ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 95-591

Decision

Ottawa, 24 August 1995

Decision CRTC 95-591

Various locations in Canada

Licence amendments concerning the distribution of a video games service

Following Public Notice CRTC 1995-67 dated 26 April 1995, the Commission approves the applications to amend the broadcasting licences of the cable distribution undertakings listed in the appendix to this decision by authorizing the licensees to originate a video games service as a special programming service, offered on a discretionary basis.

The Commission stresses that all programming for the proposed interactive video games service is the responsibility of authorized cable licensees. The Commission notes that the video games will be provided by Sega Canada Inc. (Sega, the video games supplier).

Based upon indicators of control outlined in Public Notice CRTC 1995-5 dated 13 January 1995 entitled "Policy Governing the Distribution of Video Games Programming Services" and on information provided by the applicants, the Commission is satisfied that the licensees will be, in fact, the operators of the service, and that approval of a licence amendment is appropriate. Accordingly, the following conditions of licence will apply in respect of each undertaking listed in the appendix to this decision:

1. The video games service (the service) not include programming that is religious or political in nature.

2. The service consist only of:

 a) software and related information which will enable a person to select and play video games using broadcasting receiving apparatus located at the subscriber's premises; and

 b) ancillary programming consisting of promotional information concerning only the programming service and video games offered by the video games supplier, except for such games that are rated or found to be unsuitable for the cable service, provided such programming is broadcast in conjunction with programming set out in a) above and not on a separate channel.

3. The service make the greatest practicable use of Canadian creative and other resources in the creation and presentation of programming.

4. At least 10% of the total number of video games offered on the monthly menu be Canadian. Where fewer than 10% of the video games on the monthly menu are Canadian, the service shall be distributed on a channel that would otherwise be available, under the current linkage rules, for the distribution of a non-Canadian eligible satellite service as part of a discretionary tier.

5. The service be in compliance with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' "Sex-Role Portrayal Code for Television and Radio Programming", "Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programming" and "Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children", as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.

6. The video games offered be categorized, and information be provided to subscribers indicating, at a minimum, the suitability of individual games for use by children and adolescents.

7. The licensee provide to the Commission, upon request, the monthly menu of the games offered during any month within the previous twelve months of the date of the request and indicate which games are Canadian.

In Public Notice CRTC 1995-5, the Commission had noted Sega's commitment to establish an Interactive Entertainment Development Fund to provide financial assistance to Canadians developing and producing new Canadian multimedia products. More specifically, Sega committed to contribute to such Fund on a monthly basis, depending upon the total number of paying subscribers obtained in Canada, an amount ranging from 3% to 5% of the gross revenues in the previous month attributable to the video games service.

The Commission has considered it central to its approval of these applications that cable licensees commit to ensuring that the terms of this commitment are met. Accordingly, and consistent with the statements generally made by applicants in their replies to interventions, the Commission requires that cable licensees ensure that the terms of the above-noted commitment form part of any contractual agreement entered into with Sega for the provision of video games programming services and will consider cable licensees accountable to the Commission for its fulfilment.

The Commission acknowledges and has considered the interventions and comments received with respect to these applications.

Allan J. Darling
Secretary General

APPENDIX / ANNEXE

LICENSEE/ LOCATION/ APPLICATION NO./
TITULAIRE ENDROIT N° DE DEMANDE

Newfoundland/Terre-Neuve

Cable Atlantic Inc. St. John's, Mount Pearl 950792200
and surrounding areas/
St. John's, Mount Pearl
et les régions avoisinantes

New Brunswick/Nouveau-Brunswick

Fundy Cable Ltd./Ltée Albert Mines 950437400
Alma 950438200
Back Bay 950439000
Baie Ste-Anne 950440800
Barnsville 950441600
Baxters Corner 950442400
Bayfield 950443200
Beaver Brook Station 950444000
Big Cove 950445700
Blackville 950446500
Boiestown 950447300
Bouctouche 950448100
Brown's Flat 950449900
Burtts Corner 950450700
Cap Lumière 950451500
Caron Brook 950452300
Centre-Acadie 950453100
Chatham/Newcastle 950454900
Chipman 950455600
Clair 950456400
Colpitts Settlement 950457200
Doaktown 950458000
Edmundston 950459800
Elgin 950460600
Fredericton 950461400
Gagetown 950462200
Grand Falls/Grand Sault 950463000
Grand Manan Island 950464800
Harvey 950465500
Hatfield Point 950466300
Havelock 950467100
Highway 505 to Ste-Anne- 950468900
de-Kent/Route 505 jusqu'à
Ste-Anne-de-Kent
Hopewell Cape 950469700
Hybernia Heights 950470500
Keatings Corner 950471300
Kingsley 950472100
Kouchibouguac 950473900
Lac Baker 950474700
Leonardville 950475400
Lepreau 950476200
Lower Turtle Creek 950477000
McAdam 950478800
Meductic 950479600
Middlesex 950480400
Millville 950481200
Minto 950482000
Moncton 950483800
Morrisdale 950484600
Murray Corner 950485300
Musquash Subdivision 950486100
Nasonworth 950487900
Noonan 950488700
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes 950489500
Patterson 950490300
Pennfield 950491100
Petitcodiac 950492900
Pointe-Sapin 950493700
Richibucto 950494500
Richibucto Village 950495200
River Glade 950496000
Riverside-Albert 950497800
Rogersville 950498600
Saint-Joseph-de-Madawaska 950499400
Sainte-Anne-de-Kent 950500900
St-André-de-Shédiac 950501700
St-Antoine 950502500
St-Andrews 950503300
St-George 950504100
St-Ignace 950505800
St-Martins 950506600
Davis Mill 950507400
Ste-Marie-de-Kent 950508200
Stuart Town 950509000
Taymouth 950510800
Tracy 950511600
Upper Gagetown 950512400
Welsford 950513200
Welshpool 950514000
White Rapids 950515700
Williamsburg 950516500
Willowgrove 950517300
Wilson's Beach 950518100
St-Stephen 950682500
Saint John 950238600

Quebec/Québec

CF Cable TV Inc. Montréal (Parts of/ 950357400
secteurs de) and/et Laval

Cogeco Câble Canada Inc. Acton Vale 950320200
Alma 950321000
Baie-Comeau 950322800
Bernierville 950323600
Chambord-Roberval 950324400
Courcelles 950325100
Danville 950326900
Drummondville 950327700
East-Broughton 950328500
Forestville 950329300
Girardville 950330100
Lac-Bouchette 950331900
La Guadeloupe
(Saint-Évariste) 950332700
Louiseville 950333500
Magog 950334300
Montmagny 950335000
Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil 950336800
Normandin 950337600
Rimouski 950338400
Sept-Îles/Port Cartier 950339200
Saint-Benoît-Labre 950340000
Saint-Ephrem de Beauce 950341800
Saint-Georges 950342600
Sainte-Gertrude 950343400
Saint-Honoré 950344200
Saint-Hyacinthe 950345900
Saint-Ludger 950346700
Saint-Méthode-de-Frontenac 950347500
Saint-Prosper 950348300
Saint-Théophile 950349100
Saint-Thomas-Didyme 950350900
Saint-Victor 950351700
Saint-Vital-de-Lambton 950352500
Thetford Mines 950353300
Tring-Jonction 950354100
Trois-Rivières 950355800
Valcourt 950356600

Laurentien Câble TV Inc. Buckingham 950519900
Hull 950520700

Maniwaki Télévision Ltée Maniwaki 950753400

Vidéotron Ltée Cap-de-la-Madeleine 950738500
Chicoutimi 950739300
Montréal 950379800
Quebec City/Québec 950740100
Sherbrooke 950741900
Victoriaville 950742700

Ontario

Aurora Cable TV Limited Aurora 950763300

Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. Burlington/Oakville 950312900
Kingston 950317800

Laurentien Câble TV Inc. Rockland 950521500

Northern Cable Holdings Ltd. Belle Vallée 950522300
Blind River 950523100
Bonfield 950524900
Britt 950525600
Bruce Mines 950526400
Burks Falls 950527200
Calstock 950528000
Cartier 950529800
Charlton 950530600
Cobalt 950531400
Cochrane 950532200
Corbeil 950533000
Desbarats 950534800
Elk Lake 950535500
Elliot Lake 950536300
Emsdale 950537100
Englehart 950538900
Espanola 950539700
Fauquier 950540500
Field 950541300
Foleyet 950542100
Gogama 950543900
Hallebourg 950544700
Harty 950545400
Hearst 950546200
Hilton Beach 950547000
Holtyre 950548800
Hornepayne 950549600
Iron Bridge 950550400
Iroquois Falls 950551200
Jocko Point 950552000
Kamiskotia 950553800
Kapuskasing 950554600
Killarney 950555300
Latchford 950556100
Lavigne 950557900
Little Current 950558700
Loring/Port Loring 950559500
Magnetawan 950560300
Manitowaning 950561100
Markstay 950562900
Massey 950563700
Matachewan 950564500
Matheson 950565200
Mattawa 950566000
Mattice 950567800
Mindemoya 950568600
Moonbeam 950569400
Nairn 950570200
Nellie Lake 950571000
New Liskeard 950572800
Noelville 950573600
Opasatika 950574400
Powassan 950575100
Providence Bay 950576900
Richards Landing 950577700
River Valley 950578500
Serpent River 950579300
Skead 950580100
Smooth Rock Falls 950581900
Spanish 950582700
St. Charles 950583500
Sturgeon Falls 950584300
Sundridge 950585000
Temagami North 950586800
Temagami South 950587600
Thessalon 950588400
Timmins 950589200
Trout Creek 950590000
Verner 950591800
Warren 950592600
West Bay Indian Reserve 950593400
Whitefish Falls 950594200
Wikwemikong 950595900

Sudbury Cable Services Limited Sudbury 950596700

Western Co-Axial Limited Hamilton (Part of/ 950376400
secteur de), Dundas
Hamilton (Part of/ 950377200
secteur de), Stoney Creek
Grimsby 950375600

Manitoba

Westman Media Cooperative Ltd. Brandon 950386300

Saskatchewan

Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. Estevan 950315200
Weyburn 950319400

Regina Cablevision Co-Operative Regina 950239400

Alberta

Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. Lethbridge 950318600

Monarch Cable T.V. Ltd. Medicine Hat 950306100

British Columbia/Colombie-Britannique

Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. Kamloops 950316000
Chilliwack 950313700
Courtenay/Comox/Powell 950314500

Okanagan Skeena Group Limited Kitimat 950432500
Prince Rupert 950433300
Terrace 950436600