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[Magnus]

http://www.cpac.ca/en/direct/cpac2/
Story below just verified by the live CRTC announcement happening now at the link above.

$25 capped skinny bundles with Pick and Pay options for extra individual channels.

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Background on the status quo from a CBC article:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/crt...d-pay-channels-and-25-basic-package-1.3001370

By comparison, the cheapest online advertised television package for Rogers customers in Ontario is $40.48 a month for "190+ channels," while Bell offers Ontario customers more than 150 channels on both Fibe and satellite options for an advertised price of $41.98 a month on its website.

This is the first time the CRTC has regulated a basic cable package price since 1998.

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http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/03/19/crtc-to-require-25-skinny-basic-cable-package.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/03/19/skinny-basic-cable-crtc_n_6903352.html

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UPDATE: The CRTC is ordering Canada's cable and satellite TV providers to offer a-la-carte TV stations as of December, 2016, upending the current cable business model of offering specialty channels in bundles.

"By December 2016, Canadians will be able to subscribe to channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as well as in small packages," the telecom regulator said in a statement released Thursday.

"In addition, Canadians will have the choice of keeping their current television services without making any changes, if these continue to meet their needs and budgets."


More to come. Original story follows below:

GATINEAU, Que. — The country's broadcast regulator is coming out with new rules today that will require cable and satellite companies to offer customers a trimmed-down, basic channels package, sources have told The Canadian Press.

The cost of the so-called "skinny basic'' package is to be capped at $25, said one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is to announce details of its decision later today.

The ruling is the latest result from the CRTC's Let's Talk TV hearings held in the fall.

The Harper government had pushed the regulator to allow for a so-called pick-and-pay system that would allow consumers to choose and pay only for the individual channels they want.

However, the CRTC hinted late last summer that it would be open to a pick-and-pay option built on top of a lighter mandatory service than what is currently being offered widely in the industry.

It's not clear whether skinny basic would be an all-Canadian service that includes local stations and provincial educational channels, or a service that includes American networks as well.

Critics including the C.D. Howe Institute have warned that any proposals to mandate pick-and-pay channel choices would be an exercise in futility, in light of technological change. They say it could harm the industry and actually end up costing consumers more rather than less.

The CRTC has been criticized — and taken to court — over recent decisions from the Let's Talk TV hearings, including a move to ban the simultaneous substitution of Canadian advertising for American commercials during the Super Bowl.

The regulator has also been both commended and panned for its decision to reform the rules governing the Canadian TV programming that goes to air.

 

[Dr.Acula]

If I can get the $25 minumum, and it costs no more than 15 more bucks to get TSN/Sportsnet/TheScore... maybe.

 

[Lostconfused]

All I wanted was the space channel years ago. Well too little too late.

Critics including the C.D. Howe Institute have warned that any proposals to mandate pick-and-pay channel choices would be an exercise in futility, in light of technological change. They say it could harm the industry and actually end up costing consumers more rather than less.

Yeah, this.

 

[Lexxism]

Looks like there's going to be another price increase in Rogers because of this.

 

[LCfiner]

Videotron has been offering a-la carte packages in Quebec for years now. It’s been the only options I’ve chosen.

Only restriction is to keep a channel for one month minimum. I got a 10 channel package (plus the base) and it’s pretty cheap compared to the bigger must channel packages from other companies.

 

[Simon Belmont]

If I can get the $25 minumum, and it costs no more than 15 more bucks to get TSN/Sportsnet/TheScore... maybe.

Seriously, all I want is TSN/Sportsnet and HGTV.

 

[SRG01]

Unless the CRTC implements a price cap per channel, everyone will be paying higher prices...

 

[Simon Belmont]

Unless the CRTC implements a price cap per channel, everyone will be paying higher prices...

Well I cut my cable, so not me. If enough people follow suit, they'll lower the price.

 

[Zombie James]

The only reason to get cable right now is sports, and by 2016 this may be a case of too little too late.

 

[SRG01]

Well I cut my cable, so not me. If enough people follow suit, they'll lower the price.

That's kind of like saying if people switched to Wind we'd get lower cellphone prices

 

[catpurrcat]

Wait so this $25 skinny basic is mandatory??

So even if I only want hbo, tsn, and NBA TV I still have to pay that $25 first???

 

[LurkerPrime]

With how broken and corrupt the CRTC is, I feel that this can only benefit the cable industry somehow.

 

[Zombie James]

Wait so this $25 skinny basic is mandatory??

So even if I only want hbo, tsn, and NBA TV I still have to pay that $25 first???

edit: Wait, that might not answer your question at all. I don't know.

 

[Simon Belmont]

That's kind of like saying if people switched to Wind we'd get lower cellphone prices

It would be if cellphones were a rapidly shrinking section of the market whigh has experienced a massive technological disruption. You don't 'need' cable the same way you need a cellphone.

 

[Earthstrike]

Critics including the C.D. Howe Institute have warned that any proposals to mandate pick-and-pay channel choices would be an exercise in futility, in light of technological change. They say it could harm the industry and actually end up costing consumers more rather than less.

No, it won't cost consumers more. This package is merely an offering. Not only that, since the telco's now have an obligation to offer a 25$ package, they will have to compete with their own package so to speak, and it will likely end up lowering roger's cable prices.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Wait so this $25 skinny basic is mandatory??

So even if I only want hbo, tsn, and NBA TV I still have to pay that $25 first???

There has to be some kind of base fee. It wouldn't be feasible to let people pay a buck to get A&E and nothing else. They're still maintaining the networks and stuff.

No, it won't cost consumers more. This package is merely an offering. Not only that, since the telco's now have an obligation to offer a 25$ package, they will have to compete with their own package so to speak, and it will likely end up lowering roger's cable prices.

"Compete?" Did you mistype "collude?" All both the service providers in Canada talk to each other before they set prices.

 

[gutter_trash]

Finally

 

[Ondore]

Why do I get the feeling the $25 package will consist entirely of the "Must haves" and the "May haves" will be *another* $25?

 

[WEGGLES]

Why do I get the feeling the $25 package will consist entirely of the "Must haves" and the "May haves" will be *another* $25?

Even still, it's certainly a start?

 

[MercuryLS]

Outside of live sports I don't know why anyone would pay for cable.

 

[BocoDragon]

This is really too little, too late... I am already tuned way out of cable.

Actually scratch that... I get it for HD cable for free with with apartment.. And I still don't watch it.

Cable is a 20th century medium. Makes no sense at all in the age of the Internet.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Outside of live sports I don't know why anyone would pay for cable.

i will literally die if i can't watch 18 hours of property brothers a day.

 

[Simon Belmont]

i will literally die if i can't watch 18 hours of property brothers a day.

I'm pretty sure they're on Hulu or Netflix. Holmes on Holmes, on the other hand, man I miss that overly dramatic bastard.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

If I can get the $25 minumum, and it costs no more than 15 more bucks to get TSN/Sportsnet/TheScore... maybe.

Yes please! I'm using OTA Antenna and already getting my fix for local TV and Sports, but $25/mth is tempting to get extra sets of channel.

 

[Earthstrike]

There has to be some kind of base fee. It wouldn't be feasible to let people pay a buck to get A&E and nothing else. They're still maintaining the networks and stuff.



"Compete?" Did you mistype "collude?" All both the service providers in Canada talk to each other before they set prices.

If rogers is forced, by law, to offer a 25$ package, there other packages that they have to offer will look worse in comparison. They may have to lower the price of their other packages in order to not lose customers to the 25$ package that they will be legally required to offer.

 

[Dunlop]

Wait so this $25 skinny basic is mandatory??

So even if I only want hbo, tsn, and NBA TV I still have to pay that $25 first???

You would have to pay even more to do that right now

is priced at no more than $25 (not including equipment) per month

There is the loophole,$20 a month stb rentals incoming

 

[TheRagnCajun]

I guess the CRTC is actually starting to care about the death of cable and satellite services, because then local Canadian broadcasting becomes less relevant. I actually don't think it was motivated by pro-consumer intentions.

 

[BocoDragon]

I guess the CRTC is actually starting to care about the death of cable and satellite services, because then local Canadian broadcasting becomes less relevant. I actually don't think it was motivated by pro-consumer intentions.

I actually think the CRTC's protectionism of Canadian content is self-defeating. As long as Canadian content is funded by governments and propped up by the CRTC, it all tends to be so cloyingly "Canadian". Stories about growing up in rural Alberta, or Muslims on the prairies, or parody shows about boring Canadian politics... Its all so adorkably Canadian

Ask yourself.. Why doesn't Canada make anything that's "cool"? It's because all Canadian content is like a super-lame teacher's pet, trying to show how wholesomely homegrown and Canadian it is so it will get government funding. But as a consequence, there's almost nothing with any kind of edge. And so it is self-defeating, because protecting it is what's keeping it from having honest mass appeal.

If left to the free market, maybe Canadian content would actually have to develop a sense of spectacle like in America...

 

[Terrell]

I actually think the CRTC's protectionism of Canadian content is self-defeating. As long as Canadian content is funded by governments and propped up by the CRTC, it all tends to be so cloyingly "Canadian". Stories about growing up in rural Alberta, or Muslims on the prairies, or parody shows about boring Canadian politics... Its all so adorkably Canadian

Ask yourself.. Why doesn't Canada make anything that's "cool"? It's because all Canadian content is like a super-lame teacher's pet, trying to show how wholesomely homegrown and Canadian it is so it will get government funding. But as a consequence, there's almost nothing with any kind of edge. And so it is self-defeating, because protecting it is what's keeping it from having honest mass appeal.

If left to the free market, maybe Canadian content would actually have to develop a sense of spectacle like in America...

I dunno, small bits of the content on CBC has been pretty good in recent years and not so distinctly Canadian. I really enjoyed Being Erica during its run, and it really could have been set anywhere. And then there's stuff like Orphan Black and Rookie Blue, so...

With regards to skinny cable, though, I expect an exploitable loophole for sure.

 

[lamaroo]

To get an idea at what might be included in the basic package, look at VMedia's offerings for their 29.95 package, not great. I'm guessing HBO will still only be included in expensive packages containing a bunch of movie channels I won't watch too.

 

[Terrell]

To get an idea at what might be included in the basic package, look at VMedia's offerings for their 29.95 package, not great. I'm guessing HBO will still only be included in expensive packages containing a bunch of movie channels I won't watch too.

Except that this also requires channels piece by piece. So no, you won't see that. You'll likely see HBO cost the same as the bundle did but packaged by itself, if they try any shenanigans.

 

[UberTag]

I cut the cable several years ago but if some of these a la carte or skinny packages prove appetizing I may plug myself back in.

 

[jstripes]

Bet they'll charge more than $25 for HD.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Can't wait to see how they fuck us all on prices per channel. Wnat HBO? $30.

 

[Extra Sauce]

Cool, can't wait to go back to Gimped HBO, Gimped FX, Gimped "Comedy Central", Gimped... well you get the point.

 

[Sober]

I actually think the CRTC's protectionism of Canadian content is self-defeating. As long as Canadian content is funded by governments and propped up by the CRTC, it all tends to be so cloyingly "Canadian". Stories about growing up in rural Alberta, or Muslims on the prairies, or parody shows about boring Canadian politics... Its all so adorkably Canadian

Ask yourself.. Why doesn't Canada make anything that's "cool"? It's because all Canadian content is like a super-lame teacher's pet, trying to show how wholesomely homegrown and Canadian it is so it will get government funding. But as a consequence, there's almost nothing with any kind of edge. And so it is self-defeating, because protecting it is what's keeping it from having honest mass appeal.

If left to the free market, maybe Canadian content would actually have to develop a sense of spectacle like in America...

The other problem is there isn't really any private funding for scripted content in Canada, and a good portion of the funding is from the government. So you don't have execs really looking for creatives up here, except on occasion to fill in air time - so they don't care about the quality of what's produced as much as in the US - and so all the creatives flock south to do anything of worth.

 

[catpurrcat]

I dunno, small bits of the content on CBC has been pretty good in recent years and not so distinctly Canadian. I really enjoyed Being Erica during its run, and it really could have been set anywhere. And then there's stuff like Orphan Black and Rookie Blue, so...

With regards to skinny cable, though, I expect an exploitable loophole for sure.

If you enjoyed those, you haven't seen anything on HBO, AMC and FX.

Although the orphan black is pretty cool.

 

[Dr Campino]

As it stands I have no intention of subscribing to any TV service, as I just have Netflix and MLS Live and Hockeystreams. But for $25 if it included the US networks, I might bite. I'd go OTA but I don't think we can get much in Guelph...

 

[Liberty4all]

I'm guessing the skinny package will basically be all the same Canadian channels you can get OTA for free anyways. In which case what's the point unless you live out in the country where OTA isn't feasible.

This 25 dollar package is useless if it doesn't include the US networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) ... Which incidentally you can get OTA in Toronto at least being that we are so close to Buffalo).

 

[The Omega Man]

Too little too late, I cut the cable and this won't make me come back, all I need is HBO Go stand alone.

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Waiting to see the power of move of locking out hockey behind speciality channel. Rogers buying rights to NHL was anticipating this.

 

[Brandson]

I would expect to pay at least $50 on top of the $25 pack to get all the HD sports channels you want by themselves, maybe more.

 

[Terrell]

If you enjoyed those, you haven't seen anything on HBO, AMC and FX.

WTF is this shit? It's not an either/or proposition. Or are you of the opinion that network television is only enjoyable to heathen plebs?

 

[firehawk12]

I actually think the CRTC's protectionism of Canadian content is self-defeating. As long as Canadian content is funded by governments and propped up by the CRTC, it all tends to be so cloyingly "Canadian". Stories about growing up in rural Alberta, or Muslims on the prairies, or parody shows about boring Canadian politics... Its all so adorkably Canadian

Ask yourself.. Why doesn't Canada make anything that's "cool"? It's because all Canadian content is like a super-lame teacher's pet, trying to show how wholesomely homegrown and Canadian it is so it will get government funding. But as a consequence, there's almost nothing with any kind of edge. And so it is self-defeating, because protecting it is what's keeping it from having honest mass appeal.

If left to the free market, maybe Canadian content would actually have to develop a sense of spectacle like in America...

I think the real tragedy is that Canada is fake-bilingual and that there's no attempt to bring French TV to the rest of Canada. There's tons of Canadian content there... it's just that only two provinces get the stuff.

Heck, if nothing else, you can understand why Quebecois keep getting nominated for foreign language Oscars every other year.

 

[Madness]

This is good news. Finally I can cut some of the bullshit channels I don't want from packages, and instead get channels I do want without having to pay more to get them in some bundle.

I always speak to customer retention and customer service. They're more than willing to give you deals and discounts if you're polite and respectful.

 

[RSTEIN]

Talk about too little too late.

 

[Blackhead]

To get an idea at what might be included in the basic package, look at VMedia's offerings for their 29.95 package, not great. I'm guessing HBO will still only be included in expensive packages containing a bunch of movie channels I won't watch too.

Will vmedia (and acanac, bell etc) still be required to offer their tv services only over their internet services? That's a pain right now and might also prevent the rumored Apple TV service from being available in canada too...

 

[Sober]

I think the real tragedy is that Canada is fake-bilingual and that there's no attempt to bring French TV to the rest of Canada. There's tons of Canadian content there... it's just that only two provinces get the stuff.

Heck, if nothing else, you can understand why Quebecois keep getting nominated for foreign language Oscars every other year.

I wish I were bilingual enough to watch Quebecois television, but I'm sure it only has to appeal for French Canadians, which makes it a hundred times easier to be better than English Canadian stuff that generally has to reach middle Canada as well as the urban centres (specifically with regards to the stuff the CBC is putting out).

 

[zeitgeist]

This has potential to be good. I'd pay $25 a month for basic cable.

But there is no way they will win back everyone who cut the cord.

 

[firehawk12]

This has potential to be good. I'd pay $25 a month for basic cable.

But there is no way they will win back everyone who cut the cord.

Eh. Netflix + VPN = 15 bucks a month. If you're getting stuff like Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, etc, etc, you're reaching cable package territory.

I wish I were bilingual enough to watch Quebecois television, but I'm sure it only has to appeal for French Canadians, which makes it a hundred times easier to be better than English Canadian stuff that generally has to reach middle Canada as well as the urban centres (specifically with regards to the stuff the CBC is putting out).

Yep. At least we get 19-2. lol