 The USA Network, a popular American cable television network with over90 million household subscribers in the United States, cannot be shownin this country according to a ruling today by the federal regulator.
In January, the commission had received a request by ShawCommunications for the addition of the network on Shaw Cable but therequest was turned down after the CRTC received complaints from CanWestMediaWorks, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), TSN,Allarco Entertainment, and others various Canadian media unions.
The request to have the USA Network available for Canadians was supported by individual Canadian consumers, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), Rogers Cable Communications Inc. and the Bell Video Group which includes Bell ExpressVu.
The USA network shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies. USA also shows some sports coverage, such as select golf tournaments, the U.S. Open (tennis), and annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Since 2004, they have broadcast portions of the Olympic Games, along with many other NBC Universal basic cable channels.
The commission refused Shaw Communications request to carry USA Network into Canada because it had too much programming that overlapped with Mystery TV Canada. Mystery TV is an English language digital cable specialty channel that is owned by CanWest MediaWorks Inc. and Groupe TVA.
In essence, the CRTC ruled against a popular network that could hold interest for 30 million Canadians because it might reduce viewership on a digital channel with limited viewership and whose schedule is comprised almost solely of Amercian television shows such as Las Vegas, Bones, House, Law & Order Special Victims Unit, Law & Order Criminal Intent, and Numb3rs.
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