You know those amazing Super Bowl Commercials that everyone’s always talking about? Normally, they’re only available in the U.S. and Canadians would have to wait until they’re uploaded on YouTube to view them.
That will all change in 2017. The CRTC has announced that starting with the 2017 Super Bowl, simsubs—or simultaneous substitutions—will be banned by Canadians broadcasters. Simsubs is when Canadian broadcasters replace/overlay international commercials (U.S. Super Bowl commercials) with their own.
Here’s what CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais had to say:
First, broadcasters will be banned from using simsub during the Super Bowl starting with the one that will be broadcast at the end of the 2016 NFL season – and for all future broadcasts of the game thereafter. The 8 million Canadian football fans that watched last year’s Super Bowl will be happy to hear that. Because as many of you know, and as Canadians have told us loud and clear: advertising is part of the spectacle associated with this event.
Keeping simsub for all broadcasts other than the Super Bowl may rankle more than a few viewers, and I understand their concerns. That’s why, as a second measure, the CRTC is introducing a zero-tolerance approach to substantial mistakes. If, for example, a Canadian broadcaster cuts back to an NFL game late and causes viewers to miss a play, it could be forced to pay rebates to viewers for its mistake. If an OTA station makes the same error, it could lose the privilege to request simsub for future broadcasts of major live events, such as other football games, for a period of time.
