Canada’s Satellite Radio Blockade
Canadian broadcast companies CHUM and Astral have petitioned to block American compeditors Sirius and XM from selling subscriptions to Canada.
The two companies are in the midst of a deal to begin offering a digital radio service similar to that of XM and Sirius, but cannot compete with the American companies because they “already have infastructure in place.” According to CHUM and Astral, allowing XM and Sirius to broadcast to Canada is against precedent, as 10% of broadcasts allowed in Canada must be produced in Canada.
Full article by Reuters.
September 7th, 2005 at 12:16 pm
[...] As you may recall from my July post on the topic , Canadian radio groups like CHUM and Astral have been blocking the entry of American companies Sirius and XM from entering the Canadian market. The law applied to terrestrial radio is that 35% of all material broadcasted in Canada must be produced in Canada as well. [...]
September 14th, 2005 at 3:36 pm
[...] There has been a lively debate raging in Canada for months now on the issue of American satellite radio companies. Should they be allowed to broadcast to Canada, or no? Sirius has already made some headway with their Sirius Canada branch. [...]