CRTC issues report on broadcasting distribution companies
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has released its annual report on the finances of Canadian broadcasting distribution companies. For the year ending Aug. 31, the cable, satellite and multipoint distribution sector experienced revenue growth from $11.4 billion to $12.5 billion. Revenue generated by cable companies increased by 9.7% in 2010, from $9.2 billion to $10.1 billion, while expenses increased by 9%, from $5.1 billion to $5.5 billion, resulting in profits of $2.5 billion. The number of Canadian households receiving basic television service from a cable company increased by 2.2% to 8.3 million. Revenues for satellite and multipoint distribution companies increased from $2.2 billion in 2009 to $2.4 billion in 2010, an increase of 8.9%. Expenses increased by 4%, from $1.75 billion to $1.82 billion. The number of Canadian households receiving television service from these companies increased by 3.7% to reach 2.9 million. In 2010, cable companies paid $1.9 billion in wholesale fees to the pay and specialty services they distribute, representing an increase of 11.6% from the $1.7 billion paid in 2009. The fees paid by satellite companies rose by 4.5% from $367.7 million to $384.2 million.