CRTC to let you see U.S. Super Bowl commercials

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Canada’s broadcast regulator has issued new policies on television broadcasting, and they are getting a poor reception.

It was expected to be a big announcement on the future of Canadian TV, but analysts say there wasn’t a lot to today’s speech.

Two rulings were made. The first is that over-the air antenna-based TV signals will stay. That means all those with so-called rabbit ears, can still get free TV; good news for viewers but experts say bad news for broadcasters as those transmitters are expensive to keep on.

The second big ruling was for something called simultaneous substitution, or simsub. Canadian broadcasters are allowed to substitute Canadian commercials into American shows. That practice can continue but with one exception outlined by CRTC clair Jean-Pierre Blais:

“Broadcasters will be banned from using simsub during the Super Bowl broadcast starting with the one that will be broadcast at the end of the 2016 NFL season. We are convinced that broadcasters are able to execute simsub flawlessly, and if they cannot, we will revoke that privilege.”

“It’s as simple as that. In this day and age when technology allows us to wear computers, put a Canadarm in space and land a satellite on a comet, I cannot believe that every broadcaster does not have the wherewithal to execute simsub flawlessly. There will be no more sleeping at the switch.”

That means Canadians will be able to see the blockbuster American ads during the Super Bowl.

One thing lacking today was anything on the future of local tv news. The union UNIFOR blasted the CRTC over it, saying it missed the mark and has done nothing to close the $100 million dollar gap in local program funding. Blais said the broadcasters have a responsibility to the communities they serve.

“Public and private shareholders of broadcasting assets have a duty to ensure that news reporting and analysis continues to be properly funded. This is to ensure that Canadians, as citizens, understand events occurring around them every day. An informed citizenry cannot be the sacrificial offering on the altar of corporate profits or deficit reduction.”