The CBC signals plans to go full streaming, ending traditional TV and radio broadcasts in Canada

WrenchNinja · Feb 7, 2023

The head of the CBC says it is preparing to end traditional TV and radio broadcasts and move completely digital, as audiences shift to streaming, but the move is unlikely to happen over the next decade.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Catherine Tait, president and CEO of the CBC, said the broadcaster is eventually preparing to shift all its content to online-only "in order to remain relevant."

She said more and more Canadians are moving to streaming while the CBC is "sitting here loyally broadcasting over the airwaves."

"If we're going to be audience first we have to be digital first," she said. "We get up every day and say, 'What do our audiences want, and where are they?' And they're on digital in increasing numbers. And so if we are not there we're no longer relevant."

She also criticized the Conservatives' call to defund the CBC, calling it a "slogan," and expressed hope that Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez would scrap a Senate amendment banning the CBC from accepting sponsored content.

Ms. Tait said "the core audience for television is 55 plus, or like 65 plus, so young people and diverse newcomers to Canada … they're online."

Her comments followed the disclosure in December by Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, that Britain's public broadcaster is preparing to become an online-only service in the next decade.

Ms. Tait said in Canada the shift is unlikely to happen so soon as it requires "broadband ubiquity" to ensure that all Canadians – regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic status – have good enough internet to stream programs and films.

Ms. Tait hit back at the Conservative campaign to strip the CBC of public subsidy, saying its "defund the CBC" campaign was a tactic to solicit donations.

"They have an online fundraising campaign, which very specifically says 'We'll save you a billion dollars, please send in $20.' " In 2022, the CBC received $1.24-billion from the government – 66 per cent of CBC/Radio-Canada's funding.

She accused Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre of inciting attacks on the broadcaster, saying, "There's a lot of CBC bashing going on – somewhat stoked by the Leader of the Opposition."

CBC signals plans to go full streaming, ending traditional TV and radio broadcasts

The broadcaster is eventually preparing to shift all its content to online-only ‘in order to remain relevant’ says head of CBC

www.theglobeandmail.com

This seems kind of stupid and shortsighted.

krazen · Feb 7, 2023

Seems an odd choice for any country that has as much extensive rural areas as Canada does.

Deleted member 12129 · Feb 7, 2023

Grew up with CBC, its a staple of Canadian television and I fucking hate how the Conservatives keep trying to get rid of it.

jayu26 · Feb 7, 2023

Radio too! What the fuck?

Randomly Generated · Feb 7, 2023

Planning this a decade from now seems less ridiculous than the headline makes it sound.

WrenchNinja · Feb 7, 2023

Randomly Generated said:
Planning this a decade from now seems less ridiculous than the headline makes it sound.

I don't think internet is going to improve in Canada within 10 years knowing our telecoms.

PumpkinPieAddict · Feb 7, 2023

This is one of those things that will get pushed back until it's done. It took forever to end analogue signals, ending broadcast for something the size of CBC is probably more tough.

TBH we all knew it was downhill when they lost the Hockey Night in Canada theme song.

Frankie Williamson · Feb 7, 2023

When I was a kid all I had was CBC in the rural area I grew up in.

Fucked up they're ceasing broadcasting entirely.

AuthenticM · Feb 7, 2023

I don't know about this.

jayu26 · Feb 7, 2023

WrenchNinja said:
I don't think internet is going to improve in Canada within 10 years knowing our telecoms.

Regardless, we could have another Roger's style outage for myriad of reasons. Keeping a government funded radio station going across Canada seems like a good enough reason just for those situations.

Liam Allen-Miller · Feb 7, 2023

From what I know from friends at the CBC, radio isn't on the chopping block as imminently because of the need in rural areas. There's just not enough money on the table to keep doing everything at the level of quality expected, effectively. Doesn't help that more and more idiots want the CBC dead and gone.

Harpoon · Feb 7, 2023

Yeah, I don't know about this. I don't think most of the country is nearly ready for a full switch to streaming.

Agamon · Feb 7, 2023

To be fair, a lot rurals in Canada think the CBC is being run by the leader of the lizard people, Justin Trudeau, broadcasting evil hypnotic broadcasts trying to make the kids woke. So maybe it won't be much of a loss to them, tbh.

mightynine · Feb 7, 2023

Thread subject needs a tweak, it's not like they're turning them off any time soon

zombiejames · Feb 7, 2023

In 10 years this might be totally doable, and I'd image they wouldn't be the only ones at that point.

lunarworks · Feb 7, 2023

I understand the thinking, but broadcast is still a valuable service. I'm glad they're saying it's at least a decade off. Scary what this means for the future of Canadian culture, though.

Agamon said:
To be fair, a lot rurals in Canada think the CBC is being run by the leader of the lizard people, Justin Trudeau, broadcasting evil hypnotic broadcasts trying to make the kids woke. So maybe it won't be much of a loss to them, tbh.

All those types watch on the CBC is Hockey Night in Canada, and even that is now borrowed from Rogers and not guaranteed to air on the network in the long term. Also, no more Don Cherry. (Thank fuck.)

balohna · Feb 7, 2023

I rarely listen to the radio, but when I do I switch to CBC radio. Would suck to lose it. Can't say I watch their channel much these days, but I do use their app occasionally and can see value in growing that. But it feels odd to not tie it to their broadcast... like who's going to download a random app now if they aren't being told about it on TV?

SRG01 · Feb 7, 2023

CBC Radio is going downhill though -- there's a lot less local content, and they fill a lot of the time up with music too.

killerrin · Feb 7, 2023

Holy crap, are they finally doing it? Fucking took them long enough. I love CBC, but I've always found it pathetic how bad CBC's digital offerings have been.

Yoss · Feb 7, 2023

Planning the next decade isn't short sighted, it's the opposite.

alexlf · Feb 7, 2023

Planning a decade in advanced? It makes sense, but it still feels a bit weird to count radio out just yet. Then again, 10 years is a long time. It probably will be effectively dead by then.

Chakoo · Feb 7, 2023

WrenchNinja said:
I don't think internet is going to improve in Canada within 10 years knowing our telecoms.

I dislike and don't trust Robellus but 10 years is a long time. I live in a nearly 40 year old condo with a fiber line straight to my unit, 10 years ago this would have been fantasy land.

Pedrito · Feb 7, 2023

I'm sure it's gonna go well in Québec where people actually watch/listen to Radio Can/Première.

As for the English content, it will be even more irrelevant than it is now when it's in direct competition with Netflix/Prime/You Tube, etc.

bremon · Feb 7, 2023

CBC radio is far more valuable to me than the TV channel, and the vast majority of CBC I listen to is in podcast form. Shifting resources to address a changing landscape makes sense to me. The only money we give CBC is 2 dollars for a few months of Gem at the holidays so my father in law can watch news network ad nauseum.

Kabuki Quantum Lover · Feb 7, 2023

My gut reaction to this story was negative, but in the grand scheme of things, I can see why they would. Most of the Canadian broadcasters have some form of streaming options now.

WedgeX · Feb 7, 2023

I would not have been exposed to the CBC except that the Detroit area sits close enough to the border to get it over the airways. I guess the days of broadcast television are waning. But maybe we should be more wary of streaming, how it fractures us, and how we're getting asked to pay for things to access things that used to be free over the air.

lunarworks · Feb 7, 2023

Kabuki Quantum Lover said:
My gut reaction to this story was negative, but in the grand scheme of things, I can see why they would. Most of the Canadian broadcasters have some form of streaming options now.

CBC has a streaming platform called CBC Gem, and they have some streaming exclusives on it.

CBC Gem

gem.cbc.ca

Mr. Wonderful · Feb 7, 2023

Remember that broadcast television and radio is free with incredible range. Streaming video or audio requires paying for an Internet subscription and an excellent connection. There's a huge access and equity issue here.

I don't know the perfect solution, but the best thing that I've been able to come up with is that countries should repurpose at least part of their broadcast television and radio frequencies for public Internet. Or at least public Internet dedicated to content like the CBC, PBS, or NPR. In the US at least, the rest of the frequency could be sold off to telecoms (ew).

You'd still be losing a HUGE source of information and entertainment by getting rid of broadcast TV and radio though.

The CBC signals plans to go full streaming, ending traditional TV and radio broadcasts in Canada

WrenchNinja

CBC signals plans to go full streaming, ending traditional TV and radio broadcasts

krazen

Deleted member 12129

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jayu26

Randomly Generated

WrenchNinja

PumpkinPieAddict

Frankie Williamson

AuthenticM

Son Altesse Sérénissime

jayu26

Liam Allen-Miller

Harpoon

Agamon

mightynine

zombiejames

lunarworks

balohna

SRG01

killerrin

Yoss

alexlf

Chakoo

Pedrito

bremon

Kabuki Quantum Lover

WedgeX

lunarworks

CBC Gem

Mr. Wonderful