Why Canada Blacks Out U.S. Bowl Ads

OTTAWA — (The Hollywood Reporter) Canada’s broadcast regulator took the time to tell local Super Bowl fans why they won’t be able to see commercials by U.S. advertisers during the telecast of the game.

“Traditionally, there’s a lot of noise from the public in general and sports writers asking or complaining about why they can’t see the U.S. advertisements,” said Denis Carmel, a spokesman for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, clarifying a simultaneous substitution regulation in an effort to avoid a public backlash over the Super Bowl commercials.

“During the Super Bowl, for example, Canadian broadcasters sell advertising time to be included in the Canadian feed of the program and replace the ads Americans see at home,” the CRTC said Wednesday. “This permits Canadian stations that buy the exclusive rights to air the Super Bowl in Canada to benefit from the sale of commercial advertising during the airing of the program.”