April 28, 2014
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CANADALAND
#30 Canadian Television Is Doomed
The CRTC is unbundling cable channels, but will anyone subscribe to cable TV in 5 years anyhow?

The CRTC is unbundling cable channels, but will anyone subscribe to cable TV in 5 years anyhow? And if we don’t, who will fund Canadian TV and film? Insights from George Burger, a veteran of the Canadian TV and film industry who is now an executive at VMedia, an Internet TV service.

Guest:

George Burger (link)

Links:

Michael Geist in the Toronto Star on the CRTC’s TV “reset” (link)

The VBox (link)

Topics discussed:

Why do we have to pay for so many channels we don’t want? Will the CRTC actually get rid of channel bundling? Does the whole system make sense anymore? Are people actually cutting their cords and leaving cable TV? What will we watch instead? Why isn’t the Internet regulated by the CRTC? Will CanCon TV and film survive a post-cable TV universe? Will anyone care? What about the people who make TV and film?

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