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Digital Television in Canada

2008-12-29

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Digital television is one emerging media technology in Canada. Although some TV stations have begun broadcasting digital signals in addition to their regular VHF or UHF broadcasts, this is not yet as pervasive as in the United States. Most markets have digital channel assignments already in place but to date digital broadcasts have only been introduced in the largest cities. Digital television sets are available in Canadian stores, but most consumers still have not switched from their analog sets.

Television networks, including CBC for one are less enthusiastic patrons of a comprehensive digital conversion strategy in Canada, citing that is not yet a viable business proposition any better than current technology. At CRTC hearings in 2007 on the future direction of regulatory policy for television, broadcasters proposed a number of strategies, including funding digital conversion by eliminating restrictions on the amount of advertising that television broadcasters are permitted to air, allowing terrestrial broadcasters to charge cable viewers a subscription fee similar to that already charged by cable specialty channels, permitting license fees similar to those which fund the BBC in the United Kingdom, or eliminating terrestrial television broadcasting entirely and moving to an exclusively cable-based distribution model.

Deadline was set in these CRTC hearings that by 31 August 2011 Canadian broadcasting should be digital all the way. This is approximately two years later than the cutoff date in the United States. As suggested by broadcasting networks, CRTC decided in favor of relaxing restrictions on advertising. A year later that the decision was made, CRTC issued a statement in June 2008 that the preparations for transition is not as fast as it should be. As of that date, there were only 22 digital transmitters that had been fully installed across the entire country, falling short of the required number of installations expected to pave the way for a shift to digital broadcasting.

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Cable Television in Canada