The CRTC has dismissed a complaint against the Bell Fund that argued its TV Program favoured major production funders (MPFs).

The complaint, filed last May by Blue Ant, CBC/Radio-Canada, CMPA, Groupe V Media, TVO, Groupe Media TFO, OUTtv, Tele-Quebec and TV5/Unis TV, argued that the Fund’s tiered approach within its TV Program gave unfair preference to applications received from producers working with larger broadcasters (including Bell Media), over producers working with smaller or public broadcasters.

In its decision, the commission noted that the “manner in which the Fund has structured its TV Program is consistent with the Commission’s policies and need not be revised.”

“Specifically, the Commission considers that the Fund as a whole is not operating in a way that inappropriately prevents certain parties from accessing its programs and funding. Moreover, the Commission finds that the manner in which the Fund has structured its TV Program is consistent with the Commission’s policies and need not be revised” it concluded.

Elsewhere in the decision, the commission ordered the Fund to amend its governance structure to ensure that at least two-thirds of its board members and decision makers are independent of Bell’s BDUs and its affiliate companies. The decision also stated that the Bell Fund must fill any vacancy among its independent board members within 90 days.

more to come

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