Shaw Cablesystems has responded to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission after the commission found that the cable provider had tried to hide OutTV, a gay and lesbian television station.

Shaw, which was obligated to carry and promote OutTV alongside other channels of the same category, had excluded the station from its free preview week, moved the channel into a block of pornographic offerings without notifying the station or subscribers, omitted it from promotional pamphlets and their “all in” package, and made it the only by-request-only channel of its category, effectively requiring interested parties to out themselves to the cable behemoth if they wanted to tune in.

Shaw has now agreed to move OutTV out of the pornographic section, but has pretty much ignored all other aspects of the original complaint. In particular, they still refuse to offer OutTV during its free preview week—unless the small station forfeits its subscriber fees—and will still make the station available by special request only.

Coming out to my massive telecommunications corporation was one of the hardest things that I, like all gay people, have had to go through. But it’s a necessary step if you want to move on with your Lifetime Network.

• Shaw responds to CRTC in OutTV dispute [Xtra]

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has ruled against Shaw Communications, a Calgary-based cable provider, for subjecting OUTtv, a GLBT channel, to “undue disadvantage.”

OUTtv filed a complaint with the CRTC last April over unfair treatment. As a Category 1 channel, Shaw was obligated to carry and promote OUTtv alongside other Category 1 stations, but somehow didn’t quite give it equal attention. It was excluded from every free preview week, had its station number changed twice without notification, was placed alongside Hustler, Playboy, and Red Light District even though there it had no adult content, and was excluded from Shaw’s “All In” package, making it the only Category 1 station to have a by-request-only subscription (and therefore requiring viewers to, essentially, out themselves to subscribe). As a result, viewership of OUTtv was a full 21 times lower on Shaw than other providers.

As punishment, Shaw will have to write an essay on what they did wrong and how they’ll fix it.

No, seriously.

• CRTC raps Shaw over gay channel [Globe and Mail]
• CRTC rules against Shaw in OutTV dispute [Xtra]

Canada’s only gay and lesbian television channel has filed a complaint with the CRTC over treatment by a local cable provider.

OutTV says that not only does Shaw Communications exclude the channel from their “All In” package and make it a by-request-only subscription (the only specialty station to receive this treatment), but they have also moved the station’s channel number multiple times, first from 100 to 200, then to 370. Worse, the last move put the station immediately beside adult offerings: Channel 371 is Hustler, 372 is Playboy, and 373 is Red Light District.

Brad Danks, OutTV’s chief operating officer, said that shaw has been entirely uncooperative:

They are supposed to notify you before they move you. We’ve said, “We don’t have adult content. Why have you got us with adult channels?” There’s no reason given. They say nothing.

 
I once subscribed to OutTV (before I realised that I almost never watch TV and cancelled my digital service entirely), so I can vouch for its harmlessness. Putting it alongside porn channels is a misclassification, and forcing subscribers to request it by name when no other specialty channel requires that action means that interested parties will, essentially, have to out themselves in order to get it.

(Say, don’t a few of the shows on OutTV’s neighbouring channels start off with someone outing themself to their cable serviceman? “Did somebody call a cable guy?” Bow-chicka-wow-chicka…)

Anyway, OutTV does not carry adult content and is a “category one” licensee in Canada, which means that all cable providers must carry it and abide by CRTC packaging regulations. If anyone has had issues ordering OutTV, Brad asks that you visit his website to share your experiences and strengthen their case.

• Small TV channels seek cable policing [Toronto Star]
• OutTV files new complaint against Shaw [Xtra]