from Variety, regulators in Canada are looking to force networks into spending as much money on TV content created in Canada as is spent on content from the US:
MONTREAL -- Canada's broadcast regulator may impose a limit on the amount of money the country's networks can spend on Hollywood fare.
In a surprise announcement, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said it is looking into the notion of forcing broadcasters to spend the same amount on Canadian fare as they spend on the Hollywood hits.
"The commission at first blush finds a lot of merit in the idea of imposing a condition of license on English-language broadcasters requiring a 1:1 ratio between Canadian and non-Canadian programming expenditures," the regulator said.
The proposal comes just days after a report that showed the Canadian networks spent a record C$775 million ($624 million) on U.S. fare last year, up 7.4% from $580 million in 2007. Spending on Canadian programming remained essentially unchanged at $498 million. - read the rest on Variety.com
I feel like I saw something about this a couple months ago. But maybe it was 60/40? It’s going to bother me, but I probably won’t remember.
If Canadians wanted to watch an equivalent number of CanCon, this wouldn’t even be an issue, would it?
CRTC has always been a freaking pain in the ass for us… seems like they will continue to be.
Anyway I don’t reaaly care, I still have all a lot of US channel
They need more deals like Flashpoint, where cost and profits can be shared
Don’t Canadians receive our US networks anyway? All this will do is cause them to tune into a show on NBC rather than CTV.
Yes, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have all the US nets even with a basic TV provider. I get all the US channels anyway so if CBC, CTV & Global cut US programming I’ll just switch channles. I’m not about to start watching Canadian TV. I’ll probably get bashed for saying it but Canadian TV (aside from maybe a handful of programs) is awful. I’d sooner watch programs from the friggin’ Congo!
Anyway, the CRTC…Are they the same bunch that require BBC Canada to broadcast X amount of hours of Canadian programming everyday? Canadian programming on THE BBC!!! How stupid is that.
These Canadiens are nuts. I live in Michigan right across the river from them and they have always had a complex. They would only allow so many foreign artists (American) on their radio station playlist per hour. If they bought advertising on an American radio or t.v. station they could not claim an advertising expense. I think the word Canada is in every other thing they have over there from E.T. Canada to Canadian Tire. I do not know any thing that is original over there. They claim hockey, but I think it was originated in PA.
they can claim Flashpoint too!
Da Vinci Inquest was also a great show coming from Canada. DI was one of my favorite crime dramas ^ I still watch reruns of it.
Thats several levels of silly. Even the Irish government don’t do that to our tv stations and they love to push the national broadcaster around!