Must-carry
Encyclopedia
In cable television
, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television station
s must be carried on a cable provider's system.
is on-air in Canada
and the few channels active are merely HDTV versions of existing analogue programming in major centres such as Toronto
and Vancouver
with no additional digital subchannel
s offered.
CITY-TV
of Toronto (according to its own website and annual reports) owes its financial success as an independent TV station to this CRTC must-carry rule. It is assumed that this must-carry rule was aimed at small TV stations in Ontario and Quebec, many of which are not carried by satellite television
providers.
For many years, the Canadian must-carry rules created very little friction between terrestrial broadcasters and cable systems, as cable systems are allowed to more aggressively implement other digital telecommunications services (like cable internet services and IP telephony) with less overall regulation than their US counterparts. However, in 2008, Canada's two largest commercial television networks, CTV and Global, began to demand that the CRTC permit them to charge a fee for cable carriage, even alleging that some smaller market stations would be forced to close if this was not allowed.
, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates
this area of business and public policy. These rules were upheld in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States
in 1997 in the case Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (95-992). The United States was the first country to implement a must-carry scheme.
Although cable TV service providers routinely carried local affiliates
of the major broadcast networks, independent stations and affiliates of minor networks were sometimes not carried, on the premise it would allow cable providers to instead carry non-local programming
which they felt would attract more customers to their service.
Many cable operators were also equity owners in these cable channels, especially TCI, then the nation's largest multiple system operator (MSO), and had moved to replace local channels with equity-owned programming (at the time, TCI held a large stake in Discovery Communications
). This pressure was especially strong on cable systems with limited bandwidth for channels.
The smaller local broadcasters argued that by hampering their access to this increasing segment of the local television audience, this posed a threat to the viability of free-to-view broadcast television, which they argued was a worthy public good
.
Local broadcast stations also argued cable systems were attempting to serve as a "gatekeeper
" in competing unfairly for advertising revenue. Some affiliates of major networks also feared that non-local affiliate
s might negotiate to provide television program
ming to local cable services to expand their advertising market, taking away this audience from local stations, with similar negative impact on free broadcast television.
Although cable providers argued that such regulation would impose an undue burden on their flexibility in selecting which services would be most appealing to their customers, the current "must-carry" rules were enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1992 (via the Cable Television Protection and Competition Act
), and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rules in rejecting the arguments of the cable industry and programmers in the majority decision authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy
. That decision also held that MSOs were functioning as a vertically integrated monopoly.
A side effect of the must-carry rules is that broadcast networks cannot charge the cable TV companies license fees for the program content retransmitted on the cable network, except potentially as a part of retransmission consent
agreements in lieu of must-carry.
(in a digital-only TV system like AT&T U-verse or Verizon FiOS
) signal. They must still meet the every-subscriber/TV receiver laws, i.e. "Pursuant to Section 614(b)(7) and 615(h), the operator of a cable system is required to ensure that signals carried in fulfillment of the must-carry requirements are provided to EVERY subscriber of the system,” of local stations. This has been opposed by numerous cable network
s, who might be bumped off of digital cable
were this to happen, and promoted by TV stations and the National Association of Broadcasters
, whom it would benefit by passing their HDTV
or multichannel DTV
signals through to their cable viewers. In June, 2006 the FCC was poised to pass new digital must-carry rules, but the item was pulled before a vote actually took place, apparently due to insufficient support for the chairman's position.
In September, 2007, the Commission approved a regulation that requires cable systems to carry the analog signals if the cable system uses both types of transmission. They left the decision to also retransmit the digital signal up to the cable provider. Digital only operators are not required to provide an analog signal for their customers (AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS). Small cable operators were allowed to request a waiver. The regulation will end three years after the digital TV transition date, and applies only to stations not opting for retransmission consent.
Cable operators (analog & digital) that transmit more than 12 channels need only provide a maximum 1/3 of their total channel size to this must-carry requirement. Thus with about 150 channels available to a 1 GHz operator, they are only required to support up to 50 analog channels (42 for 850 MHz, 36 for 750 MHz). Cable provider who decide to scale back their analog selection merely need provide written notification on their bill (or equivalent) for 30 days prior to their change. Customers already using digital cable set top boxes will usually be unaffected (if anything after the change they may get a huge number of additional channels because each analog channel can be replaced by 2-12 digital channels). The requirement only applies to must-carry stations; most metro providers carry many more analog stations by choice, not law.
services like DirecTV and DiSH Network, as first mandated by the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988. They are not required to carry local stations in every metro area
in which they provide service, but must carry all of an area's local stations if they carry any at all. Sometimes, these will be placed on spot beam
s: narrowly-directed satellite signals targeted to an area of no more than a few hundred miles diameter, in order to allow the transponder frequencies to be re-used in other markets. In some cases, stations of lower perceived importance are placed on "side satellites" which require a second antenna. This practice has raised some controversy within the industry, leading to the requirement that the satellite provider offer to install any extra dish antenna hardware for free and place a notice to this effect in place of any missing channels.
, there is no obligation for the cable system to carry the signal. This option allows broadcasters who own popular stations, such as CBS
, NBC
and ABC
or Fox to request cash or other compensation from cable or satellite providers for signals. These networks have usually attempted to gain further distribution of cable services and/or co-owned low power television stations in which they also hold an equity position rather than direct cash compensation, which cable systems have almost universally balked at paying. In some cases, these channels have been temporarily removed from distribution by systems who felt broadcasters were asking too steep a price
for their signal. Examples include the removal of all CBS-owned local stations plus MTV
, VH1
and Nickelodeon
from DISH Network
for two days in 2004, and the removal of ABC-owned stations from Time Warner Cable
for a little under a day in 2000.
In the U.S. retransmission consent has often been chosen over must-carry by the major commercial television networks and PBS. Under the present rules, a new agreement is negotiated every three years, and stations must choose must-carry or retransmission consent for each cable system they wish their signal to be carried on.
, cable, MMDS and satellite companies have Comreg regulated "must-carry" stations. For cable companies, this covers RTÉ One
, RTÉ Two
, TV3
and TG4
.
The same rules apply to digital MMDS. Analogue MMDS companies are required to carry only TV3 due to serious bandwidth limitations.
all TV stations with terrestrial licence (analog or digital) have to be in the lowest (cheapest) offer of all cable, IPTV and satellite companies.
Rule of Must carry is applied to:
, government has applied must-carry rule for public broadcaster channels from Doordarshan
by Cable, DTH and IPTV network.
The Cable TV operator must carry National (DD1), DD News, Loksabha, Rajyasabha and Regional channels in prime band. Other channels DD Bharti, DD Urdu must also be carried on non-prime band
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...
, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s must be carried on a cable provider's system.
Canada
In the mid to late 1970s, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) implemented a rule that a cable system must carry a terrestrial TV channel at no cost to the terrestrial broadcaster so long as the transmitter emitted at least 5w EIRP. This CRTC rule may have changed over the years, but in principle a 1 kW EIRP terrestrial TV station must be carried. The status of terrestrial digital only channels with respect to the must-carry requirement is untested as, unlike the US, very little ATSCATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
is on-air in Canada
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
and the few channels active are merely HDTV versions of existing analogue programming in major centres such as Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and 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,...
with no additional digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s offered.
CITY-TV
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
of Toronto (according to its own website and annual reports) owes its financial success as an independent TV station to this CRTC must-carry rule. It is assumed that this must-carry rule was aimed at small TV stations in Ontario and Quebec, many of which are not carried by 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...
providers.
For many years, the Canadian must-carry rules created very little friction between terrestrial broadcasters and cable systems, as cable systems are allowed to more aggressively implement other digital telecommunications services (like cable internet services and IP telephony) with less overall regulation than their US counterparts. However, in 2008, Canada's two largest commercial television networks, CTV and Global, began to demand that the CRTC permit them to charge a fee for cable carriage, even alleging that some smaller market stations would be forced to close if this was not allowed.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
this area of business and public policy. These rules were upheld in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in 1997 in the case Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (95-992). The United States was the first country to implement a must-carry scheme.
Although cable TV service providers routinely carried local affiliates
Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
of the major broadcast networks, independent stations and affiliates of minor networks were sometimes not carried, on the premise it would allow cable providers to instead carry non-local programming
Local programming
The term Local Programme, Local Programming, Local Content or Local Television refers to a television programme made by a television station or independent television producer for broadcast only within the station's transmission area or television market...
which they felt would attract more customers to their service.
Many cable operators were also equity owners in these cable channels, especially TCI, then the nation's largest multiple system operator (MSO), and had moved to replace local channels with equity-owned programming (at the time, TCI held a large stake in Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
). This pressure was especially strong on cable systems with limited bandwidth for channels.
The smaller local broadcasters argued that by hampering their access to this increasing segment of the local television audience, this posed a threat to the viability of free-to-view broadcast television, which they argued was a worthy public good
Public good
In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...
.
Local broadcast stations also argued cable systems were attempting to serve as a "gatekeeper
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper or gatekeeping may refer to:* Gatekeeper , a professional boxer who is considered a test for aspiring boxers* Gatekeeping , a person or organization who manages or constrains a flow of knowledge...
" in competing unfairly for advertising revenue. Some affiliates of major networks also feared that non-local affiliate
Affiliate
An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
s might negotiate to provide television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming to local cable services to expand their advertising market, taking away this audience from local stations, with similar negative impact on free broadcast television.
Although cable providers argued that such regulation would impose an undue burden on their flexibility in selecting which services would be most appealing to their customers, the current "must-carry" rules were enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1992 (via the Cable Television Protection and Competition Act
Cable Television Protection and Competition Act
The Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of the United States Congress which was approved in 1992, required cable systems to carry most local broadcast channels and prohibited cable operators from charging local broadcasters to carry their signal.In adopting the 1992 Cable Act,...
), and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rules in rejecting the arguments of the cable industry and programmers in the majority decision authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
. That decision also held that MSOs were functioning as a vertically integrated monopoly.
A side effect of the must-carry rules is that broadcast networks cannot charge the cable TV companies license fees for the program content retransmitted on the cable network, except potentially as a part of retransmission consent
Retransmission consent
Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...
agreements in lieu of must-carry.
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions, most notably:- Must-carry may only be applied if the television stationTelevision stationA television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
wants to be carried under this provision. This only applies to non-commercial educationalNon-commercial educationalThe term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
(NCE) stations. Station operators are allowed to demand payment from cable operators, or negotiate private agreements for carriage, or threaten revocation against the cable operator (see Sinclair, Time Warner Cable). Must-carry is a privilege given to television stations, not a cable company. A cable company cannot use Must-Carry to demand the right to carry an OTAOver-the-air programmingOver-the-air programming refers to various methods of distributing new software updates or configuration settings to devices like cellphones and set-top boxes...
station against the station's wishes. - A station does not have distribution under must-carry legislation until a certain number of days after it provides usable signal to the headendCable television headendA cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic...
for the cableCableA cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
or satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
provider; the station must pay the expense of leased lines to reach providers such as ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
-based Dish NetworkDish NetworkDish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
or CaliforniaEl Segundo, CaliforniaEl Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
-based DirecTVDirecTVDirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
. - Foreign signals, 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...
stations or McAllen'sMcAllen, TexasMcAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
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...
affiliateAffiliateAn affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
(XHRIO-TVXHRIO-TVXHRIO-TV, channel 2, also known as Fox Rio 2 or Fox XRIO, is the local Fox affiliate for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It is licensed to Matamoros, Mexico, but serves American audiences across the Rio Grande Valley area from studios in McAllen, Texas...
), are not required to be carried, but are often carried on border-area cable systems close to the foreign stations. - Most low-power broadcastLow-power broadcastingLow-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
stations are not required to be carried, although often in these cases they are bundled to be carried as part of a retransmission consentRetransmission consentRetransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...
agreement with a full-power sister station.
Digital must-carry
Digital must-carry — also incorrectly called "dual must-carry" — is the requirement that cable companies carry either the analog (in an analog & digital cable system) or digitalDigital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
(in a digital-only TV system like AT&T U-verse or Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
) signal. They must still meet the every-subscriber/TV receiver laws, i.e. "Pursuant to Section 614(b)(7) and 615(h), the operator of a cable system is required to ensure that signals carried in fulfillment of the must-carry requirements are provided to EVERY subscriber of the system,” of local stations. This has been opposed by numerous cable network
Cable 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, who might be bumped off of digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
were this to happen, and promoted by TV stations and the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
, whom it would benefit by passing their HDTV
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
or multichannel DTV
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
signals through to their cable viewers. In June, 2006 the FCC was poised to pass new digital must-carry rules, but the item was pulled before a vote actually took place, apparently due to insufficient support for the chairman's position.
In September, 2007, the Commission approved a regulation that requires cable systems to carry the analog signals if the cable system uses both types of transmission. They left the decision to also retransmit the digital signal up to the cable provider. Digital only operators are not required to provide an analog signal for their customers (AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS). Small cable operators were allowed to request a waiver. The regulation will end three years after the digital TV transition date, and applies only to stations not opting for retransmission consent.
Cable operators (analog & digital) that transmit more than 12 channels need only provide a maximum 1/3 of their total channel size to this must-carry requirement. Thus with about 150 channels available to a 1 GHz operator, they are only required to support up to 50 analog channels (42 for 850 MHz, 36 for 750 MHz). Cable provider who decide to scale back their analog selection merely need provide written notification on their bill (or equivalent) for 30 days prior to their change. Customers already using digital cable set top boxes will usually be unaffected (if anything after the change they may get a huge number of additional channels because each analog channel can be replaced by 2-12 digital channels). The requirement only applies to must-carry stations; most metro providers carry many more analog stations by choice, not law.
Other networks
A variation of "must-carry" also applies to DBSDirect broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
services like DirecTV and DiSH Network, as first mandated by the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988. They are not required to carry local stations in every metro area
Metro Area
Metro Area is a Brooklyn-based dance music production team composed of Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani.- History :Geist grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, while Jesrani is from upstate New York...
in which they provide service, but must carry all of an area's local stations if they carry any at all. Sometimes, these will be placed on spot beam
Spot beam
A spot beam, in telecommunications parlance, is a satellite signal that is specially concentrated in power A spot beam, in telecommunications parlance, is a satellite signal that is specially concentrated in power A spot beam, in telecommunications parlance, is a satellite signal that is specially...
s: narrowly-directed satellite signals targeted to an area of no more than a few hundred miles diameter, in order to allow the transponder frequencies to be re-used in other markets. In some cases, stations of lower perceived importance are placed on "side satellites" which require a second antenna. This practice has raised some controversy within the industry, leading to the requirement that the satellite provider offer to install any extra dish antenna hardware for free and place a notice to this effect in place of any missing channels.
Retransmission consent
If a broadcaster elects retransmission consentRetransmission consent
Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...
, there is no obligation for the cable system to carry the signal. This option allows broadcasters who own popular stations, such as CBS
CBS
CBS 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...
, 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...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The 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...
or Fox to request cash or other compensation from cable or satellite providers for signals. These networks have usually attempted to gain further distribution of cable services and/or co-owned low power television stations in which they also hold an equity position rather than direct cash compensation, which cable systems have almost universally balked at paying. In some cases, these channels have been temporarily removed from distribution by systems who felt broadcasters were asking too steep a price
Price
-Definition:In ordinary usage, price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services.In modern economies, prices are generally expressed in units of some form of currency...
for their signal. Examples include the removal of all CBS-owned local stations plus MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and 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...
from DISH Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
for two days in 2004, and the removal of ABC-owned stations from Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
for a little under a day in 2000.
In the U.S. retransmission consent has often been chosen over must-carry by the major commercial television networks and PBS. Under the present rules, a new agreement is negotiated every three years, and stations must choose must-carry or retransmission consent for each cable system they wish their signal to be carried on.
See also
- Significantly viewedSignificantly viewed out of market TV stations in the United StatesSignificantly viewed are television stations determined by the Federal Communications Commission to be local stations that have a significant viewership outside of their Nielsen designated market area...
Republic of Ireland
In IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, cable, MMDS and satellite companies have Comreg regulated "must-carry" stations. For cable companies, this covers RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
, RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, TV3
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
and TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
.
The same rules apply to digital MMDS. Analogue MMDS companies are required to carry only TV3 due to serious bandwidth limitations.
Czech republic
In the Czech republicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
all TV stations with terrestrial licence (analog or digital) have to be in the lowest (cheapest) offer of all cable, IPTV and satellite companies.
Rule of Must carry is applied to:
- All channels of Czech TelevisionCeská televizeČeská televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
- ČT1CT1CT1 stands for Cordless telephone generation 1 and is an analog cordless telephone standard that was standardized by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations in 1984 and deployed in eleven European countries...
(general purpose channel), ČT2CT2CT2 is a cordless telephony standard that was used in the early 1990s to provide short-range proto-mobile phone service in some countries in Europe. It is considered the precursor to the popular DECT system...
(documentary, foreign films, sport), ČT24CT24ČT24 is a 24-hour news channel, owned and operated by Česká televize. Is a 24-hour news channel, with news programme, which broadcasts continually, offering hot news with live material every hour, extended economic and cultural news, discussions, magazines, economic overviews etc...
(news) and ČT4 (sport) - All channels of TV PrimaTV PrimaTV Prima is a Czech private television station. Its channel is broadcast from Prague. Its current owner is FTV Prima, spol. s r. o., general manager Marek Singer....
- PrimaTV PrimaTV Prima is a Czech private television station. Its channel is broadcast from Prague. Its current owner is FTV Prima, spol. s r. o., general manager Marek Singer....
(general purpose channel), Prima COOLPrima CoolPrima Cool is a Czech private television station.Prima Cool is second channel of TV Prima. Cool is a man- and young-oriented station.Prima Cool launched on 1 April 2009 as new digital channel of TV Prima. It can be tuned in Czech DVB-T multiplex 2, where is free to air...
(series) and R1 TVTV R1R1 is a Czech private television station.R1 is the third channel of TV Prima. This channel is compound from content of members of the group R1 . Members of group R1 are small regional TV stations, which share their program with TV Prima most of the time. R1 was broadcast in Czech DVB-T multiplex 2...
(regional news) - Two of three channels of TV Nova - Nova (general purpose channel) and Nova CinemaNova Cinema (Czech TV)Nova Cinema is a Czech free digital television channel in the Czech Republic, owned and operated by CME, and a part of TV Nova.The channel broadcasts various films , series Nova Cinema is a Czech free digital television channel in the Czech Republic, owned and operated by CME, and a part of TV...
(series) - New digitial TV stations - TV Barrandov (general purpose channel) and Z1Z1 TVZ1 TV was a Czech news television owned and operated by J&T Group.Z1 was the first Czech private 24-hour news channel. Since September 2009, it focuses on finance, economic and business news and provides the only continuous business news service in the Czech Republic.Z1 broadcasts live every...
(news, business) - Licence for DVB-T also have TV7 (regional news) and RTA (regional TV), but they still don't broadcast
- For licence can still request TV Pohoda (for children) and Febio TV (documentary), but they lost investors
India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, government has applied must-carry rule for public broadcaster channels from Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
by Cable, DTH and IPTV network.
The Cable TV operator must carry National (DD1), DD News, Loksabha, Rajyasabha and Regional channels in prime band. Other channels DD Bharti, DD Urdu must also be carried on non-prime band
External links
- http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/mustcarryru/mustcarryru.htm
- http://www.c-span.org/about/mustcarry.asp
- http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/929/