The dominance of conventional standard-definition television is starting to erode, as evident in the year’s biggest developments on the Canuck TV scene.

In 2006, broadcasters were fully immersed in exploring new delivery platforms for their programming.

When digi MTV Canada launched on March 21, plugged as a ‘lifestyle channel,’ its specialty licence prevented it from airing any music videos, as CHUM does on several of its channels. Instead, the CTV-backed specialty bypassed the restriction by initiating a broadband channel at mtv.ca to deliver MTV content – including music videos. CHUM’s MuchMusic soon followed suit, launching its broadband service MuchAXS on June 28.

The competitive services are now set to come under one umbrella, upon approval by the CRTC and Competition Bureau of CTV parent Bell Globemedia’s $1.4-billion purchase of CHUM, announced on July 12.

Meanwhile, CTV began streaming Canadian series online – including reruns of the 2005/06 season of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Corner Gas and Instant Star – when it launched the CTV Broadband Network in June. (Corner Gas, now in its fourth season, is still the most-watched

Canuck-made scripted series on TV, having never recorded an audience below

one million.)

Rival Global Television became the first Canadian caster to provide Internet access to a U.S. primetime show when it started offering the hit game show Deal or No Deal on its website in September. The net added episodes of Survivor: Cook Islands and new game show 1 vs. 100 to its online menu in October.

CTV replied by streaming the season four premiere of U.S. drama series The O.C. on its ctv.ca site on Oct. 30, three days before its television broadcast.

As the nets look to move more content to the Internet and mobile devices, the CRTC in April announced that mobile TV services will go unregulated in Canada, under its New Media Exemption Order.

On the traditional tube, CTV remains Canada’s top net despite the fact none of its new U.S. acquisitions really took off in the fall. Still, CTV had 14 of the top 20 shows in Canada based on season-to-date national 2+ numbers for the week ending Oct. 29, according to BBM Nielsen data.

Meanwhile, CTV sister station TSN made Canadian TV history on Sept. 25 when it launched its flagship daily news program SportsCentre in HD.

In regulatory news, the CRTC paved the way for a new player on the Canuck pay-TV scene when, on May 18, it granted Alberta-based Allarco the first new pay-TV licence in more than two decades, ending the duopoly of The Movie Network and Movie Central.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Television Fund and Telefilm Canada launched their one-board, one-administration entity on March 20. The arrangement has Telefilm managing and delivering TV production cash, while the CTF now focuses on behind-the-scenes policy work.