$25 basic cable pkg. must be in place by March 1

[oneh2obabe]

Cable and satellite providers must provide skinny basic packages priced at $25 a month to every consumer by March 1, 2016, the CRTC says.

The federal broadcast regulator laid out a timetable Thursday for changes to ways television signals are distributed across Canada.

In addition to the basic $25 package, cable and satellite providers must move to a pick-and-pay system or offer small bundles of channels, also by the March 1 deadline. They must offer both by Dec. 1 of next year.

The basic package must include channels on the CRTC's mandatory distribution list, including CBC, CTV and Global, and aboriginal and minority English or French language channels. In addition a group of U.S. channels could be included, usually CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and non-commercial channel PBS.

At least 10 of the channels must be local or regional, including the community channel and the proceedings of the provincial legislature, if available.

TV viewers will then be able to supplement this with either individual channels or small bundled channel packages.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cable-c ... -1.3326645

[Queen K]

This will be a great boon to those whom want to reduce the number of channels they never watch but must pay for just to get the few they want.

I have no idea what people pay for a cable package right now as I don't subscribe.

But a $25 buck package might draw me in. Or not.

Let's see:

25 x 12 = 300/yr x 5 yrs = $1,500.

I was thinking I could do a an extra day trip with that 300 bucks. OR just get a few choice channels and actually watch a few more fun shows. In 2016, MTV is showcasing an new up coming fantasy taken out of a book series The Shannara Chronicles.

[LoneWolf_53]

For $25 I'm willing to wager a person won't be getting HD so they'll still be looking at adding bundles, albeit from what's been said smaller ones.

[watchkat]

I don't mean to double post as I started this following thread, but I think it relates to this topic. Moderator please feel free to transfer my forum titled below onto here.

I just hope after reading this forum that they are not allowed to do as I am stating below after March 2016. If they can count this as Canadian programming and just repeat the same programs on different "basic" channels, then we are still going to be screwed.



Shaw/Global dumping Food Channel and HGTV into 4 and 8

Postby watchkat » Today, 1:48 pm
I've checked here and can't find any forum that is discussing this CHEAP programming by Shaw/Global. I pay for Classic/ personal and with internet it is over 100 dollars a month. The channels are 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,13, 16, 22,23,27,36.38. 43.46.47,48, and a couple of BC 111, 155, etc.
Lately, 4,8,and 7 are running the same programs at about the same times, 4,8, now have 16 and 36 being shown on there fairly consistently with just an hour delay from channels 16 and 36 .......the same damn shows and they are already repeats.


It is bad enough that 7 and 27 are paid programming a great majority of the time with Perricone, baking, exercise, etc etc. Now the lower end 4 - 8 channels are opting for paid advertising in prime time.

I have to wonder that no one else has noticed or commented. I am so fed up with them! If you have a PVR and wanted to set it to record a show a day or so ahead, you are likely out of luck for quite a bit now as I noticed checking two days out, even late tomorrow, it just reads "to be announced"...................how the hell can you set something that might not even be there.

I can't understand why the CRTC hasn't gone after them.....we pay for channels and they are using 4 and 5 channels to broadcast the same shows.........they own 4,8 and 16 and 36 and just keep rerunning their old shows over and over and over again. What are they doing with the monies and increases they are shoving on us? We are getting nothing for our dollar and they always say it is so everyone can see the shows............well, gone are the days of antennas even the most basic get all the channels listed above.......no one is missing the channels that they are/should be broadcast over.

The movies ,,,,,,,including the current one is on two channels and this is about the third time for it now. Honestly, do they get them out of the $5.00 bin at Walmart? With all the movies out there, it isn't even worth a Shaw on Demand movie..what crap? Monsters, vampires, comedy aimed at 16year olds, why not a few decent ones for the parents that pay the bills?


I resent that every channel has college football, NFL, CFL golf, golf, WHL, etc on all the lower channels..............what is the purpose of TSN ESPN, etc.......they charge extra for many of those and yet we are inundated in the basic channels and then they go into overrun of programs with the "extra" after the game know it alls. Really if you watched the game isn't that enough?
A rip off!!!!!!!!!

Comments please......................

[GordonH]

I have to wonder that no one else has noticed or commented. I am so fed up with them! If you have a PVR and wanted to set it to record a show a day or so ahead, you are likely out of luck for quite a bit now as I noticed checking two days out, even late tomorrow, it just reads "to be announced"...................how the hell can you set something that might not even be there.
Comments please......................

If I want to know about time of a program I usually check here:
http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tvlistings ... tvschedule

[Queen K]

Nothing for your dollar?

Cancel it.

[kelownawriter]

If your PVR is showing 'to be announced' on a constant basis, you need to be giving Shaw a call. While that can happen during channel changes, and when paid programming is in processing, another more common reason is when the power goes out, your system resets itself, or a glitch.

What you're experiencing really isn't normal. Tech support can likely deal with this over the phone, and with a little patience on your part, remedy the system on their end.

[Nom_de_Plume]

Haven't subcribed to tv service for at least 15 years maybe more.
not going to subscribe now.
doesn't matter if it's free (which it never is when you live in Podunk) It would mean buying a tv that would take up space in my living room that'd I'd probably never watch anyhow.

[Queen K]

For once I paid attention to a Shaw tv offer.

Right now you can subscribe for personal tv for "only $24.90 for the first six months, then it goes to $39.90 after."

Okay now, if someone signs up now, then finds out if they had waited until after March 1 they'd get it for $25.00 anyways, and not just after six months, would they not be peeved?

I think so.

And if you bundle internet and tv, at 99.90/month after six months is done, you've got 1,198.80/year or 5,994.00 in five years going down the tubes instead to to your retirement, travel, college, new car, new anything fund.

I can do a lot of traveling in BC with $6000

[tsayta]

For once I paid attention to a Shaw tv offer.

Right now you can subscribe for personal tv for "only $24.90 for the first six months, then it goes to $39.90 after."

Okay now, if someone signs up now, then finds out if they had waited until after March 1 they'd get it for $25.00 anyways, and not just after six months, would they not be peeved?

I think so.

And if you bundle internet and tv, at 99.90/month after six months is done, you've got 1,198.80/year or 5,994.00 in five years going down the tubes instead to to your retirement, travel, college, new car, new anything fund.

I can do a lot of traveling in BC with $6000

Damn. Now THATS a good point

[jpenny]

*removed*

[harrinsa]

Do these boxes support flash player ??

[jimmy4321]

It probably sucks anyway.
The only fix is competition

[Retrosnap]

Here's a little present that the 99% of us who don't get skinny cable will see on our bills.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3470720

The new 'skinny TV' basic cable packages that were meant to save consumers cash could actually end up costing many B.C. households more when their next cable bill arrives.

That's because customers in B.C. get a PST exemption on cable television, but only for the cost of the cheapest package.

For instance, in the past the cheapest package offered by Calgary-based Shaw was $41 per month. But Shaw, which has many customers in B.C., posted a 40-channel $25 basic package last week.

That means Shaw's B.C. customers who don't switch to the new cheaper package will pay PST on the difference of $16.

Since the PST is seven per cent, the extra cost to those consumers will be $1.12 per month, equal to $13.44 per year.

[perspicacious]

The new 'cheap' basic packages are going to be a joke with charges for any little add-ons. I have cable, no idea why as I have only watched TV maybe 3 times in the last year. I've been waiting to see what these new packages look like but it seems that having what I have today would cost me more under the new structure.

They should just change programming all together to one flat service rate of $15/month with fee of $1 per channel for regular programming and $2 for HD channels. Let the audience decide what they want for channels.