[mythtv-users] End of OTA?

[R. G. Newbury]

On 06/09/14 11:02 PM, Ian Evans wrote:
>
> The CRTC in Canada is contemplating allowing the broadcasters to end OTA
> as well, Unlike the US, where there's a cap, most of the OTA stations
> here are owned by cable and sat companies.

Not quite: the CRTC tossed out a proposal which would cut the basic 
cable/sat service down to Canadian OTA channels plus some multi-culti 
happy-clappy must carry stuff, and make everything else pick-n-pay.
US services would not be carried in the basic service.

This seems to be an instance of regulatory capture by 
Bell/Cogeco/Rogers/Shaw/Videotron, as they would benefit by switching US 
networks from 'must-carry' to 'pay-up'.

Hearings begin soon. More detail from this cbc report. The last line is 
the telling point. Thank $deity I get good OTA service from Buffalo.


******************
In a discussion paper released two weeks ago, the CRTC proposed the 
creation of a small basic package of channels.

It would include local TV stations including CBC, educational channels, 
the provincial legislature and APTN (Aboriginal People's TV Network). 
U.S. channels such as ABC, NBC and CBS would no longer be part of the 
basic cable or satellite service. The package would cost between $20 and 
$30 per month.

By comparison, basic cable from Rogers currently consists of 192 
channels and costs about $40 per month. That package includes dozens of 
radio stations, digital music and third language channels. Rogers is 
similar to other major television providers, which also offer basic 
packages stuffed with digital music and other add-ons.

What the CRTC is now suggesting is that consumers pay for the 
distribution of television, the pipes that bring it to your home, and a 
few local channels, many of which don’t get fees from subscribers. 
Everything else would be optional. You would pick and pay for the 
channels you want.

But while the CRTC has suggested a price for basic cable, it hasn’t 
mandated a price for the à la carte options.
******************


-- 
              R. Geoffrey Newbury