The chairman of Canada’s telecom regulator has warned a cable broadcaster its licence is “in jeopardy” over the company’s apparent failure to air enough Canadian porn.
The CRTC had said earlier that Toronto-based Channel Zero’s AOV Adult Movie Channel, and sister channels AOV XXX Action Clips and AOV Maleflixxx, “may have failed to comply with its conditions of licence” by not carrying 35 per cent Canadian content.
Channel Zero also owns movie channels Silver Screen Classics and Movieola, and the CRTC has singled these channels out as well for having potentially violated Canadian content rules.
In opening statements at a hearing in Gatineau, Que., Monday, Channel Zero defended itself by arguing that its rapid growth over the past 15 years made it difficult for the company to keep up with regulatory requirements.
“Despite these challenges we are committed to being a responsible and responsive broadcaster,” the company said.
But that appeared to have been interpreted by CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais as mismanagement. The chairman complained about the scant documentation Channel Zero provided the hearing.