This isn't entirely new, but I just noticed this buried in a recent CRTC filing. Bell Media has applied to the commission to drop the mandatory carriage requirements for some of its biggest cable channels, taking them from a Category A to a Category B status. That means cable/satellite companies won't have to automatically carry them as part of any basic packages. The stations involved include:

-Bravo!
-The Comedy Network,
-Discovery Channel,
-E!,
-MTV (Canada),
-MuchMusic,
-MuchMoreMusic and
-Space

Why would Bell want to lose mandatory coverage for some of their most popular outlets? The answer appears to be both simple and devious. They know pick and pay is coming and this is one way they can potentially jack up the prices for stations they're pretty sure you'll want to keep - stations that would no longer be part of any "skinny basic" package due to be offered sometime around March 2016,

In addition, Cat B outlets have a lesser CanCon promise than those that receive mandatory carriage. Accordingly, Bell is also outlining how they'll be reducing some of the requirements about the amount of Canuck content they'll have to show in key dayparts (mostly going from 50% down to 35%) while pledging to spend the same amount overall it now does on Canadian Content.

It will be interesting to see how the CRTC responds, and what viewers may have to say when stations they've long received on basic suddenly turn up as special order items - with what's bound to be a pumped up price tag attached.

Bell's application to CRTC

Last edited by RadioActive (August 23, 2015 10:47 pm)