Mandatory basic TV packages

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Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:29 pm

The major cable television providers in this area, Telus and Shaw, must provide a basic TV service subscription for $25 by the end of March. Or is it the beginning of March. I've seen both quoted in articles.

There has been much speculation about what such a plan must include but to my knowledge neither company has yet tipped its hand.

Let the speculation begin. Here's a start as to what I expect will be included.

CBC - CBUT
CHEK
Global CHAN
CTV 9
CBC Newsworld
CTV Newsnet
APTN
KNOW

One or more of KOMO, KING, KIRO

PBS KCTS

I know that there are others but don't have them at hand.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Sun Feb 14, 2016 1:05 pm

Mandatory $25/month basic cable TV subscriptions coming to Canada in 2 weeks. You wouldn't know it though from Telus or Shaw posts. #lowkey

This post has generated no interest here, at least not in terms of replies. It would be interesting to know if anyone here is actually planning to ditch a full-service package with Telus or Shaw in favour of the $25 plan. Unfortunately the companies are keeping their cards close to their vests. As far as I know neither major player here in BC has published details of its basic package. Technically they don't have to do anything until March 1.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby Aaron » Sun Feb 14, 2016 2:35 pm

It's toothless regulation from a feckless regulator. Public takeup on this initiative will be close to zero.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby jon » Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:18 pm

I can see this helping pensioners on fixed incomes who are still interested in Evening News on local television.

From what I've seen locally, Shaw has been really targeting those with their low-end cable service. My in-laws, for example, recently upgraded to an HDTV box and some HDTV channels at very little additional cost.

The timing would indicate Shaw's realization that the new $25 offering could see many in their lowest tier switch to the $25 plan as soon as it is available, making it important to catch them now while they are still willing to pay the higher price they are currently paying.

I'm not sure what TELUS is up to, as they have been concentrating on their new Fibre plan in areas that have or will soon have Fibre to their homes.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:59 pm

kal - my wife & I are planning to ditch the full-service Shaw crap that we pay $83/month for & revert to the $25 basic service. Here in the rural Goofy Islands, satelite or Shaw Cable is all that's available. There is no Telus Optik service here nor any other TV from the telecomm corpse. Other than news, the little TV I watch is usually available throughout the networks websites for a week. Otherwise, Youtube is a main source of entertainment for both us & we have a Chromecast device to put our laptops onto the big-screen TV to view our web browsers, computer files etc. My wife is the only one actually watching OTA/cable channels in the evenings any more in our house. Aaron may well be correct that this is a non-starter, non-event, but it's about time the CRTC actually attempted something for us consumers instead of letting the bigass 4 run rampant with our wallets.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:22 pm

It's difficult to judge how this is going to shake out. I've notice a fair bit of interest when I tell people this plan is nearly upon us. Clearly the companies aren't going to promote it. There are some who talk of using an antenna but let's face it that is going to be a fairly small segment of the market. In the Vancouver area you can pick up half a dozen or so stations with a piece of wire, perhaps a few more with a directional antenna on the roof. I think the Seattle stations are beyond reach. There is a PBS transmitter in Anacortes that some pick up here in the lower mainland.

As for Telus fibre, don't count on any gigabit feed any time soon. We need Google here to give us that sort of performance. Telus fibre is pretty much maxxed out at 150 Mbps or so for the foreseeable future.

Remember though, if you are on a Shaw plan, if you make any change whatsoever you lose any grandfathered features ... in my case for instance I'd lose my 25 Mbps Internet speed (for which I often get 30 or so) and my fee would go up.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby xwdcatvb » Sun Feb 14, 2016 10:06 pm

kal wrote:Mandatory $25/month basic cable TV subscriptions coming to Canada in 2 weeks. You wouldn't know it though from Telus or Shaw posts. #lowkey

This post has generated no interest here, at least not in terms of replies. It would be interesting to know if anyone here is actually planning to ditch a full-service package with Telus or Shaw in favour of the $25 plan.


My Optik 'Essentials' in a bundle is $30 plus GST, and there's been no word on how the channel lineup will differ under the mandatory offering. They'll probably hold me to the remaining two years of the contract should I want to downgrade anyway.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:49 am

What does "Optik Essentials" contain and is that price tied to any other components (e.g. Internet, phone)?
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby jon » Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:25 am

Alone it is $35 a month, though you get the first 6 months for $25 if you sign a 2 year contract.

You get:
Up to 60 channels, 20 in HD
74 Stingray commercial-free music channels
Free PVR, 2 free digital box rentals plus free installation

Channels vary by area. Go here to see what you can get where you live: http://www.telus.com/en/ab/tv/new/channels/#/essentials
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:54 am

That's actually pretty good for $35. Wonder if there is an equivalent for Shaw. Now if I could get CNN and BBC in that lineup I'd be sold.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby jon » Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:15 am

Cheapest that I could find on Shaw's web site is Personal TV at $43, with an introductory offer of $29.90 for the first six months.

Again, it depends where you live, but you get up to 26 HD channels and up to 47 SD channels. They rent you the HD Box for $5 a month, then rebate you the full $5 each month "forever".

So, other than GST/HST/PST, that $43 figure appears to include everything. And no contract. With no other services. If you have Internet or anything else with Shaw, it would be cheaper.

The deal my in-laws got last summer, perhaps thanks to them having Shaw's phone service, got them a second, more basic, HD box, too.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby kal » Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:59 pm

Here's the word from Shaw just now:

"This is launching tomorrow, so we'll have all sorts of packaging info avail on Shaw.ca :) ^BE"

This in response to a post to @ShawHelp on Twitter.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby xwdcatvb » Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:17 pm

kal wrote:That's actually pretty good for $35. Wonder if there is an equivalent for Shaw. Now if I could get CNN and BBC in that lineup I'd be sold.


Well, as I said, it's bundled at $30 (with landline and 'Net), and at the time we dropped Shaw four years ago, the lineups pretty much matched: all Vancouver/Surrey off-airs, six Sea-Tacs, two Vics, Bell'ham, KNOWledge, Weather, CBC NN, YTV, and several others... all in HD if available, and all in SD anyway.

Strangely, CNN was part of Essentials then but isn't shown as such now (that I can spot) though we still receive it. The one extra grouping we have is what appears to be a grandfathered theme pack including BBC World and CBC Documentary... maybe Telus slipped CNN into that pack for us without advising. Netflix is available on subscription, but search access/navigation is p-a-i-n-f-u-l-l-y slow compared to Roku 3. National Film Board stuff is also available on demand but like Netflix eats into the data allowance.

As with Shaw basic of old, there is no PST on Essentials, but is on the Theme pack.

PVR and wi-fi modem are included in the three-year contract on basic 15MBPS download/5MBPS upload. At 1 klick from the 43- central office opposite The Boot, download speed is consistently pushing 17MBPS, which for casual 'net access is fine. There have been only two notable outages in four years, including the occasion when a construction digger severed the main fibre-optic link on Kingsway near Clark.. and a techie who didn't plug a card back in securely in the street junction box outside one day.

Take that as a recommendation from a relatively happy camper.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby Talker » Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:47 pm

Contracts? Talk about a holdover from a cellphone company. Nothing like that with Shaw, so far. I'll stay put thanks.

I checked out Telus online a couple of weeks ago and could see no advantage to signing on with them. After their basic package you pay extra for many channels which are now included free of charge (by Shaw definitely).Additionally, Super Channel and Movie Central are in 2 separate packages so you have to pay twice if you're a movie nut. They've also separated news outlets so if you're into journo you have to double or triple subscribe.

Can't see any comfort coming from the 'new' subscription models. Study the listings carefully before jumping into anything.
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Re: Mandatory basic TV packages

Postby xwdcatvb » Tue Feb 16, 2016 7:05 pm

gtbell wrote:Contracts? Talk about a holdover from a cellphone company. Nothing like that with Shaw, so far. I'll stay put thanks.

I checked out Telus online a couple of weeks ago and could see no advantage to signing on with them. After their basic package you pay extra for many channels which are now included free of charge (by Shaw definitely).Additionally, Super Channel and Movie Central are in 2 separate packages so you have to pay twice if you're a movie nut. They've also separated news outlets so if you're into journo you have to double or triple subscribe.

Can't see any comfort coming from the 'new' subscription models. Study the listings carefully before jumping into anything.


Er, so looking at my Shaw bill from FOUR years ago, my "basic service" (TV) alone was $81.90/two months, which with Optik (offering much the same) now/still gets delivered to me at $30/month? What are/is the channel offering s from Shaw "free of charge" which is a misnomer... nothing's free?

The last time I looked (admittedly a while ago as it really isn't important to my line-up), all channels extra to 'Essentials' are available 'individually' with Telus' at a cost, thus it makes sense money-wise to grab a 'theme' to group a few.
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