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| Type | Broadcasttelevision network |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | Canada parts of the northern United States via cable or antenna |
| Affiliates | List of member stations |
| Headquarters | Canadian Broadcasting Centre,Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | HDTV720p |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Key people | Barbara Williams, executive vice president, CBC English-language services |
| History | |
| Launched | September 6, 1952; 72 years ago (1952-09-06) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| CBC Gem | Over-the-top TV |
| RiverTV | Over-the-top TV |
| Amazon Prime Video | Over-the-top TV |
CBC Television (also known asCBC TV, or simplyCBC)[1][2] is aCanadian English-languagebroadcast television network owned by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation, the nationalpublic broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952, with its main studios at theCanadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. Its French-language counterpart isIci Radio-Canada Télé.
CBC Television is available throughout Canada on over-the-air television stations in urban centres, and as amust-carry station on cable and satellite television providers, and live streamed on its CBC Gem video platform.[3]
CBC Television provides a complete 24-hour network schedule of news, sports, entertainment, and children's programming; in most cases, it feeds the same programming at the exact local times nationwide, except to theNewfoundland Time Zone, where programs air 30 minutes "late".
On October 9, 2006, at 6:00 a.m., the network switched to a 24-hour schedule, becoming one of the last major English-language broadcasters to transition to such a schedule. Most CBC-owned stations previouslysigned off the air during the early morning hours (typically from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.).
Instead of theinfomercials aired by most private stations, or a simulcast ofCBC News Network in the style ofBBC One's nightly simulcast ofBBC News Channel, the CBC uses the time to air repeats, including local news, primetime series, films and other programming from the CBC library.[4]
Its French counterpart,ICI Radio-Canada Télé, which continued to sign off every night for some years, now broadcasts a simulcast of its sister news networkIci RDI after regular programming ends for the night until the next programming day begins.
While historically there has been room for regional differences in the schedule, as there is today (see "Stations", below), for CBC-owned stations, funding has decreased to the point that most of these stations no longer broadcast any significant local programming beyond local newscasts and an edition of the summer regional documentary seriesAbsolutely Canadian.[5]
Until 1998, the network carried a variety of American programs in addition to its core Canadian programming, directly competing with private Canadian broadcasters such asCTV andGlobal. Since then, it has restricted itself to Canadian programs, a handful of British programs, and a few American films and off-network repeats. Since this change, the CBC has sometimes struggled to maintain ratings comparable to those it achieved before 1995, although it has seen somewhat of a ratings resurgence in recent years. In the 2007–08 season, popular series such asLittle Mosque on the Prairie andThe Border helped the network achieve its strongest ratings performance in over half a decade.[6]
In 2002, CBC Television andCBC News Network became the first broadcasters in Canada that are required to provideclosed captioning for all of their programming. On those networks, only outside commercials need not be captioned, though most of them are aired with captions. All shows, bumpers, billboards,promos and other internal programming must be captioned. The requirement stems from a human rights complaint filed by deaf lawyer Henry Vlug,[7] which was settled in 2002.[8]
The CBC's flagship newscast,The National, airs Sunday through Fridays at 10:00 p.m. local time (except inNewfoundland, where it airs at 10:30 p.m.) and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. EST. Until October 2006, CBCowned-and-operated stations aired a second broadcast of the program at 11:00 p.m.; This later broadcast included only the main news portion of the program, and excluded the analysis and documentary segment. This second airing was later replaced with other programming, and as of the 2012-13 television season, was replaced on CBC's major market stations by a half-hour late newscast. There is also a short news update, at most, on late Saturday evenings. During hockey season, this update is usually found during the first intermission of the second game of the doubleheader onHockey Night in Canada.
The show also simultaneously broadcastsrolling coverage from CBC News Network from noon to 1 p.m. local time in most time zones (also from 6 to 7 a.m. in regions where a localCBC Radio One morning show is not simulcast instead).
In addition to the mentioned late local newscasts, CBC stations in most markets fill early evenings withlocal news programs, generally from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., while most stations also air a single local newscast on weekend evenings (comprising a supper hour broadcast on Saturdays and a late evening newscast on Sundays). Weekly newsmagazineThe Fifth Estate is also a CBC mainstay, as are documentary series such asDoc Zone.
One of the most popular shows on CBC Television is the weekly Saturday night broadcast ofNHLhockey games,Hockey Night in Canada. It has been televised by the network since 1952. During the NHL lock-out and subsequent cancellation of the 2004–05 hockey season, the CBC instead aired various recent and classic films, branded asMovie Night in Canada, on Saturday nights. Many cultural groups criticized this and suggested the CBC air games from minor hockey leagues; the CBC responded that most such broadcast rights were already held by other groups, but it did base eachMovie Night broadcast from a different Canadian hockey venue. Other than hockey,CBC Sports properties includedToronto Raptors basketball,Toronto FC soccer,[9] and various other amateur and professional events.
The telecast of theOlympics including the Summer and Winter Olympic Games on Canadian television on CBC's broadcast started in 1956. It has the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games until 2024.[10]
It was also the exclusive carrier ofCanadian Curling Association events during the 2004–05 season. Due to disappointing results and fan outrage over many draws being carried on CBC Country Canada (now calledCottage Life), the association tried to cancel its multiyear deal with the CBC signed in 2004. After the CBC threatened legal action, both sides eventually came to an agreement under which early-round rights reverted toTSN. On June 15, 2006, the CCA announced that TSN would obtain exclusive rights to curling broadcasts in Canada as of the 2008–09 season,[11] shutting the CBC out of the championship weekend for the first time in 40-plus years.
CBC Sports suffered another major blow when it was announced that after the 2007 season, theCFL regular season games and theGrey Cup would be moving to TSN, ending the CBC's tenure with the CFL. It has been stated that the CFL was not happy with the CBC's lacklustre production during the CBC's 2005 union lock-out, which forced the network to use CBC management to work the behind-the-scenes telecast and use stadium public address announcers in place of their regular announcer crew.[12]
On June 23, 2007, the network aired the first game in a two-year deal to broadcastToronto Blue Jays games;[13] the contract ended at the end of the 2008 season, and was not renewed.
In August 2007, it was also announced that the CBC would broadcastNational Basketball Association games involving theToronto Raptors, starting with the2007–08 NBA season, through at least 2009–10; the CBC would carry 10 games for the 2007–08 and 20 games for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons.[14]
In November 2013, the CBC lost its rights to the NHL toRogers Communications, under a 12-year deal beginning in the2014–15 NHL season. The CBC concurrently announced a sub-licensing agreement with Rogers, under which it would supplySportsnet-producedHockey Night in Canada broadcasts to CBC Television at no charge; all advertising during the broadcasts would be sold by Rogers, but the CBC would be provided with advertising time for its own programs.[15] Officially, the broadcasts are carried by aCRTC-licensed part-time network operated by Rogers and affiliated with all CBC Television stations. This was required to formally assign responsibility for the broadcasts to Rogers; on-air, the telecasts otherwise use CBC branding and continuity.[16]
As a result of funding reductions from the federal government and decreased revenues, in April 2014, the CBC announced it would no longer bid for professional sport broadcasting rights.[17]
Among CBC Television's best-known primetime series are comedy seriesRick Mercer Report (2004–18),This Hour Has 22 Minutes (since 1993) andLittle Mosque on the Prairie (2007–12), and dramas such asThe Tudors (2007–10),Heartland (since 2007) andIntelligence (2006–07). In recent years, British series such asCoronation Street andDoctor Who have been given greater prominence. As noted above, it now carries very little American programming apart from some syndicated daytime shows.
In 2006, the CBC announced radical changes to its primetime line-up, including the following new series to premiere that fall:
Many were surprised by these changes to the CBC schedule, which were apparently intended to attract a younger audience to the network; some suggested they might alienate the core CBC viewership. Another note of criticism was made when the network decided to moveThe National in some time zones to simulcast the American version ofThe One over the summer. This later became a moot point, asThe One was taken off the air after two weeks after extremely low American and Canadian ratings, and the newscast resumed its regular schedule.
In 2006, daytime programming was also revamped. While there were still repeats of CBC and foreign series, new talk shows such asThe Gill Deacon Show (2006–07) and the regional franchiseLiving (2007–09) were aired.The Gill Deacon Show was cancelled after just seven months, and replaced with another talk show,Steven and Chris from 2008 to 2015 (Steven and Chris is also shown on theLive Well Network in the United States);Living was cancelled in August 2009.
On January 9, 2007, the CBC began airing a highly publicized new series calledLittle Mosque on the Prairie (2007–12), a comedy about aMuslim family living in ruralSaskatchewan. The series garnered strong ratings as well as international media attention, for most of its five-year run. It was also announced that Martha Stewart's daytime show would be added to the CBC daytime line-up, with the nighttimeWheel of Fortune andJeopardy! following in September 2008 (with a few edits to limit the amount of U.S. advertising).[18]
In January 2008, CBC Television launched the drama seriesThe Border (2008–10),MVP (2008) andjPod (2008), the reality seriesThe Week The Women Went (2008–09) and the comedySophie from 2008 to 2009. OnlyThe Border andSophie were renewed for a second season in the fall of 2008. The new seriesBeing Erica (2009–10) and the short-livedWild Roses (2009) began airing in January 2009.
Beginning in 2005, the CBC has contributed production funds for theBBC Wales revival ofDoctor Who, for which it received a special credit at the end of each episode. This arrangement continued until the end of fourth season, broadcast in 2008. The CBC similarly contributed to the first season of the spin-off series,Torchwood.[19] More recently, the network has also begun picking up Canadian rights to some Australian series, including the drama seriesJanet King[20] andLove Child,[21] and the comedy-drama seriesPlease Like Me.[21]
In 2015, CBC Television premieredDan andEugene Levy's sitcomSchitt's Creek; the series began to achieve critical acclaim after it was acquired by the streaming serviceNetflix, and swept all seven comedy awards at the72nd Primetime Emmy Awards—becoming the first comedy or drama to sweep all seven major awards in their respective genre at the ceremony.[22][23][24]
CBC Gem is CBC Television'sover-the-top streaming platform; it launched in 2018, replacing the existing CBC TV app. The service carries live and on-demand programming from CBC Television, CBC News, andCBC Sports, as well as short- and long-form original programming and acquisitions (including films and television series).
The service is available infree ad-supported and premium versions, with the latter including advertising-free video on-demand, access to CBC News Network, and access to premium content that is exclusive to subscribers.[25][26][27]
At launch, the CBC announced plans to add at least 50 Canadian films to Gem per-year, and announced a partnership withTelefilm Canada to stream a selection of featured Canadian films on the service ad-free for all users.[26]
Children's programming, often marketed as "CBC Kids" and "The Outlet", occupies most of the morning hours on weekdays and much of weekend mornings.
On March 5, 2005, CBC Television launched ahigh definition simulcast of its Toronto (CBLT-DT) and Montreal (CBMT-DT) stations. Since that time, the network has also launched HD simulcasts in Vancouver (CBUT-DT), Ottawa (CBOT-DT), Edmonton (CBXT-DT), Calgary (CBRT-DT), Halifax (CBHT-DT), Windsor, (CBET-DT), Winnipeg (CBWT-DT), and St. John's (CBNT-DT).
| City | Station | OTA digital channel (virtual channel) | Digital OTA launch date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary, Alberta | CBRT-DT | 21 (9.1) | April 1, 2011[28] |
| Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | CBCT-DT | 13 (13.1) | August 31, 2011[29] |
| Edmonton, Alberta | CBXT-DT | 42 (5.1) | April 1, 2011[30] |
| Fredericton, New Brunswick | CBAT-DT | 31 (4.1) | August 31, 2011[29] |
| Halifax, Nova Scotia | CBHT-DT | 39 (3.1) | August 31, 2011[31] |
| Montreal, Quebec | CBMT-DT | 20 (6.1) | February 21, 2005[32] |
| Ottawa, Ontario | CBOT-DT | 25 (4.1) | September 13, 2006[33] |
| Regina, Saskatchewan | CBKT-DT | 9 (9.1) | August 31, 2011[29] |
| St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | CBNT-DT | 8 (8.1) | August 31, 2011[34] |
| Toronto, Ontario | CBLT-DT | 20 (5.1) | March 5, 2005[35] |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | CBUT-DT | 43 (2.1) | January 9, 2006[36] |
| Windsor, Ontario | CBET-DT | 9 (9.1) | August 31, 2011[37] |
| Winnipeg, Manitoba | CBWT-DT | 27 (6.1) | December 9, 2011[38] |
| Yellowknife, Northwest Territories | CFYK-DT | 8 (8.1) | August 1, 2012[29] |
All HD channels map to their analogue positions via the North AmericanPSIPvirtual channeling standard.
In fall 2007, the CBC upgraded its Toronto facilities, becoming the second fully HD news broadcaster in Canada.The National and all its news programs originating from the same news studio in Toronto (includingCBC News: Sunday Night) are now available in HD.
On September 1, 2011, as part of theanalogue television shutoff and digital conversion, all CBC over-the-air HD broadcasts switched from the1080i to720p resolution format.[39]
In August 2012, after the CBC shut down all of their remaining analogue transmitters, CBC television (as well asCBC News Network) began broadcasting all programming solely in the16:9 aspect ratio and beganletterboxing its widescreen feed for standard definition viewers just asIci Radio-Canada Télé has done since September 2007.
All CBC television stations, including those in major cities, are owned and operated by the CBC itself, with theirmaster control facilities all located at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. CBCowned-and-operated (O&O) stations operate as a mostly seamless national service with few deviations from the main network schedule, although there are some regional differences from time to time. For on-air identification, most CBC stations use the CBC brand rather than their call letters, not identifying themselves specifically until sign-on or sign-off (though some, like Toronto'sCBLT, do not ID themselves at all except throughPSIP). All CBC O&O stations have a standard call letter naming convention, in that the first two letters are "CB" (anITU prefix in the CA-CE block allocated not to Canada (whose block is CF-CK), but to Chile) and the last letter is "T". Only the third letter varies from market to market; however, that letter is typically the same as the third letter of theCBC Radio One andCBC Radio 2 stations in the same market. An exception to this rule are theCBC North stations inYellowknife,Whitehorse andIqaluit, whose call signs begin with "CF" due to their historic association with the CBC's Frontier Coverage Package prior to the advent of microwave and satellite broadcasting.[citation needed]
Some stations that broadcast from smaller cities were privateaffiliates of the CBC, that is, stations which are owned by commercial broadcasters but predominantly incorporated CBC programming within their schedules. Such stationsgenerally followed the CBC schedule, airing a minimum 40 hours per week of network programming. However, they often chose to opt out of some CBC programming in order to air locally produced programs, syndicated series or programs purchased from other broadcasters, such asCTV Two, which do not have a broadcast outlet in the same market. In these cases, the CBC programming being displaced may have been broadcast at a different time than the network, or were not broadcast on the station at all. Most private affiliates generally opted out of CBC's afternoon schedule and Thursday night arts programming. Private affiliates carried the 10 p.m. broadcast ofThe National as a core part of the CBC schedule, but generally omitted the 11 p.m. repeat (which is no longer broadcast). Most private affiliates produce their own local newscasts for a duration of at least 35 minutes. Some of the private affiliates later began adding CBC's overnight programming to their schedules since the network began broadcasting 24 hours a day in October 2006.[citation needed]
Following the disaffiliation of the last privately owned CBC affiliateCKSA-DT inLloydminster on August 31, 2016, no more private stations operate as CBC affiliates, as many such stations have been purchased either by the CBC itself or byCanwest Global orCHUM Limited, respectively becomingE! (a small system owned by Canwest, but separate from its fully nationalGlobal Television Network) or A-Channel (later A, nowCTV Two) stations. One private CBC affiliate,CHBC-TV inKelowna, joined E! (then known as CH) on February 27, 2006. When a private CBC affiliate reaffiliated with another network, the CBC normally added a retransmitter of its nearest O&O station to ensure that CBC service is continued. However, due to an agreement between CHBC andCFJC-TV inKamloops, CFJC also disaffiliated from the CBC on February 27, 2006, but no retransmitters were installed in the licence area. Former private CBC affiliatesCKPG-TVPrince George andCHAT-TVMedicine Hat disaffiliated on August 31, 2008, and joined E!, but the CBC announced it would not add new retransmitters to these areas. Incidentally, CFJC, CKPG and CHAT are all owned by an independent media company,Jim Pattison Group. With the closure of E! and other changes in the media landscape, several former CBC affiliates subsequently joined CTV,Citytv or Global, or closed altogether.[citation needed]
According to filings to theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) by Thunder Bay Electronics (owner of CBC'sThunder Bay affiliateCKPR-DT)[40] and Bell Media (owner of CBC affiliatesCFTK-TV in Terrace andCJDC-TV in Dawson Creek),[citation needed] the CBC informed them that it would not extend its association with any of its private affiliates beyond August 31, 2011. Incidentally, that was also the date foranalogue to digital transition in Canada. Given recent practice and the CBC's decision not to convert any retransmitters to digital, even in markets with populations in the hundreds in thousands, it was not expected that the CBC would open new transmitters to replace its affiliates, and indeed pared back its existing transmitter network to just its digital transmitters in July 2012. However, in March 2011, CKPR announced that it had come to a programming agreement with the CBC, in which the station would continue to provide CBC programming in Thunder Bay for a period of five years.[41]
On March 16, 2012, Astral Media announced the sale of its assets toBell Media, owners ofCTV andCTV Two, for $3.38 billion with CFTK and CJDC included in the acquisition.[42] Both stations subsequently became CTV Two stations.
CBC television stations inNunavut, theNorthwest Territories andYukon, branded asCBC North, tailor their programming mostly to the local native population, and broadcast in many native languages such asInuktitut,Gwichʼin andDene.[citation needed]
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From 1994 through July 2005, CBC Television's news programming was aired in the United States onNewsworld International.
On September 11, 2001, several American broadcasters without their own news operations, includingC-SPAN andHome Shopping Network, carried the CBC's coverage of theterror attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.[43] In the days after September 11, C-SPAN carried CBC's nightly newscast,The National, anchored byPeter Mansbridge.[44]
C-SPAN has also carried CBC's coverage of major events affecting Canadians. Among them:
SeveralPBS stations also air some CBC programs, especiallyThe Red Green Show, although no CBC programming currently airs on the full network schedule.
For a number of years CBC co-produced a news programme,Hemispheres, with Australia's national broadcaster, theABC; the program was hosted from Sydney andVancouver and included reports from both networks' foreign correspondents. It was broadcast in both Canada and Australia and across Asia and the Pacific on theAustralia Network.
CBC Television stations can be receivedover-the-air or throughcable in many American communities along the Canada–United States border, and have a significant audience in those areas.
CBC's sports coverage has also attained high viewership in border markets, including its coverage of the NHL'sStanley Cup Playoffs, which was generally considered to be more complete and consistent than coverage by other networks such asNBC. Its coverage of theOlympic Games also found a significant audience in border regions, primarily due to the fact that CBC aired more events live thanNBC's coverage, which had been criticized in recent years fortape delaying events to air in primetime, even if the event is being held in amarket in the Pacific Time Zone during primetime hours on the East (where it would still be delayed for West Coast primetime).[45]
The CRTC ordered that in 28 "mandatory markets," full power over-the-air analogue television transmitters had to cease transmitting by August 31, 2011. Broadcasters could either continue serving those markets by transitioning analogue transmitters to digital or cease broadcasting over-the-air. Cable, IPTV, and satellite services are not involved or affected by this digital transition deadline.[citation needed]
While its fellow Canadian broadcasters converted most of their transmitters to digital by theCanadian digital television transition deadline of August 31, 2011, the CBC converted only about half of the analogue transmitters in mandatory areas to digital (15 of 28 markets with CBC Television stations, and 14 of 28 markets with Télévision de Radio-Canada stations). Due to financial difficulties reported by the corporation, the corporation published digital transition plans for none of its analogue retransmitters in mandatory markets to be converted to digital by the deadline. Under this plan, communities that receive analogue signals by rebroadcast transmitters in mandatory markets would lose their over-the-air signals as of the deadline. Rebroadcast transmitters account for 23 of the 48 CBC and Radio-Canada transmitters in mandatory markets. Mandatory markets losing both CBC and Radio-Canada over-the-air signals includeLondon, Ontario (metropolitan area population 457,000) andSaskatoon, Saskatchewan (metro area population 257,000). In both of those markets, the corporation's television transmitters are the only ones that were not planned to be converted to digital by the deadline.[citation needed]
Because rebroadcast transmitters were not planned to be converted to digital, many markets stood to lose over-the-air coverage from CBC or Radio-Canada, or both. As a result, only seven of the markets subject to the August 31, 2011, transition deadline were planned to have both CBC and Radio-Canada in digital, and 13 other markets were planned to have either CBC or Radio-Canada in digital. In mid-August 2011, the CRTC granted the CBC an extension, until August 31, 2012, to continue operating its analogue transmitters in markets subject to the August 31, 2011, transition deadline. This CRTC decision prevented many markets subject to the transition deadline from losing signals for the CBC or Radio-Canada, or both at the transition deadline. At the transition deadline,Barrie, Ontario lost both CBC and Radio-Canada signals as the CBC did not request that the CRTC allow these transmitters to continue operating.[citation needed]
In markets where a digital transmitter was installed, existing coverage areas were not necessarily maintained. For instance, the CBC implemented a digital transmitter coveringFredericton, New Brunswick in the place of the existing transmitter coveringSaint John, New Brunswick and Fredericton, and decided to maintain analogue service to Saint John. According to CBC's application for this transmitter to the CRTC, the population served by the digital transmitter would be 113,930 people versus 303,465 served by the existing analogue transmitter. InVictoria, the replacement of the Vancouver analogue transmitters with digital ones only allowed only some northeastern parts of the metropolitan area (total population 330,000) to receive either CBC or Radio-Canada.
CBC announced on April 4, 2012, that it will shut down all of its approximately 620 analogue television transmitters on July 31, 2012[46] with no plans to install digital transmitters in their place, thus reducing the total number of the corporation's television transmitters across the country down to 27. According to the CBC, this would reduce the corporation's yearly costs by $10 million. No plans have been announced to use subchannels to maintain over-the-air signals for both CBC and Radio-Canada in markets where the corporation has one digital transmitter. In fact, in its CRTC application to shut down all of its analogue television transmitters, the CBC communicated its opposition to use of subchannels, citing costs, amongst other reasons.[citation needed]
The CBC had stated that the "useful life of CBC/Radio-Canada's satellite distribution backbone for analogue transmission ends in 2013" and that it "will not reinvest in that infrastructure given the inevitability of analogue obsolescence."[47]
Despite the shutdown of the rebroadcasters, few viewers actually lost access to CBC programming due to the very high penetration of cable and satellite, which is all but essential for acceptable television in much of Canada (particularly rural areas).[citation needed]
| CBC Television (English language) | Ici Radio-Canada Télé (French language) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province | Market | Analog | Digital | Analog | Digital |
| AB | Calgary | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| AB | Edmonton | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AB | Lethbridge | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| AB / SK | Lloydminster | Yes (affiliate) | 2011-2016: Yes (affiliate) Since 2016:No1 | No1 | No1 |
| BC | Vancouver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BC | Victoria | Yes (Vancouver transmitter) | Sidney/Saanich only (Vancouver transmitter) | Sidney/Saanich only (Vancouver transmitter) | Sidney/Saanich only (Vancouver transmitter) |
| MB | Winnipeg | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NB | Fredericton | Yes (Saint John transmitter) | Yes | Yes | No |
| NB | Moncton | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| NB | Saint John | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| NL | St. John's | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| NS | Halifax | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ON | Kitchener | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| ON | London | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| ON | Ottawa/Gatineau, QC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ON | Thunder Bay | Yes (affiliate) | 2011-2014: Yes (affiliate) Since 2014:No2 | Yes | No |
| ON | Toronto | Yes3 | Yes3 | Yes | Yes |
| ON | Windsor | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| PE | Charlottetown | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| QC | Montreal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| QC | Quebec City | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| QC | Rivière-du-Loup | No4 | No4 | Yes (affiliate) | 2011 to 2021: Yes (affiliate) Since 2021:No4 |
| QC | Rouyn-Noranda/Val-d'Or | Yes (Kearns, ON andMalartic, QC transmitters) | No | Yes (affiliate) | 2011 to 2018: Yes (affiliate) Since 2018:No5 |
| QC | Saguenay | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| QC | Sherbrooke | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| QC | Trois-Rivières | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| SK | Regina | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SK | Saskatoon | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Total | 27 markets | 26 yes, 1 no | 14 yes, 12 no, 1 partially | 26 yes, 1 no | 13 yes, 13 no, 1 partially |
In addition to the above noted digital transmitters, the non-mandatory market Radio-Canada transmitter inRimouski, Quebec,CJBR-DT, was transitioned to digital on August 31, 2012. The non-mandatory market CBCYellowknife transmitter,CFYK-DT, was transitioned to digital on July 31, 2012. Of the non-mandatory affiliates,CKWS-DTKingston andCHEX-DTPeterborough, Ontario converted in 2013, whileCFTK-TVTerrace andCJDC-TVDawson Creek, British Columbia has yet to convert; these stations has since changed its affiliations to other networks.
1 Lloydminster's CBC affiliate,CKSA-DT, disaffiliated with the network in September 2016, changing to an affiliate ofGlobal. CBXT Edmonton and/or CBKT Regina now serves the region via cable and satellite. Radio-Canada never had a transmitter serving the Lloydminster area.
2 Thunder Bay's CBC affiliate,CKPR-DT, disaffiliated with the network in September 2014, changing to an affiliate ofCTV. CBLT now serves the city via cable and satellite.
3 TheGreater Toronto Area was served by CBC Television flagship CBLT, while theDurham Region was served by an affiliate,CHEX-TV-2. CHEX-TV-2 would not be required to convert to digital until 2019.[48] CHEX-TV-2 would drop CBC programming in exchange for CTV in 2015; it since became a Global outlet for the Durham Region in 2018.
4 The Radio-Canada affiliate serving Rivière-du-Loup,CKRT-DT, ceased operations on August 31, 2021, after Radio-Canada declined to renew CKRT's affiliation, with no sufficient alternate sources available. Radio-Canada programming has since become available in the region only by cable and satellite, with CJBR-TV Rimouski seen on many cable systems. CBC Television never had a transmitter serving the Rivière-du-Loup area.
5 The Radio-Canada affiliate serving Rouyn-Noranda/Val-d'Or,CKRN-DT, ceased operations on March 25, 2018. Radio-Canada programming has since become available in the region only by cable and satellite, with CBFT Montreal seen on many cable systems. CBC Television was provided by two different repeaters: CBVD-TV channel 5Malartic (repeating CBMT Montreal, serving Val-d'Or) and CFCL-TV-2 / CBLT-8 channel 2 inKearns, Ontario (repeatingCFCL-TVTimmins, later CBLT Toronto, serving Rouyn-Noranda); these repeaters would close with the rest of the repeater network in 2012.
In 2006, the CBC submitted a plan to the CRTC fortransitioning the over-the-air television signals from analogue to digital. In this submission, the CBC stated that its 654 analogue transmitters reached 98% of the population, and that it planned on installing 44 digital transmitters, reaching 80% of Canadians.[49]
The CRTC decided to impose a mandatory transition date switching over-the-air television signals from analogue to digital, following consultation with CBC and the public. The CBC had requested during this consultation that broadcasters be given four years to transition. Following the consultation, on May 17, 2007, the CRTC imposed a transition timeline of four years, resulting in a transition deadline of August 31, 2011, and requiring that over-the-air analogue transmitters be shut off by that date.
On July 6, 2009, the CRTC limited the August 31, 2011transition deadline to certain mandatory markets, greatly reducing the number of transmitters needing to be transitioned. In CBC's 2009–2010 Corporate Plan, the corporation stated that it planned on having 30 transmitters broadcasting in digital by the deadline, costing $30 million.
On August 6, 2010, the CBC issued a press release stating that due to financial reasons, the CBC and Radio-Canada would only transition 27 transmitters total, one in each market where there was an originating station (i.e. a CBC or Radio-Canada television station located in that market). Further, the CBC stated in the release, that only 15 of the transmitters would be in place by August 31, 2011, due to lack of available funds, and that the remainder would not be on the air until as late as August 31, 2012.[50] Additionally, the CBC stated in the release that it was asking the CRTC for permission to continue broadcasting in analogue until the identified transmitters for transition were up and running. At the time of the press release, only eight of the corporation's transmitters (four CBC and four Radio Canada) were broadcasting in digital.
On November 30, 2010, the CBC's senior director of regulatory affairs issued a letter to the CRTC regarding CBC's plans for transitioning to digital. The letter states, "CBC/Radio-Canada will not be converting its analogue retransmitters in mandatory markets to digital after August 31, 2011."[51] On December 16, 2010, some months after the CRTC issued a bulletin reminding broadcasters that analogue transmitters had to be shut off by the deadline in mandatory markets, the CBC revised the documents accompanying its August 6, 2010, news release to state that it had the money for and is striving to transition all 27 transmitters by August 31, 2011.
On March 23, 2011, the CRTC rejected an application by the CBC to install a digital transmitter serving Fredericton, New Brunswick in place of the analogue transmitter serving Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick, which would have served only 62.5% of the population served by the existing analogue transmitter.[52] The CBC issued a press release stating "CBC/Radio-Canada intends to re-file its application with the CRTC to provide more detailed cost estimates that will allow the Commission to better understand the unfeasibility of replicating the Corporation's current analogue coverage."[53] The press release further added that the CBC suggests coverage could be maintained if the CRTC were to "allow CBC Television to continue providing the analogue service it offers today – much in the same way the Commission permitted recently in the case ofYellowknife,Whitehorse andIqaluit."
On March 29, 2011, the CRTC added the following condition of licence to over-the-air stations owned by CBC: "Unless otherwise authorized by the Commission, the licensee shall not transmit analogue television signals after 31 August 2011 in mandatory markets designated as such by the Commission in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-184 or transmit television signals on channels 52 to 69".[54]
On August 18, 2011, the CRTC issued a decision that allows CBC's mandatory market rebroadcasting transmitters in analogue to remain on-air until August 31, 2012.[55] Before that deadline, the CBC's licence renewal process would take place and CBC's digital transition plans would be examined as part of that process. The requirement remains for all of CBC's full-power transmitters occupying channels 52 to 69 to either relocate to channels 2 to 51 or become low-power transmitters. In some cases, the CBC has opted to reduce the power of existing transmitters to low-power transmitters, which will result in signal loss for some viewers.
On April 4, 2012, the CBC released its budget plans, in which it announced that all of its approximately 620 analogue television transmitters would be shut down on July 31, 2012, which was earlier than planned, due to funding reductions from the federal government.[46][56][57]
On July 17, 2012, the CRTC approved the shut down of CBC's analogue transmitters, noting that "while the Commission has the discretion to refuse to revoke broadcasting licences, even on application from a licensee, it cannot direct the CBC or any other broadcaster to continue to operate its stations and transmitters."[58] On July 31, 2012, at around 11:59 p.m. in each time zone, the remaining 620 analogue transmitters were shut down, leaving the network with 27 digital television transmitters across the country, and some transmitters operated by some affiliated stations.
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