Exemption for Still-Image TV Services

Summary#

These final regulations, SOR/2022-194, update the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to reflect a new CRTC exemption for certain still-image and low-motion TV services. They say those services are exempt if they are produced by the licensee or by members of the community served and do not carry commercial messages, with one narrow exception. The regulations came into force on September 16, 2022.

What it does#

• Replaces paragraph 30(1)(j) of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to refer to Broadcasting Order CRTC 2022-61, dated March 4, 2022, titled the Exemption order respecting still image and low-motion programming service undertakings.
• Says a still-image or low-motion programming service is covered by that exemption if:
  • it is produced by the licensee or by members of the community served by the licensee, and
  • it does not contain commercial messages, except for commercial messages that are part of the programming of a licensed radio station.
• Updates the regulations to match the CRTC’s decision to revise the earlier exemption order. The change took effect on September 16, 2022.

Who's affected#

• Small TV services that use still images or minimal motion (for example, community channels or similar niche services).
• Broadcasters and service operators (the people or companies that hold the licences and run these channels).
• Members of local communities who produce content for these channels.
• Licensed radio stations, because their on-air commercial messages may still appear if carried within a radio program on such a service.
• The general TV-watching public only indirectly — viewers may see more community-produced or low-motion channels with limited advertising.

Why it matters#

• It clarifies which low-motion or still-image services can operate under a CRTC exemption. That can reduce regulatory burden for small, community-oriented channels.
• It allows community-produced services to run without commercial ads, except for commercials embedded in a radio program that the service carries.
• The change is mostly technical: it brings the regulations into line with a recent CRTC policy decision rather than creating a broad new policy. Some details — such as how broadly “the community served” is interpreted — are matters for the CRTC and the exemption order and are not spelled out in the short regulation text.