On January 9, 2023 the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission revised its list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution. This was an annual compilation of amendments.

Authorization for the services and stations on the list are subject to the following:

• Providers of the non-Canadian pay and/or specialty services must have obtained and must remain in possession of all necessary rights for the distribution of their programming in Canada.
• Providers of the non-Canadian pay and/or specialty services must not hold, nor try to obtain, nor exercise, preferential or exclusive programming rights in relation to the distribution of programming in Canada.
• The Wholesale Code, set out in the appendix to The Wholesale Code, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy (CRTC 2015-438, 24 September 2015), applies as a set of guidelines for non-Canadian pay and/or specialty services. The Commission expects these services to conduct their negotiations and enter into agreements with their Canadian partners in a manner that is consistent with the intent and spirit of the Wholesale Code. In particular, non-Canadian services may not include terms in their affiliation agreements that prohibit the distribution of their services on a stand-alone, build-your-own-package or small package basis.

On September 24, 2015, the Commission released The Wholesale Code. This Code regulates certain aspects of the business dealings between broadcasting distribution entities (BDUs), programming entities, and exempt digital media entities. It aims to ensure that subscribers have more options and freedom in their programming choices, that programming services are diverse, accessible, and discoverable across various platforms, and that negotiations between programming services and BDUs are conducted fairly.

*Source: Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission January 23, 2023.