Bell Media is launching "another attempt to overturn a regulatory ruling that blocked the company from substituting its own television feed -- including Canadian ads -- over the U.S. broadcast of the Super Bowl," according to Dobby & Robertson of the GLOBE & MAIL. Bell Media owner BCE yesterday filed an application asking the CRTC to rescind the January '15 order that "barred the practice known as simultaneous substitution, or 'simsub,'" during the Super Bowl. Bell has "already turned to the courts and lobbied the Canadian government in an effort to overturn the ruling, but has so far been unsuccessful." An application for judicial review of the CRTC order is "still being considered by the Federal Court of Appeal." The company claims its Super Bowl audience in '17 declined by 40% and ad revenues dropped by C$11M. Bell's "latest move to push back on the order comes weeks after the federal government appointed" Ian Scott as the new Chair to lead the CRTC (THEGLOBEANDMAIL.com, 8/1). The CBC noted Canadian rights holders for major TV events like the Super Bowl normally "take the U.S. feed and then splice in their own advertisements during commercial breaks, which is how they make money to offset the high cost of those broadcasting rights." Bell said that if the CRTC reverses its decision on Super Bowl ads, it can "offer a compromise so that Canadian viewers would still be able to watch high-profile American ads for the big game." The company in a statement said, "If the simsub ban is lifted, Bell Media would produce a special broadcast of U.S. Super Bowl commercials airing on game day and make it available free of charge to all Canadian broadcast distributors to offer as a video-on-demand service." Bell's request "has the backing of numerous other groups with a stake in the decision," including the NFL (CBC.ca, 8/1).
