Outgoing Obama trade chief urges Canada to reverse Super Bowl ad decision
OTTAWA — Before handing over the White House to President Donald Trump, the Obama administration has taken one more shot at pigskin politics, urging the Trudeau government to overturn a regulation allowing Canadians to see U.S. Super Bowl ads.
The U.S. trade representative wants Canada to reverse a decision by Canada’s telecom regulator banning the so-called “simultaneous substitution” of Canadian commercials over American spots during the big — and big money — game.
U.S. Trade Ambassador Michael Froman made the request in a Jan. 13 letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ruled in 2015 to prohibit broadcasters from swapping their own signals and ads into U.S. TV channels carrying the Super Bowl.