient on existing eligible channels; Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
and Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
have retained their eligibility despite the launch of mentv
Mentv
The Cave is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel dedicated to airing lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at men. It is currently owned by Groupe TVA and Shaw Media.-History:...
and The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
. Even if a channel is approved, other issues such as programming rights may prevent their carriage, as in the cases of Comedy Central and, until late 2006, AMC and TCM
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
.
U.S. cable networks are not subject to the same simulcast rules as American broadcast stations. However, unlike the broadcast stations, cable networks must own all applicable programming rights, and may be forced to provide alternate programming if they do not. For example, even though NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
coverage or its broadcasts of Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (US game show)
Deal or No Deal is the American version of the international game show of Dutch origin of the same name. The show was hosted by Howie Mandel, and premiered on December 19, 2005, on National Broadcasting Company . The hour-long show typically aired at least twice a week during its run, and included...
are available in Canada (assuming they aren't being simsubbed), CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
broadcasts of these programs are normally blacked out and replaced with CNBC World
CNBC World
CNBC World is a business news channel operated in the United States by NBCUniversal.The channel broadcasts programs from CNBC's international channels. Specifically, most of the business day schedules of CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia are simulcasted. Several other pre-taped shows from CNBC's...
, in deference to the rights of CBC and Global respectively. An exception to both rules is TBS, as the superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
WTBS Atlanta, a broadcast station, is approved for carriage in Canada, not the national feed. As of October 2007, this reason prevents TBS from being carried in Canada any longer, as WTBS was separated from TBS and rebranded as WPCH, Peachtree TV - and carrying the TBS cable feed would require regulatory approval.
Some U.S. channels, such as TBS or CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
, are passive entrants with little Canadian promotion. Others, such as A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, are more proactive; that service has frequently advertised in Canada with the help of its cable partners (such as in the Rogers
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
-owned Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
or in the "ad avails" of U.S. cable networks, usually used in Canada to promote domestic channels).
Premium services
"Pay television" services were launched in Canada in the early 1980s but were largely unsuccessful in their original form. Many shut down, and two (TSN and MuchMusic) converted to specialty services as that format became more successful. However, movie-oriented premium services, including The Movie NetworkThe Movie Network
The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
, serving Ontario and east, and Movie Central
Movie Central
Movie Central is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories...
, serving Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and west, and French-language Super Écran
Super Écran
Super Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service that broadcasts nationally via satellite or cable subscribers. The network is owned by Astral Media...
, all successors to the original general-interest pay services, have become very successful and very profitable, more so in recent years thanks to the shift towards digital terminals and the success of original series from sources such as HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
. These services presently operate in a virtual monopoly in their respective markets, although Allarco Entertainment
Allarco Entertainment
Super Channel is an English language Canadian Category A premium television service. It is owned by the Allard family through Allarco Entertainment Inc....
has recently received a licence to compete nationally with the two English services.
Family is also licensed as a pay service and airs commercial-free, but is now treated by most providers as a specialty channel and packaged with other specialty channels.
Many third-language or "ethnic" services licensed for analog distribution are mostly treated as pay television services by cable and satellite operators.
Cable/satellite packaging
Under CRTC regulations, a basic cable or satellite package in Canada must include:- all national CRTC-licensed networks, specifically CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, Radio-Canada, TVATVA (TV network)TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
and APTNAboriginal Peoples Television NetworkAboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network. APTN airs and produces programs made by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples...
; - all local or regional broadcasters, usually including stations / affiliates of CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and GlobalGlobal Television NetworkGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, and (where applicable) CitytvCitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
, CTV two and V. Satellite providers carry most but not all local stations, and, unlike their U.S. equivalents, out-of-market stations may be carried nationally; - the provincial educational broadcasting service(s) (if one is available, as not all provinces have one);
- CPAC, which broadcasts parliamentary sessions and committee meetings, along with some political public affairs programming;
- a similar channel broadcasting the proceedings of the provincial legislature (if one exists); and
- VoiceprintVoiceprintVoiceprint can refer to the spectrogram of a voice. More specific uses include:* VoicePrint, Canada's broadcast reading service* Voiceprint Records, an English record label* The stored template used to identify a person via their voice in Speaker recognition...
(usually carried on the SAP service of CBC News Network). - Cable providers are also required to carry at least one CBC RadioCBC RadioCBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
station in each language, as well as any local campus, community, or native radio stations. The requirement to carry all stations was removed by the CRTC in 2006. At the same time the commission stated that this requirement did not, and would not, force cable companies to provide these stations via cable FM receivers, provided they were available on digital cable (i.e. via set-top boxes).
Traditionally the package also includes
- selected specialty channels, at a minimum including CBC News Network, RDIRéseau de l'informationRéseau de l'information is a Canadian French language Category C news channel operated by CBC/Radio-Canada. RDI began broadcasting on January 1, 1995, and is considered the French-language equivalent of the CBC News Network, also owned by the CBC....
, The Weather NetworkThe Weather NetworkThe Weather Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts weather-related news and information 24 hours a day....
and/or MétéoMédiaMétéoMédiaMétéoMédia is a 24-hour Canadian French language Category A specialty channel and web site, which provides weather information 24 hours a day. It primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as well. It is available nation-wide...
, CTV News Channel and/or LCNLe Canal NouvellesLe Canal Nouvelles is a Canadian French language Category C 24 hour headline news specialty channel owned by Groupe TVA, a division of Quebecor Media...
, and VisionTV; - a community channel (locally-produced public affairs and information programming and community events listings);
- American broadcast network affiliates. These are carried under a "4 + 1" rule, meaning that a cable company may offer any four American commercial networks and PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
on a basic tier. In most markets, the four commercial networks provided are ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, although in many markets FOX is carried on a modified dual-status rather than a basic tier. Other networks, such as The CW and MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
, can only be offered on a discretionary tier; generally they are offered through the packaging of American superstationSuperstationSuperstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
s, such as KTLA, WPIXWPIXWPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
and WGNWGN-TVWGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
, with pay TV services. However, cable providers in border markets within the broadcast range of a major American television market, such as WindsorWindsor, OntarioWindsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, may be granted an exemption to the 4 + 1 rule to improve the marketability of their service - Cogeco Cable systems in Windsor carry Detroit's WKBDWKBDWKBD-TV, virtual channel 50 , is an owned and operated station of the CW Television Network, based in Detroit, Michigan. The station is owned and operated by the CBS Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with sister station WWJ-TV . Its studios and transmitters are located at 11 mile and...
and WMYDWMYDWMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
. - "exempt" services such as The Shopping ChannelThe Shopping ChannelThe Shopping Channel is a Canadian English language cable television home shopping channel. The Shopping Channel is a division of Rogers Media. The channel is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. It showcases various products throughout the day of which viewers can purchase either by telephone or...
, program guides, and real estate / classifieds channels.
Other "discretionary tiers" or packages include other Canadian specialty or premium services and foreign services, as noted above. The distribution of these services is covered by various regulations, including one that states that a package cannot consist exclusively of foreign services and must maintain a certain ratio of Canadian to foreign services.
Digital and satellite services
Digital cable and satellite television platforms in Canada typically offer the same range of services as analog providers, with several additional services beginning at channel 100 and above.In addition to the category 1
Category 1 specialty channel
A Category A service is a Canadian specialty television channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, must be carried by all digital cable and direct broadcast satellite providers that have the capability to do so....
and category 2
Category 2 specialty channel
A Category B service is a Canadian specialty television channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, may be carried, optionally, by all digital cable television and direct broadcast satellite providers.Unlike Category A services, Category B services...
services noted above, digital and satellite services also offer a range of timeshift channel
Timeshift channel
A timeshift channel is a television channel carrying a time-delayed rebroadcast of its "parent" channel's output. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network broadcasting at a later time to reflect a local timezone unless the parent is also available...
s, which may be either network affiliates from a different time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
, in the case of broadcast networks, or a time-delayed retransmission of the original programming feed for cable-only channels. In addition, all four regional feeds of Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
can be offered on a digital or satellite cable service; only the local feed can be offered on an analog tier.
Digital and satellite providers also run a package of audio services, commonly called "digital television radio
Digital television radio
Digital-television radio, DTV radio, or DTR is an informal term which describes the music channels that are provided with a digital television service. In terms of price and musical variety, DTR falls somewhere between regular AM or FM radio, and satellite radio...
", from providers such as Galaxie
Galaxie
Galaxie is a Canadian multilingual digital pay television audio service owned by Stingray Digital.-Programming:Galaxie consists of 49 commercial-free music based audio channels, each devoted to a particular genre, distributed through digital television platforms. Each channel consists of a...
and Max Trax.