Category C services
Encyclopedia
A Category C service is a Canadian
specialty
television channel
which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, are services that provide programming in genres that are exempted from the CRTC's format protection rules (of which were formerly protected from competition) and are subject to standard conditions of licences, among other attributes. As of 2011, this category applies to all national news
and mainstream sports broadcasters.
Category C services are intentionally unprotected from competition by other Category C services of the same genre, but are still protected from competition by Category B services. Category C services also share common requirements for the exhibition and funding of Canadian-produced programming
.
As with Category B services, carriage of Category C services is not mandatory, and distributors must negotiate directly with their operators for carriage. However, despite still being considered Category C channels, carriage of the news channels of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
is still regulatedCBC News Network must be carried on a digital basic tier in French-language markets, and likewise Réseau de l'information
must be carried on a digital basic tier in English-language markets.
competes with Sportsnet and The Scorewhich are licensed as national, regional
, and sports news services respectively. Additionally, due to its licensing, The Score is restricted in the amount of live programming it can air.
Several months later, the CRTC officially announced in 2009 that it would be loosening format restrictions for all mainstream sports and national news services in the country, and would allow them to use more streamlined and flexible licensing terms. As part of an overall restructuring of broadcasting regulations to prepare for the country's transition to digital terrestrial television
, these channels became legally known as "category C" services beginning on September 1, 2011.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
specialty
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, are services that provide programming in genres that are exempted from the CRTC's format protection rules (of which were formerly protected from competition) and are subject to standard conditions of licences, among other attributes. As of 2011, this category applies to all national news
News broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
and mainstream sports broadcasters.
Category C services are intentionally unprotected from competition by other Category C services of the same genre, but are still protected from competition by Category B services. Category C services also share common requirements for the exhibition and funding of Canadian-produced programming
Canadian content
Canadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
.
As with Category B services, carriage of Category C services is not mandatory, and distributors must negotiate directly with their operators for carriage. However, despite still being considered Category C channels, carriage of the news channels of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
is still regulatedCBC News Network must be carried on a digital basic tier in French-language markets, and likewise Réseau de l'information
Réseau de l'information
Réseau de l'information is a Canadian French language Category C news channel operated by CBC/Radio-Canada. RDI began broadcasting on January 1, 1995, and is considered the French-language equivalent of the CBC News Network, also owned by the CBC....
must be carried on a digital basic tier in English-language markets.
History
In a October 2008 public notice, the CRTC announced that it had considered the possibility of lifting format protection restrictions for channels of certain genres considered by the commission to be popular and diverse enough to support competition within Canada's television industry. In particular, the CRTC proposed to lift these restrictions for news and sports services, citing examples of Canadian channels which had remained popular and competitive with each other, despite the restrictions that had been forced in their licenses in order to negate such competition. CTV News Channel (formerly CTV Newsnet), because it competed with CBC News Network (formerly CBC Newsworld), was licensed to serve as a "headline news" service, and was originally required to operate on a strict 15 minute news wheel format (CTV however, successfully lobbied the CRTC in 2005 to have these conditions loosened in order to provide a more flexible service, still within its assigned scope) On the other hand, TSNThe Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
competes with Sportsnet and The Scorewhich are licensed as national, regional
Regional sports network
In the United States of America and Canada, a regional sports network, or RSN, is a cable television station that presents sports programming to a local market. The most important programming on an RSN consists of live broadcasts of professional and college sporting events, as those games generate...
, and sports news services respectively. Additionally, due to its licensing, The Score is restricted in the amount of live programming it can air.
Several months later, the CRTC officially announced in 2009 that it would be loosening format restrictions for all mainstream sports and national news services in the country, and would allow them to use more streamlined and flexible licensing terms. As part of an overall restructuring of broadcasting regulations to prepare for the country's transition to digital terrestrial television
Digital television in Canada
Digital television in Canada is transmitted using the ATSC standards developed for and in use in the United States. Because Canada and the U.S...
, these channels became legally known as "category C" services beginning on September 1, 2011.
Former analog services
- CBC News Network
- CTV News ChannelCTV News ChannelCTV News Channel is a digital television channel operated by China Television in Taiwan, launched on July 1, 2004....
- Sportsnet
- Sportsnet East
- Sportsnet Ontario
- Sportsnet Pacific
- Sportsnet West
- TSNThe Sports NetworkThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
- JetsWinnipeg JetsThe Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA...
on TSN - TSN HabsMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
- TSN2TSN2TSN2 is a secondary feed of the Canadian English language Category C specialty channel TSN, owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media and ESPN...
- Jets
Former digital services
- Sportsnet One
- Sportsnet Flames
- Sportsnet Oilers
- Sportsnet Flames
- Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey
- Sun News Network
Former analog services
- LCNLe Canal NouvellesLe Canal Nouvelles is a Canadian French language Category C 24 hour headline news specialty channel owned by Groupe TVA, a division of Quebecor Media...
- RDIRéseau de l'informationRéseau de l'information is a Canadian French language Category C news channel operated by CBC/Radio-Canada. RDI began broadcasting on January 1, 1995, and is considered the French-language equivalent of the CBC News Network, also owned by the CBC....
- RDSRéseau des sportsRéseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
- RDS2RDS2RDS2 is a secondary feed of the Canadian French language specialty channel RDS, owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media and ESPN...
- RDS2