Wide majority say fees "much too
high"
TORONTO JUNE 18th,
2014 – In
a random sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll™ among 1341
Canadians 18 years of age and older who were aware of how much they spent on
cable and satellite TV, virtually all (92%) say cable and satellite fees are
too high, and 7-in-10 use the strongest term ("much too high" - 70%).
8-in-10 want CRTC to regulate fees again
The wide majority of respondents agree the Canadian Radio
Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) should be back in the
business of regulating cable and satellite fees (79%), and 6-in-10 agree
strongly (60%).
8-in-10 want fees regulated within
inflation rate
The wide majority of respondents agree cable and satellite
fees should be regulated to stay within the inflation rate (80%), and close to
6-in-10 agree strongly (58%).
Majority disapprove of CRTC getting out
of Canadian content biz
More than half disapprove of the idea of the CRTC lowering
or dropping Canadian content quotas on TV (52%), and just one third approve
(35%). Approval is highest in Alberta (52%) and among Conservatives (51%).
Even split on more foreign cable,
satellite channels
Equal proportions approve (43%) and disapprove (44%) of the
CRTC allowing Canadian cable and satellite companies to carry more foreign
channels than Canadian channels, while one tenth have no opinion (13%).
Majority disagree with lowering CanCon
if job loss results
When told reducing Canadian content could lead to job losses
in Canada, the majority (51%) disapprove of the idea, while just more than a
quarter approve (28%) and a fifth have no opinion (21%).
Strong majority agrees CRTC should
compare competitive pricing
A wide majority of respondents agree the CRTC should collect
data on competitive cable and satellite fees to ensure they are affordable
(80%), and two thirds agree strongly (62%).
“Canadians share a love-hate relationship with Canadian
content - they want to see more American channels, but they want to protect
jobs at home. They see the CRTC as an important part of this social and economic
equation," said
Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is
the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.