The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved an application for Quebec’s Natyf TV to be carried as a mandatory channel on basic TV packages in the province.

The term lasts until Aug. 31, 2028. Natyf TV will receive a monthly wholesale rate of $0.12 per subscriber.

Broadcasting since 2018, Natyf TV’s mandate is to offer programming created by and for racialized Francophone communities in Quebec, focusing on culture, fashion, wellness, the arts and education. It applied for mandatory carriage because, the company stated, it would not otherwise be able to reach its under-served target audience, and would not be able to attract ads without broader reach.

Natyf TV is currently only carried as an optional service for Bell subscribers, or through its connected TV app.

In its decision, the CRTC said “there is an extraordinary need to serve Francophone racialized communities in Quebec” and that “granting Natyf TV mandatory distribution on the basic service in Quebec is necessary to allow the service to meet this need.”

The CRTC received over 6,000 interventions in favour of Natyf TV’s application. While the majority of those were collected through an online petition run by Natyf TV, it also included several producers and associations, including AQPM, Black On Black Films, the Black Screen Office and Coalition M.É.D.I.A., which said the move would create more opportunities for culturally diverse artists and producers.

Bell, Cogeco, Quebecor, SaskTel and Rogers all filed interventions in opposition. Among the reasons cited were the presence of other television services geared towards diverse Quebec communities, the goal of the CRTC to provide affordable basic cable packages and concerns that Natyf TV would not be able to meet “ambitious” proposals for programming commitments.

The CRTC also expressed concerns that the five-year-old Natyf TV did not have the resources or experience to meet some of the proposed requirements. To that end, it granted Natyf TV a “transition period” in the licensing term, during which certain requirements would gradually ramp up.

Natyf TV is required to broadcast 60% Canadian content between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. in year one, ramping up to 70% in year five. It must broadcast 70% Canadian content between 6 p.m. and midnight throughout the term. It must devote 40% of gross revenues to Canadian content in year one, ramping up to 70% in year five. It must devote 55% of broadcasting expenditures to first-run, French programming, ramping up to 75% in year five.

The CRTC also approved Natyf’s proposal to devote 80% of programming expenditures to independent producers, 80% of which would go to racialized producers. Though Natyf TV proposed a 65% expenditure level on programs of national interest, the CRTC instead imposed a 15% level, which it deemed easier to achieve and more in line with other TV services.

The CRTC noted that these requirements met or exceeded those at other similar services.

This story originally appeared in Media in Canada