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Speech
Opening remarks
by Charles Dalfen
Chairman, Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission
at the public hearing in Gatineau, Quebec
Gatineau, Quebec
October 24th, 2005
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this public hearing.
My name is Charles Dalfen, and I am the Chairman of the CRTC. I will be presiding over this hearing, and will be joined on the panel by my colleagues Richard French, Vice-Chair, Telecommunications, Joan Pennefather, National Commissioner, Helen del Val, Regional Commissioner for British Columbia and Yukon, and Ronald Williams, Regional Commissioner for Alberta and Northwest Territories.
The Commission team assisting us includes Hearing Manager and Senior Policy Analyst, Jane Britten, John Keogh, Senior General Counsel, Valérie Lagacé, Legal Counsel, and Chantal Boulet, Hearing Secretary. Please speak with Ms. Boulet if you have any questions with regard to hearing procedures.
Pay television
At this hearing, we will be studying five applications to carry on a national pay television undertaking.
The panel will begin by studying the proposal from Spotlight Television Limited to operate a national English-language general interest pay television programming undertaking to be known as Spotlight. Programming would consist of limited series and long-form drama, comedy series, feature films and long-form documentaries, and occasional major international sporting events and concerts. The applicant proposes to exhibit 30% Canadian content from 6:00 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 25% for the remainder of the day. It proposes also to spend 32% of the previous year's gross revenues on Canadian programming by the third year of the licence term.
We will next hear the application from Romen Podzyhun and C.J. (Cal) Millar for a licence to operate a national English-language pay television programming undertaking to be called The Canadian Film Channel. The programming would be entirely Canadian, and would include feature films, short films, mini features, documentaries and animation. The applicant proposes to spend approximately 50% of the gross revenue in each year of the licence term on Canadian programming.
This will be followed by the application from Allarco Entertainment Inc. to operate a national pay television programming undertaking to be known as Allarco Entertainment. The majority of programming would consist of feature films, original series, specials and dramatic mini-series, in high definition format. Canadian content would be 30% from 6:00 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 25% for the remainder of the day. The applicant proposes to spend 32% of the previous year's gross revenues in the second and subsequent years of the licence term on Canadian programming.
And finally, we will review the two applications presented by Archambault Group Inc. to operate national pay television programming undertakings, one in English and one in French, both to be known as BOOMTV. Programming would consist of feature films, sports, television drama and events. The applicant proposes 30% Canadian content between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., and 25% for the remainder of the day. It proposes also to invest 20% of its annual revenues in Canadian programming.
As stated in the Notice of Public Hearing, this hearing will consider whether exceptions should be made to the Commission's existing digital licensing framework, including its policies regarding the licensing of services which may be directly competitive with existing services.
As part of this consideration, the panel will focus on the following issues:
- the benefits to the Canadian broadcasting system in licensing a new general interest pay television service, particularly with respect to contributions to Canadian programming;
- the capacity of the English and French-language pay television markets to absorb the entry of additional general interest pay television services;
- the impact this would have on existing services, including the impact on the program rights market; and
- the appropriateness of granting digital access rights to new pay services, and the capacity implications for broadcasting distribution undertakings.
Now, I will ask the Secretary, Ms. Chantal Boulet, to explain the procedures we will be following. Ms. Boulet …
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This document is available in alternative format upon request.
Date Modified: 2005-10-24
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