There is no money in local private television, according to Canada’s largest private television corporation..BCE Inc. in a submission to the Senate communications committee said local stations have been money losers for nine years running..“Local media in Canada is in crisis,” BCE wrote senators. “Pre-pandemic combined annual advertising revenues for local television and radio stations declined over the last decade by approximately $700 million from $3.8 billion in 2010 to $3.1 billion in 2019.”.“In fact local private television has been unprofitable every year since 2013 with a cumulative pre-tax loss of nearly $1.5 billion by the end of broadcast year 2021,” said the submission Consideration Of Bill C-11..According to Blacklock's Reporter, Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. operates CTV News and specialty channels like the Business News Network. It petitioned the Senate committee for Broadcasting Act amendments that would mandate direct subsidies for “developing, financing, producing or promoting local, regional and national news” on television..“Losses have put immense pressure on local media’s ability to continue to deliver local news,” wrote BCE. “While private local television and radio delivered on their commitment to their local viewers to provide timely coverage of the COVID-19 health crisis throughout much of 2020, this is no longer possible and these operators were forced to make significant cuts to remain afloat.”.BCE Inc. and other TV broadcasters from the outbreak of the pandemic received $103.6 million in federal grants, including wage subsidies, by federal estimate. Mandatory payments of $36.5 million in licensing fees were also suspended by the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission..The Bell Canada submission follows Sept. 15 committee testimony by a Global News executive who said the network was “on the brink” due to mounting losses..“Our ability to provide local, fact-based news in large parts of the country, in small markets, in places like the English-language minority community in Montréal, it all teeters on the brink,” said Troy Reeb, executive vice-president of Global’s parent company Corus Entertainment Inc..“The status quo is not sustainable,” said Reeb. “The future of an entire Canadian industry is hanging in the balance,” he added..Reeb sought direct subsidies to “offset our news losses.”.The CRTC on July 15 published a report predicting traditional private television broadcasters in Canada would collapse by 2025 based on current trends of declining viewership and lost ad sales..“Decisions made by public policy makers in the next three years will determine whether the Canadian broadcasting system survives,” said the report The State Of The Canadian Program Rights Market.
