Montreal: Phase one in the year 2000 mega-round of specialty channel digital licensing, and bets are the crtc is heartily cursing Category 2.

Six years ago, the crtc waded into a hotly contested arena where applicants lobbied furiously to capture one of only 10 specialty and pay-tv licences being awarded in that analog round. There were only 48 applications then.

Today, the regulator is talking signal squishing. It says it will hand out about 10 licences for Category 1 digital channels, and who knows how many in Category 2. That may explain why the crtc staff is looking at a combined category application total of mammoth proportions: 452.

Of these 452, 446 are for pay and specialty services, with 91 in Category 1 and 355 in Category 2. There are also two pay-per-view applications and four applications for new video-on-demand services.

A public hearing process opens in August in Hull, Que., with decisions anticipated by year’s end.

The crtc says it will license approximately 10 Category 1 digital services. These services will be licensed for mandatory distribution by all digital-ready broadcast distribution undertakings.

Fundamental Category 1 licensing requirements include: a minimum of 50% Canadian content by the end of a seven-year term, Canadian majority ownership, and a one-per-genre (theme) program orientation, with the provision Category 1 services are prohibited from competing directly with each other or existing pay or specialty tv services.

The commission says it will introduce a streamlined licensing process for an unlimited number of Category 2 digital services on ‘an open-entry, digital-only basis.’

Licensing criteria include: minimum 35% Canadian content – 15% for ethnic services, majority Canadian ownership, and the right to establish programming genres or categories in direct competition with other Category 2 services, but not Category 1 licensees or existing pay or specialty tv services.

The crtc (www.crtc.gc.ca) anticipates many requests to review competing digital service applications, and is asking review order forms be filed by May 10.

Selective category 1 applications and their primary promoters include:

* Global Television Network, which has applied for seven Category 1 licences, including the dual-French and English mystery channels 13th Street, partnered with TVA Group and Rogers Communications; a technology and weblife channel called Digital 1, partnered with Astral Media; and Violet, ‘geared to Canadians of all ages who care, and are interested in affairs of the heart,’ also partnered with Astral.

Global is also backing Your Money, a practical financial news service, and Vital tv: Canada’s Health Channel, partnered with Rogers and Global affiliate Medbroadcast.com.

* Television Quatre Saisons has applied for four French-track licences in craft and homes (Teleservice), animals (Nature), women’s issues (Canal f) and a homosexual lifestyle channel (Arc-en-Ciel).

* Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting has filed applications in association with a wide range of partners, including Associated Producers, bbc, E.W.Scripps, News Corporation and Healtheon/Webmd, National Geographic and others. aac’s five Category 1 proposals include The Book Channel, Signature Television, The Independent Film and Documentary Channel, Food Network Canada, and Health Network Canada.

* Astral Television Networks, in association with Global, has filed an application for Cinefest, a movie festival channel.

* BCE Media is leading an application called Travel tv.

* CHUM Ltd. has filed seven wholly owned Category 1 applications, including the Indie and Docs channel; FashionTelevision: The Channel; a ‘romance and relationship’ bid called RelationshipTelevision, Suspense: The Channel Q!Television, ‘for and about gays, lesbians and open-minded heterosexuals;’ an upscale adult music channel called MasterMusic*; and a New Age-sounding entry called Moods*.

* Corus Entertainment and various partners are backing Chrome, a men’s lifestyle channel; Booknet; Discovery Travel & Adventure; Land & Sea, with appeal to rural Canadians; the familiar Parent tv entry; and The Canadian Documentary Channel.

* Western-based Craig Broadcasting Systems is fronting three Category 1 licence applications including Connect, for the 12-to-24 crowd; Festival, which will program ‘indie docs and movies;’ and The Met, a proposal aimed at promoting Canadian artists.

* ctv has filed nine Category 1 applications including The Digital Network; Discovery Health Canada; Tv.tv, a promotions proposal; two 24-hour regional news services – CTV Newsnet BC and CTV Newsnet Alberta – a bilingual news channel called CTV News Centre Nouvelles; Shadow tv, a mystery channel; Men’s Entertainment Network; and Exploration Network, a mix of geography and culture.

* TVA Group in partnership with Elaine Waisglass has filed an application for an English-track service aimed at the exploration of digital art and video called Digipix.

* NetStar affiliate Reseau des Sports has filed applications for an outdoor/nature channel as well as an all-sports news channel.

* Learning and Skills Television of Alberta has filed six Category 1 licence applications covering books, travel, law and order, computers and technology, careers and management issues, and documentaries.

* Les Chaines Tele-Astral is fronting a French home and craft licence proposal and a games channel called Zone Jeux.

* Lev Fam Holdings of Hamilton, Ont. has filed an application for PrideVision, a gay and lesbian lifestyles proposal.

* MusiquePlus and sister service Musimax have filed a Category 1 application for a fashion world service called Perfecto, La Chaine.

* Rogers Broadcasting is the lead promoter on three Category 1 applications: Today’s Parent tv, ZDTV Canada (an Internet and technology channel) and Biography Channel.

* Halifax-based Salter Street Films is fronting six Category 1 applications: Comedy for Kids; Girls tv, with the focus on kids and young teens; The Independent Film Channel; ZTV Service, aimed at young adults; Nature tv; and Play-tv, a game-playing proposal.

* Stornoway Communications seeks digital specialty licences for @work.ca, a public affairs entry called Issue Channel and The Dance Channel.

* The Justice Channel, a non-affiliated producer group in Mississauga, Ont., has filed an application for The Justice Channel, a bilingual, social and criminal justice concept with the accent on prevention.

* The Sports Network has filed an application for a women’s sports network.

* Vision tv is a minority partner in one of the several doc channel applications and is the primary promoter of a Category 1 proposal called Wisdom, which plans to shed light on issues of ‘body and soul.’

* And Nelvana has emerged front and centre with an application for a multi-platform entertainment service called The Nelvana Channel. Nelvana is partnering with Corus on Booknet and is participating with Teletoon shareholders ytv, Cinar Corp. and Family Channel in six Teletoon ‘splinter’ proposals filed by Teletoon. The proposals include English and French services of Teletoon Action, Teletoon Adult/Adulte, Teletoon Art, Teletoon Pop, Teletoon Retro and a multilingual service proposal to be known as Teletoon Multi.