Communities to lose over-the-air TV
Residents in a number of Saskatchewan communities could lose their last way to watch television for free.
Bell Media is proposing to discontinue several analogue rebroadcast transmitters – standard-definition signals which can be viewed by anyone with an antenna. Communities affected include Spiritwood, Big River, Melfort, and Nipawin. CTV Yorkton’s Hudson Bay transmitter is also affected, as are several located in southern Saskatchewan.
Bell made the proposal as part of its application to renew its broadcasting licences, which are due to expire Aug. 31, 2017. In its filing to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the company said very few people watch television using an antenna anymore.
“These analog transmitters generate no incremental revenue, attract little to no viewership given the growth of BDU [cable] or DTH [direct-to-home satellite] subscriptions and are costly to maintain, repair, or replace,” Bell said in its application. “In addition, none of the highlighted transmitters offer any programming that differs from the main channels.”