Television Retransmission Tariff 2014–2018

Summary#

This Canada Gazette notice publishes the Television Retransmission Tariff, 2014-2018, certified by the Copyright Board. It sets how much companies that retransmit distant TV signals (cable, satellite, small local systems, etc.) must pay to a set of collective societies, including a flat $100 annual fee for small systems and monthly per‑premises fees for larger systems.

What it does#

• The tariff applies to retransmission of distant television signals carrying works controlled by the collective societies listed in Appendix A (for example Copyright Collective of Canada (CCC), Canadian Retransmission Collective (CRC), Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)).
• Small retransmission systems pay a flat royalty of $100 per year.
• Unscrambled Low Power Television stations (LPTV) and unscrambled multichannel multipoint distribution systems (MDS) also pay $100 per year.
• Larger retransmission systems pay monthly, per‑premises royalties. The monthly rates depend on the total number of premises served. The tariff sets the following rates:
  • Up to 1,500 premises: $0.49 (2014) and $0.55 (2015–2018) per premise per month
  • 1,501–2,000: $0.54 (2014) and $0.60 (2015–2018)
  • 2,001–2,500: $0.60 (2014) and $0.66 (2015–2018)
  • 2,501–3,000: $0.66 (2014) and $0.72 (2015–2018)
  • 3,001–3,500: $0.71 (2014) and $0.77 (2015–2018)
  • 3,501–4,000: $0.77 (2014) and $0.83 (2015–2018)
  • 4,001–4,500: $0.83 (2014) and $0.89 (2015–2018)
  • 4,501–5,000: $0.89 (2014) and $0.95 (2015–2018)
  • 5,001–5,500: $0.94 (2014) and $1.00 (2015–2018)
  • 5,501–6,000: $1.00 (2014) and $1.06 (2015–2018)
  • 6,001 and over: $1.06 (2014) and $1.12 (2015–2018)
• Discounts and special rules:
  • Francophone markets pay 50% of the normal rate (a market includes Quebec and certain named towns or any area where French mother‑tongue exceeds 50%).
  • A 95% reduction may apply for premises receiving only the TVA distant signal in some cases.
  • “Duplicate” network signals (when a local station from the same network is available locally) get reduced rates: 75% reduction for premises receiving only one such duplicate, 50% reduction for two or more; slightly different percentages apply where TVA is also involved.
  • Non‑residential discounts: rooms in hospitals and schools 75% off; hotel rooms 40% off.
• Allocation of royalty income among collectives is fixed. Examples:
  • For 2014–2015, Copyright Collective of Canada (CCC) gets 53.38%, Canadian Retransmission Collective (CRC) gets 14.85%, Canadian Broadcasters Rights Agency (CBRA) gets 13.50%, etc.
  • For 2016–2018, CCC gets 54.13%, CRC gets 16.10%, CBRA gets 10.72%, etc.
• Reporting and record rules:
  • Retransmitters must supply detailed system and subscriber information (service areas, number of premises by type, which distant signals are carried).
  • Annual data are due by January 31 for the previous year; royalty payments are due on dates specified (monthly royalties due the last day of the month following the month counted; small system annual payments due January 31 if retransmitting on December 31).
  • Records must be kept and are auditable by collectives until December 31, 2024.
• Transitional and timing items:
  • A settlement date for certain “additional royalties” is set at March 31, 2024.
  • Reallocation payments between collectives arising from allocation changes must be made by June 30, 2024.
• Interest on late payments is charged daily at a rate equal to 1% above the Bank Rate (effective on the last day of the previous month); interest does not compound.

Who's affected#

• Retransmitters: local and regional cable operators, master antenna systems, satellite direct‑to‑home providers (DTH), MDS operators, and LPTV stations — especially those that carry distant (out‑of‑area) television signals.
• Small community systems and independently run systems benefit from the flat $100 fee.
• Collective societies and rights‑holders named in Appendix A — for example Copyright Collective of Canada (CCC), Canadian Retransmission Collective (CRC), Canadian Broadcasters Rights Agency (CBRA), Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Major League Baseball Collective of Canada (MLB), and others — will receive the distributed royalties according to the tariff percentages.
• Viewers and businesses may be indirectly affected if retransmitters adjust subscription or service fees to cover royalty costs.
• If it is unclear who is affected by a particular discount or reporting obligation, the tariff spells out the detailed conditions (for example, what counts as a Francophone market or a “duplicate” signal).

Why it matters#

• Money flow: the tariff determines who gets paid when distant TV signals are carried. That affects revenue for rights‑holders and costs for retransmitters.
• Small systems and community TV operators pay a modest flat fee ($100), which reduces the financial burden on tiny operators.
• Francophone areas get a significant discount (50%), which can lower costs for predominantly French‑speaking communities.
• For larger cable and satellite companies, the per‑premise monthly fees can add up, and those costs may be passed on to customers or absorbed by operators.
• Reporting, record‑keeping and possible audits create ongoing administrative work for retransmitters.
• The tariff includes transitional and reallocation deadlines (for example March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024) that affect timing of payments between collectives. If anything in the source is unclear about how a specific company or community will be charged, the tariff text itself contains the detailed rules and definitions.