CRTC requires "skinny basic" cable TV package from providers. Maximum fee $25/month
 

For people that have cable TV, this may be good news. CRTC is announcing new rules that require all cable and satellite companies to offer a basic TV channels package. Monthly fee would be capped at $25.

This deal could also mean unbundling channels in cable TV packages.
Pick and pay for the channels that you want.

NetFlix is still a better deal than whatever basic package that the cable providers offer. :lawl: :smug:

Your thoughts?

?Skinny basic? cable package with price cap of $25 to be announced by CRTC | News1130

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 CRTC will announce details this afternoon on what it calls “measures to maximize choice for Canadian viewers.”

Bloomberg spoke with industry analysts who believe the announcement will also be about unbundling your TV, which for years has seen programmers pair their weaker channels with stronger ones to promote new shows and boost revenue.

Analyst Maher Yaghi with Desjardins believes if the CRTC does allow freedom to “pick and pay” for individual channels or scaled-down bundles, it may lead to a $5 to $10 reduction in your monthly cable or satellite bill. But he says many of the weaker specialty and niche channels would become unprofitable.

A report from ratings company Nielsen in the US found the average home receives 189 TV channels but only watches 17 of them.

In the US, Apple and Dish are working on “skinny bundles” or web services that offer just a few popular channels at a lower price.

The whittled-down packages are putting pressure on programmers who have relied on the 500-channel pay-TV universe to carry their less-popular niche networks.

The Harper government has been pushing the regulator to allow for a “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.

Either way, the cable service providers will find a way to fuck everyone up the ass and get their money.

it's a novel idea but i don't see it changing the current landscape much in terms of costs

What they're going to do is follow the CRTC's requirement, then jack up the price of every "pick and pay" by an exorbitant amount so they come out on top again.

Happened with the cell phone thing, and will happen again this time.

I agree.

I appreciate the CRTC in trying to protect consumers from being completely bent over and railed by the telecom companies, but IMO the only way to fix the oligopoly and lower prices across the board is to introduce more competition. I really wish US-based companies such as Verizon would come to Canada, it's no surprise that the "Big Three" lobbied so hard against it as they knew it would lead to them actually being competitive in the rates instead of fixing the price at a set level of "high".

the basic tv package should be a set number of channels (like 10 channels) but the user can choose which 10 out of all channels available :)

currently paying $230ish to shaw a month -_- don't even have all the channels wtf

w-t-f mang...i'm paying half that and i still think it's too much :lol

you so ballin http://images.uncyclomedia.co/uncycl...n/9/9e/697.gif

yes lets lower the price of basic cable and force provider to provide pick and chose per channel. BUT WAIT! All the popular ones are $20 each?!?!?!

CRTC needs to know it is not the cable provider's fault. A lot of channel are bundle the way they are because the company who owns the channel want it bundle. Ever wonder why Movie Central is always bundle with HBO? Coz Movie central owns HBO and the company who owns it wants them to be bundle.

lol i was thinking the same thing
i'm paying about 120 right now and my fiancee is pushing me to cut cable...but the only reason i have it on right now is because of hockey

im probably just going to deactivate cable services until October when hockey season is done

the Shaw Arris or whatever HD box is such a piece of shit...that thing is always lagging

The only reason the cable companies have customers right now is because of sports. That is the one thing that keeps me and my family with them. I barely watch anything outside of Sportsnet, TSN, TSN2, etc. because I'd rather watch Netflix otherwise. I'm sure they will be smart and ensure that the sports channels are bundled in a higher package.

inb4 sure but they're all SD channels.

You guys still subscribe to cable?

I just got Netflix and it's more than enough for me

this one guy told me that more competition will mean higher costs. :rukidding:

wasnt kidding.. /insert hour long arguement :lawl:

I can't live without cable. Have to watch my sports live and streaming won't do it for me. holy crap Stylin, I pay 1/2 of what you pay and I already think that's too many channels as well. We actually downgraded and saved $15 off our cable not too long ago.

If it wasn't for live sports I'd probably cut cable and use strictly Netflix.

I keep my cable for sports just like everyone else. I am thinking cutting my tv cable and subscribing to services like NBA league pass. But you get your playoffs blacked out.

sports is the only reason i keep any sort of cable as well, that and sportscenter

currently though we have like the most basic pack from Shaw which they gave us a free trial for 6 months and it's fucking garbage, it's like the most basic of basic, you get like global, TSN, sportsnet 1, and then HGTV and A&E, channels like CNN and NBC, etc. which you would figure are in the basic package are not included

Want 1 channel have to order 5 to get it.
Want a list of all the channels I get? they cant tell me.
Want TSN HD but only get TSN HD in french without paying more.
Same show on 15 channels in both SD and HD. On 15 more channels 3 hours later.
Get APTN east and west in SD and HD. Same shows on all 4 channels all shot in SD.
Found out there is a bake sale in Orillia Ontario this Saturday because I get the Orillia community channel.
Go past channel 1000 when I feel adventurous.

Anyone want live hockey streams check out Hockey Streams - Live and Archived hockey games! Watch all the hockey games, preseason games, regular season, post season, drafts, player awards good reviews on Redflagdeals and you have no blackouts. There is also Ball Streams - Live and Archived basketball games! Watch all the basketball games, preseason games, regular season, post season, drafts, player awards for basketball

While I get that some of the less popular networks need to be "carried" by bundles, so many channels are just repeating the same shit it doesn't really matter if some can't survive. I cut cable because spending $80/month to watch the same 3 episodes of a few shows on 6 different versions of a channel was impossible to justify.

Why not get a streaming package? If someone sold a streaming package that was as good as CBC's World Cup coverage was, but for hockey, I'd be all over it.

NHL GameCenter.

stream from phone, ipad, apple tv, built in TV apps, etc. this is the first year i've used it because i got it free with my Rogers Shared plan, and it's pretty great, ive never once had an issue and the streaming feed is seemingly the same quality as a sportsnet digital cable broadcast etc

NHL Gamecenter - this is the first year that the blackout for Canucks games has been lifted. Before - if your IP was detected to be in BC, you couldn't watch it. Yes you could run a chrome extension, but it didn't always work before.

If you sign up under a Russian IP - it's only $75 for the year, as opposed to $150 for the year.

Even the value of cable for sports is dwindling.

I cut the cord last year and hacked an Amazon FireTV to run XBMC. It's been a pretty good investment of my time and money. I can't imagine paying over a hundred a month to a cable company.

^ Raspberry Pi + XBMC = amazing. Once I got that set up I can't go back.

Gamecenter sounds like what I'm talking about for hockey, does anyone know what the device limit is? Both total devices and currently active.

Raspberry Pi + XBMC (Kodi) is so slow and laggy, surprise that you're fine with it.

probably a noob question, but what does XBMC give you, ability to stream sports games online? i thought XBMC allows you to play movies/media on a PC or are there other uses?

Top comment from CBC article pretty much has it bang on :lawl:

"Yeah, I'd like to sign up for the $25.00 per month package."

"Sure thing, that'll be $72.25"

$25.00 Base Price
$1.25 CRTC fee
$3.75 Bandwidth fee
$2.00 Emergency service fee
$4.80 Obamacare fee
$11.60 Only service provider in your area fee
$3.25 Not electing for specialty channels fee
$2.15 Cable TV membership fee
$1.00 Printed bill fee
$2.35 Server space required to store your personal information fee
$3.25 We'll see if they don't spot this one fee
$2.35 Fee mediation fee
$8.15 Convenience fee
$1.35 Clairvoyance fee