Arts
CRTC denies MuchMusic's request to play fewer videos
MuchMusic's desire to delve further into "lifestyle" programming and away from music videos suffered a blow today when the CRTC denied an application made by CTV (the station's parent company) to amend its broadcasting licence.
Wading through the legal speak in the decision is a bit of a pain, but chief among CTV's requests was the desire to reduce the percentage of music video programming that the station shows from 50 to 25 per cent. According to CTV, "music videos no longer distinguish the service as they are readily available through other sources."
To put that differently, YouTube has made MuchMusic's former business model untenable, and it's looking to further re-brand itself to "better position the service to adapt to the business realities of audience fragmentation and evolving technologies." But, after interventions from a host of companies and associations -- including Rogers, The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA), and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) -- the CRTC deemed that the proposed changes would call into question the Commission's Category A licencing framework.
That framework indicates that "such services be complementary and not compete directly with one another," which poses a problem for the CRTC because under the proposed changes, "MuchMusic would duplicate the programming of the Category A specialty service known as MTV2, the licence for which is also held by CTV."
MuchMusic's request to reduce and reposition its Canadian programming was also denied by the CRTC. For a look at the complete Broadcasting Decision, check here.
Photo by Adam Finley on Flickr.
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I'm no fan of Much Music, but if they can't adapt to changes and lower the number of music videos being shown then how can the CRTC expect Much Music or a similiar business to stay competitive or improve the potential for profit.
Anyone else think we should get rid of the CRTC and their Canadian Content guidelines?
Second, the article is misleading. They weren't simply told no go. They were told that this needs to be looked at their licence renewal hearing. That takes place next year.
That said, get rid of the CRTC! I don't know why, I don't know how, I don't even understand the CRTC, I just think it's a cool thing to say. (Kidding. Sort of.)
They can try to use youtube and other sites/avenues as an excuse if they wish, but as a viewer it seems to me that the percentage of videos being shown was getting to be fewer long before these other options came along.
If they were to cut the video programming to only 25%, they might as well just completely shut down as a music channel. Personally, I only watch when they are actually showing videos because that's what I want to see. The "lifestyle" crap is just that, crap. I have no interest in that whatsoever.
And endless reruns of crappy reality series aren't?
Thank you, CRTC! There's plenty of room for CTV to get innovative with MuchMusic without excising the Music.
Still, I doubt it. I call shenanigans on that figure. No way in hell 50% of the programming on that channel is comprised of music videos.
They weren't told that they can't adapt, just that the proposed adaptation was unacceptable to how they're licensed. Come back to the table with a proposal that's an innovation instead of one that's just a copy of other stations already broadcasting (by the same owners no less).
I agree that music video television has largely lost its relevance, but at least it had some to start with, unlike these vapid 'lifestyle' channels.
Got To Dance UK
Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew 2
Jackass: Gumball Rally
Gossip Girl (!)
Degrassi
Pants Off Dance Off
Now admittedly, that's between rounds of Videoflow and the snarkfest of Video On Trial. But come on... Degrassi? DEGRASSI?!
Kudos to the CRTC. Make these guys hold up their end of their broadcasting license, not just regurgitate CTV/MTV pap.
They own three "youth lifestyle" stations, two founded around music. They should keep at least one of them that way. Keep the reality and lifestyle nonsense on the MTVs.
Yeah.
They won't allow MTV Canada to play full length music videos because that right is only awarded to Canadian Muchmusic who doesn't even want to play videos.
Well, Muchmusic and MTV Canada are now both owned by CTV. The CRTC isn't really protecting Canadian content but hindering growth.
Also i can't believe the amount of backwards thinking in the comments that are being made in favor of "good taste." Simply put there's no market for music videos on television anymore, NONE. Why would any tech savvy teenager sit around a television to wait and see a Lady GaGa video when they can just bring it up on Youtube right away?
To put things in prespective let's say you had a pencil company and you're doing great but all of a sudden people are using pens like crazy. So you want to change your business model to be able to sell more pens but the government steps in and says "uh you were a pencil company to start so half of your business has to be pencils." It's stifling growth.
My main problem with the ruling is it specifies music VIDEOS. As I've already stated who the hell watches these on TV anymore? Why can't we switch this up to something like 50% music programming and allow things like live performances, artist interviews, artist profiles and in a stretch those vapid award shows like the MMVAs and the MTV Video Awards in the mix? I'd argue that in this day of age these sorts of things would establish a music identity more than some random booty shaking rap video.
My point is why punish a business to uphold something so archaich that society itself has tossed to the side. With the internet there's no need to have music videos on TV so why not let MuchMusic show an extra few hours of Buffy re runs? It doesn't hurt anybody but by forcing them to uphold to standards that were set like decades ago is hurting a company that employs people.
Also, it's shitty that some people are citing 'booty popping' videos and the 'black' hip-hop market as possible reasons of what is wrong with Much. There is no 'black' hip-hop market in Canada and if their is, Much sure as HELL is not catering to it. Hip-Hop is now mainstream. A Wiz Khalifa video will now run right beside your precious Taylor Swift and Hedley. The distinction is as dated as say, a 'Test Pattern' reference. And the 'booty popping' videos are hardly the problem.
Okay, so, my point is if Much did go down to 25% videos none of us would be the wiser so why are people complaining.
Shout out to twigby - made good points.
As for the 24h CityNews Channel... I WISH they'd launch it. I'm so, so, so sick of CP24. We get one news headline (usually involving 5 minutes of George Lagogianes live on the spot chatting with people at some food drive or something), then 5 minutes of weather and traffic, before finally getting to the rest of the headlines. That, and their newscasters are way too smiley and engage in way too much chatty banter.
People criticized Citytv's news style, but CP24 seemed to be far more serious under their watch.
One two three four
Watch me puke on the floor
Five six seven eight
See a turtle masturbate
I think Muchmusic and CTV are just lazy and not creative enough to make this format work. When they decided to but Muchmusic they should have thought it through a bit. YouTube is definitely not a recent phenomena. And if this is such an impossible format in this day and age why is it that two new music video channels that are air 100% music videos are now available (TheCoolTv-49.2, The Country Network-29.2).
That said, MM is gone, the 90s are gone, and while we can be nostalgic, I don't get particularly upset by the changing media landscape. I do feel bad for today's kids who will not have the memories of gambling at lunchtime in school with MM playing in the background, but what can you do? I could go on about how they're listening to crap music too, or how they're ruining the other once glorious music outlets (ie CFNY) etc etc etc. But let's face it, those of us that grew up in 80s and 90s have grown up and are no longer their target demo.
Duh.
Kind of like the Food Network blaming YouTube for the same thing.
Golly MuchMusic, you decided your format changing, changed your hosts and strayed away from 24 hour videos and dared to point the blame elsewhere. Shame on you.
MuchMusic, if you greatly feel your format has failed, admit it and close up shop. Give your channel to someone else with business sense.
is that a joke????????
do you not remember shows like da mix, muchvibe and rapcity????
all of them cease to exist. rapcity is only played at 3AM ET!!! and its only a half hour show
how does it cater to "black hip hop"?? you are surely mistaken
MuchMusic needs to change it's format in order to survive.
Moreover, those who say this is a case for disbanding the CRTC really don't have a clue what it is the CRTC actually does and wouldn't be able to name a country that doesn't have a CRTC-equivalent (because there isn't one!)
If MM needs to reduce music videos to survive, then maybe it's time to shut down or sell.
Second, YouTube is not killing musicvideo channel format! As I mentioned on a previous post the Americans (Fox Network) has added (not just one) but two music video channels and they aren't even specialty channels. Don't you need to have a cable subscription and pay additional fees to get MM? The 2 Fox music video channels (TheCoolTV and TheCountryNetwork) are both available for FREE over the air with a TV antennae!
Another thing, aren't most of the videos that are posted on YouTube originally captured from TV anyways? And everything is available now via internet sources. Music, movies, software... Everything is available elsewhere. Does this stop music, movies and other things from being produced? NO! CTV lacks creativity, passion and are too busy wasting money on getting crappy American shows on there network! That's just it.
I'd say more but that sums it up entirely.
My hope is that this ruling and the recent announcement by MTV USA that they will be playing more videos and cutting back on all of those stupid reality shows will have an effect on Much Music/Much More Music to do what they use to do; if not, then CTV should shut down the whole operation, sell off the building at Queen and John to AUX TV, and let them take over music video in Canada (the pop music/reality show bullshit can be shown on a new channel called The Pop Reality Nonsense Channel, or something like that.)