Page "Media of Canada" Paragraph 57

# Under CRTC rules, cable companies cannot offer a new American service if a comparable Canadian service already exists.

However, if a Canadian equivalent begins operations after an American service has already been added to cable packages, the cable company is not required to discontinue the American service.

( For example, Canadian cable companies cannot offer MTV, as the station was not yet available in Canada when MuchMusic began broadcasting in 1984.

However, cable companies can offer CNN, as they were already offering that service when CBC Newsworld first aired in 1989.

) The rules formerly required that the American service be removed if a Canadian equivalent is launched ; this caused controversy when the US version of CMT was removed from the lineup when a new Canadian country music channel called the New Country Network launched.

CMT had contested that this was a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Ultimately, Viacom purchased a minority share in the network, and rebranded it under the CMT name.