TVA TO GO NATIONAL IN MAY
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has announced that as of May 1, the national distribution of the French-language TVA network will be mandatory. The commission approved national distribution of TVA last October, requiring large and mid-size cable companies, as well as direct-to-home satellite broadcasting TV services and mutlipoint distribution systems, to broadcast TVA as part of their basic service at no additional charge to subscribers. This ruling is for companies with more than 2,000 subscribers. The CRTC is strongly encouraging smaller companies to carry the TV service and will help the firms ease their financial burden. However, the commission wanted to ensure that the terms and conditions were carefully examined, so it initiated a public consultation. Most responses were positive. In order to get the licence, TVA had to agree to broadcast at least six special events annually that reflect the French-language reality outside Quebec. It must include a weekly 30-minute show on the life of Francophones elsewhere in Canada and it has to reinvest at least 43% of surplus profits from operations outside Quebec.