Comments on: CRTC may radically change cable TV as we know it

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:18:17 +0000

I agree that need to completely eliminate simsubbing. I'm starting to think that the only worthwhile reason for living in Canada over the US is healthcare (and crime rate?). Canada is America Junior, and there's absolutely no doubt about it (or should I say "doat aboat it"). WTF is the point of crap channels, ESPECIALLY "Global", when all they are is "FOX-lite", or "NBC-lite", like someone mentioned above. Simsubbing has no positive points. It discourages original programming as mentioned, it's easily messed up so that you miss the beginning or end of certain programs, and simply put: I pay for FOX and Global. So if I'm forced to watch ONLY Global for certain periods of time, I want to be reimbursed for my inability to watch FOX network!!!!

By: Mike Boyco

Mike Boyco — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:23:26 +0000

To Mr. Fagstein, CRTC, & Concerned TV Watchers:

My understanding is that the CRTC are allowing Rogers in February 2009 to only allow digital-only signals on their cable?

How does this concern me and others who have a great performing old analog CRT Television running off an old coaxial 'rabbit ears who does not want to purchase a 'digital box' if one wants to subscribe to cable?

Hopefully, this is not planned obsolescence?

A Concerned TV watcher,

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 04:12:29 +0000

I'm a little torn. I think that fostering better competition, including allowing more foreign sources and the end of simulcast, will be a benefit to the Canadian public. It may also help expand Canadian exposure to the world - though I know most people would just get the vacuous likes of VH1 and ESPN8 (The Ocho) as opposed to RAI, ZDF, or any of the nine other NBC's in the world. Relaxing cancon rules would especially be a benefit to French-language viewers - French-speaking Europe has a plethora of specialty channels while francophones here live with a dismal selection of channels. To counteract cultural overinfluence from America (which is really what cancon is all about; overinfluence from France isn't as much a problem, though the recent TV5 debacle may yet prove me wrong) you could say that foreign source broadcasting can't be more than a certain percentage of a subscribers selection, but that just sounds like more evil regulating... This could likely translate into the demise of Global (aka Fox-North); but if I've already got Fox, I won't miss it. It would also be tough on CTV, but no worse for CBC. On the other hand, I've been banking on SimulCast/SimSub to get my high-def American programming for free once over-the-air broadcasters (who aren't CBC/SRC) switch to ATSC -- and where are we on that timetable, anyhow?