Editing Simultaneous substitution (section)

{{About||the comparable US practice|Syndication exclusivity|meaning of this term in logic|Substitution (logic)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2020}}
{{short description|Practice of substituting local signals over foreign ones for the same programming in Canada}}

[[File:Simultaneous Substitution Sample.png|right|thumb|350px|A simulated example of an imaginary TV show that appears on USTV in Canada before and after simultaneous substitution is implemented as requested by the Canadian network. Note CanadaTV's logo in the lower-right corner, replacing that of USTV.]]
'''Simultaneous substitution''' (also known as '''simsubbing''' or '''signal substitution'''<ref name="CRTC1">{{cite web|title=Signal substitution replaces one TV signal with another|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/Eng/INFO_SHT/Bdt10.htm|website=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]|access-date=March 7, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225172410/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/bdt10.htm|archive-date=February 25, 2009}}</ref>) is a practice mandated by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) requiring [[pay television|broadcast distribution undertaking]]s (BDUs) in [[Canada]] to distribute the signal of a local or regional [[terrestrial television|over-the-air]] station in place of the signal of a foreign or non-local television station (typically one that is affiliated with a U.S. commercial [[television network]] such as [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[NBC]], and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), when the two stations are broadcasting identical programming simultaneously.

The CRTC first introduced the policy in 1972, and it is sometimes erroneously called "[[simulcast]]ing", the name of a practice different from simultaneous substitution in that there is no signal replacement.<ref name="History">{{cite web|title=Simultaneous substitution on cable TV|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/networks/networks_Simultaneous_Substitution_on_TV.html|website=Canadian Communications Foundation|access-date=March 7, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009235633/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/networks/networks_Simultaneous_Substitution_on_TV.html|archive-date=October 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Simulcasting|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simulcasting|website=[[Merriam Webster]]|access-date=March 7, 2009}}</ref> According to the CRTC, the practice of simultaneous substitution is necessary "to protect the rights of broadcasters, to enable television stations to draw enough advertising revenue and to keep advertising money in the Canadian market".<ref name="CRTC1"/>  Canadian broadcast networks, which must request each and every substitution on an individual basis, have been criticized for exploiting the regulation and not investing enough money into [[Canadian content]].<ref name="Junos">{{cite news|title=CTV backs down on Juno air time|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/ctv-backs-down-on-juno-air-time-1.644455|website=[[CBC News]]|via=Friends of Canadian Broadcasting|date=March 28, 2007|access-date=December 17, 2013}}</ref>

The most prominent public criticism of simsubs has been centred around the [[Super Bowl]]—the championship game of the [[National Football League]]—which is well known for featuring high-profile [[Super Bowl commercials|commercials]] on its U.S. broadcast. In 2015, citing the ads as having become an "integral part" of the broadcast, the CRTC announced that it would implement a policy to prevent broadcasters from requesting simsubs for the game; it was officially implemented prior to [[Super Bowl LI]] in 2017. This has faced criticism over the change in policy from the game's Canadian rightsholder, [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] owner [[Bell Media]]; the company argued that it singled out a specific program for policy in violation of the [[Broadcasting Act (1991)|Broadcasting Act]], and devalued its rights to the league. Bell Media subsequently fought this policy in court, and it was overturned by the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] on December 19, 2019.<ref name="supreme"/>