Editing Media of Canada (section)

===Cable television===
{{Main|Multichannel television in Canada}}

[[Cable television]] is a very common method of television programming delivery in Canada. By 1997, already 77% of Canadian homes subscribed to a cable television service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dalglish |first1=Brenda |title=Satellite TV gets lost in space |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/512457782/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=National Post |date=September 13, 1997 |language=en}}</ref> [[Vancouver]], with 93% of its homes connected to cable, had one of the highest cable connection rates in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Strachan |first1=Alex |title=Electronic rating system to be used in Vancouver |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/496038939/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Vancouver Sun |date=May 16, 1997 |page=C3 |language=en}}</ref>

There are currently 739 licensed cable distributors in Canada. This significant decline from over 2,000 just a few years ago is attributable both to major cable companies acquiring smaller distributors and to a recent change in CRTC rules by which independent cable operators with fewer than 2,000 subscribers are no longer required to operate under full CRTC licences. (However, the CRTC does retain some regulatory authority over these operators. This is an exemption granted by the CRTC to previously licensed companies that continue to meet certain conditions, and does ''not'' mean that anybody can simply set up their own small cable company without CRTC approval.){{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Major Canadian cable companies include [[Rogers Communications|Rogers]], [[Shaw Communications|Shaw]], [[Cogeco]], [[Vidéotron]] and [[EastLink (company)|EastLink]]/[[Persona Communications|Persona]]. Most Canadian cities are served by only one cable company per market; in the few cities that are served by more than one cable company, each company is restricted to a specific geographical division within the market. For instance, in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Cogeco Cable]], [[Rogers Cable]] and [[Source Cable]] are all licensed operators, but each has a monopoly in a specific area of the city.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

However, two major companies offer [[direct broadcast satellite]] delivery as an alternative to cable: [[Bell Satellite TV]], which is a division of [[Bell Canada|BCE Inc.]], and [[Shaw Direct]], which is a division of Shaw. ''[[Grey market]]'' DBS dishes can also be obtained from American services such as [[DirecTV]] and [[Dish Network]], but as these are not licensed Canadian providers, stores that sell those packages&mdash;and users who buy them&mdash;are at risk of criminal charges.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In some remote communities in the Territories ([[Yukon]], [[Northwest Territories]], [[Nunavut]]), cable delivery is prohibitively costly. As such, similar services are offered through [[MMDS]] technology.

An English-language 'basic cable' package in Canada traditionally includes:{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

* [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[CTV Two]], [[Global Television Network|Global]], [[City (TV network)|City]] – the major English-language Canadian commercial networks;
* [[CBC Television]] and [[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]] – the English- and French-language CBC networks;
* a provincial educational broadcast undertaking (e.g. [[TVOntario|TVO]] in Ontario), if available (not all provinces have one);
* a [[Community channel (Canada)|community channel]], produced by the particular cable company, which usually includes [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] and information programming as well as community events listings (cf. [[public-access television]] in the United States);
* [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network|APTN]] – a network devoted to [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Aboriginal]] programming;
* [[TVA (Canadian TV network)|TVA]] – one of the two private French-language broadcasters in Quebec;<ref group="lower-roman">The other French-language broadcaster in Quebec, [[Noovo]], does not have mandatory national carriage rights, although some cable companies in [[Ontario]] and [[New Brunswick]] offer the network on a discretionary basis, and the network does have mandatory carriage in Quebec.</ref>
* nearby independent channels or channels from smaller television systems such as [[Omni Television]] or [[Yes TV]];
* [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]] – a channel that broadcasts [[parliamentary session]]s and committee meetings, along with some political public-affairs programming;
* a similar channel to CPAC, but broadcasting the proceedings of the provincial legislature;
* [[network affiliates]] (typically from the nearest major American city) of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[Fox Network|Fox]], [[NBC]], and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]];<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, American networks are offered on a "4 + 1" basis, meaning that a cable company may offer any four American commercial networks and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] on basic cable; other American networks can only be offered on a pay tier. In most cities, this means that [[The CW]] and [[MyNetwork TV]] are not available on basic cable because of lower demand for those networks. However, cable providers in border cities have been allowed to offer all American networks on basic cable that are available over the air in that market, even if that means more than four commercial networks are provided. American network affiliates are usually provided from the nearest available American market. However, signals distributed by [[Shaw Broadcast Services]] (particularly affiliates from [[Detroit]] and [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]) are frequently substituted where cost or technical limitations prevent use of a closer signal.</ref>
* a mixture of Canadian and American special-interest channels (e.g. [[The Sports Network|TSN]], [[MuchMusic]], [[CNN]], [[CTV News Channel (Canada)|CTV News Channel]], [[Showcase (Canadian TV channel)|Showcase]]).<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, cable companies cannot offer a new American service if a comparable Canadian service already exists. However, if a Canadian equivalent begins operations after an American service has already been added to cable packages, the cable company is not required to discontinue the American service. (For example, Canadian cable companies cannot offer [[MTV]], as the station was not yet available in Canada when MuchMusic began broadcasting in 1984. However, cable companies can offer CNN, as they were already offering that service when CBC Newsworld first aired in 1989.) The rules formerly required that the American service be removed if a Canadian equivalent is launched; this caused controversy when the US version of [[Country Music Television|CMT]] was removed from the lineup when [[CMT (Canada)|a new Canadian country music channel]] called the ''New Country Network'' launched. CMT had contested that this was a violation of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]]. Ultimately, Viacom purchased a minority share in the network, and rebranded it under the CMT name.</ref>

A further set of Canadian and American special-interest channels are offered as 'extended cable' packages, which are available for additional fees. In the past, cable companies have engaged in the controversial practice of [[negative option billing]], in which a subscriber is automatically given and billed for the new services unless he or she specifically declines them, but this is now illegal.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

A package of '[[Pay television|pay TV]]' channels is also available for additional fees, including movie networks such as [[Crave (TV network)|Crave TV]], [[Movie Central]], [[Super Channel (Canadian TV channel)|Super Channel]], and [[Super Écran]]; and American [[superstation]]s such as [[WSBK-TV|WSBK]], [[WPIX]], [[WGN America|WGN]], and [[KTLA]] (which are often affiliated with [[The CW Television Network|The CW]] and [[MyNetworkTV]].) These services, however, require a [[Cable converter box|descrambler box]].

A study in 2006 said that the CRTC had licensed 44 digital specialty services and 5 ethnic specialty- and pay-television services across the country.<ref name=ojo/>

Cable companies now offer [[digital cable]] packages in most Canadian cities, including a number of channels which have been licensed exclusively for digital package distribution. Digital cable also typically includes a range of audio broadcast services such as [[Galaxie (radio)|Galaxie]] and [[Max Trax]]. In some markets, digital cable service may also include local radio stations; where this is offered, it has largely ''replaced'' the availability of [[cable FM]] service. Digital cable, however, is provided only if a customer chooses to subscribe to that package. As of 2016, cable companies are also now required to offer a "skinny basic" option, whereby a small selection of channels{{snd}} typically the main over-the-air networks, along with "public service" channels such as [[The Weather Network]] and [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]]{{snd}} are packaged for a maximum fee of $25 with additional channels available on a [[A la carte pay television|pick and pay]] basis at the subscriber's discretion.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/skinny-basic-tv-consumers-explainer/article28951724/ "The skinny on skinny basic TV"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 1, 2016.</ref> Although this package has had some popularity, the traditional larger and more expensive cable packages remain the dominant subscription mode.<ref>[http://www.torontosun.com/2016/04/15/skinny-basic-cable-packages-popular-crtc "'Skinny basic' cable packages popular: CRTC"]. ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', April 15, 2016.</ref>

Although this is sometimes controversial, Canadian cable companies are required by the CRTC to practise [[simultaneous substitution]] when a Canadian channel and a non-Canadian channel (which is usually American) are airing the same program at the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl TV commercials – why are the ads different?|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|work=crtc.gc.ca|publisher=[[Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission]]|access-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011015823/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> Programming on an American service may also be blocked if it has significant bearing on a Canadian legal matter (e.g., one episode of ''[[Law & Order]]'', inspired by the trials of [[Paul Bernardo]] and [[Karla Homolka]], was blocked in Canada) or if it interferes with a Canadian channel's broadcast rights (such as ''[[James Bond]]'' movies airing on [[Spike TV]]; the Canadian broadcast rights are held by [[Bell Media]].)

Many cable companies also offer high speed [[Cable Internet access|cable Internet]] service.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}