CRTC Approves Family Channel Conversion to HD

[cablewithaview]

The Commission approves the application by The Family Channel Inc. to amend the broadcasting licence for the national, English-language pay television programming undertaking known as Family Channel to allow the service to be made available for distribution in high definition (HD) format.

The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application.

In Broadcasting Public Notices 2003-61 and 2006-74, the Commission stated that it would authorize the licensee of a Canadian pay or specialty service to make available an upgraded version of its service, by means of an amendment to the licence of the existing service. This authority would be in effect for a term of three years.

The Commission notes, however, that the current licence for the undertaking expires on 31 August 2009.

The Commission further stated in Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-74:

Those services that are authorized to offer HD programming by way of licence amendment will remain subject to the requirement initially imposed in Broadcasting Public Notice 2003-61 that the programming on the analog or [standard definition] service and on the upgraded service be comparable, that is, not less than 95% of the video and audio components must be the same. Further, the Commission will require that all of the programming making up the 5% allowance be provided in HD.

Accordingly, by condition of licence, The Family Channel Inc. is authorized to make available for distribution, until the end of its current licence term, a version of Family Channel in HD format, provided that not less than 95% of the video and audio components of the upgraded and standard definition versions of the service are the same, exclusive of commercial messages and of any part of the service carried on a subsidiary signal. Further, all of the programming making up the 5% allowance shall be provided in HD.


mediacastermagazine.com - Mediacaster - 4/23/2008