The cost of cable TV could be going up yet again, fresh on the heels of the Sept. 1 charge added to monthly cable bills (for the purpose of financing a CRTC fund supporting local programming in smaller markets). And this new fee could be much bigger that the 1.5% hike of Sept. 1.
According to an email just sent out by Rogers Communications to its customers, the CRTC is revisiting the idea of having cable providers pay Canadian TV broadcasters (CTV and Global) for carrying their signals. This carriage fee could ultimately end up costing cable and satellite TV subscribers between $5 and $10 per month! says the Rogers email. That would be an increase between 15% and 33% on basic cable service, if my calculations are right.
Rogers encourages customers to oppose the new tax by clicking on http://support.crtc.gc.ca/rapidscin/default.aspx?lang=Enand then clicking on Notice # 2009-411-3. At this point there should be a drop-down box from which you can select Comment, wherein you can leave your thoughts (I had trouble finding it).
At a certain point, one wonders if the rising cost of cable is going to causesubscribers to cancel theirsubscriptions en masse and headover to the Internet for their entertainment. I think demographic trends are going in this direction already. Asnoted in a previous post, younger persons seem to take to the Internet more than they do totelevision.Higher cable costs may make it more of a certainty.
Blogs & Comment
More hikes in cable fees coming?
By Larry MacDonald
The cost of cable TV could be going up yet again, fresh on the heels of the Sept. 1 charge added to monthly cable bills (for the purpose of financing a CRTC fund supporting local programming in smaller markets). And this new fee could be much bigger that the 1.5% hike of Sept. 1.
According to an email just sent out by Rogers Communications to its customers, the CRTC is revisiting the idea of having cable providers pay Canadian TV broadcasters (CTV and Global) for carrying their signals. This carriage fee could ultimately end up costing cable and satellite TV subscribers between $5 and $10 per month! says the Rogers email. That would be an increase between 15% and 33% on basic cable service, if my calculations are right.
Rogers encourages customers to oppose the new tax by clicking on http://support.crtc.gc.ca/rapidscin/default.aspx?lang=Enand then clicking on Notice # 2009-411-3. At this point there should be a drop-down box from which you can select Comment, wherein you can leave your thoughts (I had trouble finding it).
At a certain point, one wonders if the rising cost of cable is going to causesubscribers to cancel theirsubscriptions en masse and headover to the Internet for their entertainment. I think demographic trends are going in this direction already. Asnoted in a previous post, younger persons seem to take to the Internet more than they do totelevision.Higher cable costs may make it more of a certainty.