The Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission has approved YTV's application for The Anime Channel in Canada. Programming will be aimed at adults.

(Source: www.crtc.gc.ca)

Canadian anime fans will be dancing naked in the streets: the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved YTV's application to create The Anime Channel, a Category 2 specialty channel that will have a minimum of 65% anime programming.

Presumably, this new channel will replace YTV's Anime on Demand service, a video-on-demand service that saw few takers among cable providers.

Here are some of the details on the application approval, taken from the CRTC's website:

"1. The licence will be subject to the conditions set out in Introductory statement – Licensing of new digital pay and specialty services – Corrected Appendix 2, Public Notice CRTC 2000-171-1, 6 March 2001.

2. The licensee shall provide a national English-language Category 2 specialty programming service devoted to entertaining Canadian adults through the animated programming genre know as "anime" and anime-related programming. The programming shall be targeted exclusively to adults over the age of 18 (emphases are mine).

3. The programming shall be drawn exclusively from the following categories, as set out in item 6 of Schedule I to the Specialty Services Regulations, 1990, as amended from time to time:

2 (a) Analysis and interpretation

7 (a) Ongoing drama series

(b) Ongoing comedy series (sitcoms)

(c) Specials, mini-series or made-for-TV feature films

(d) Theatrical feature films aired on TV

(e) Animated television programs and films

(g) Other drama

11 General entertainment and human interest

12 Interstitials

13 Public service announcements

14 Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos

4. The licensee shall devote not less than 65% of the broadcast year to anime programs.

5. The licensee shall devote not more than 35% of the broadcast year to anime-related programs.

6. The licensee shall devote not less than 85% of the broadcast year to programming from categories 7(d), 7(e) and 7(g), with no more than 15% of the broadcast year dedicated to information based programs.

7. In order to ensure that the licensee complies at all times with the Direction to the CRTC (Ineligibility of non-Canadians), P.C. 1997-486, 8 April 1997, as amended by P.C. 1998-1268, 15 July 1998 (the Direction), the licensee shall file, for the Commission’s prior review, a copy of any programming supply agreement and/or licence trademark agreement it intends to enter into with a non-Canadian party.

For the purposes of the conditions of this licence, including condition of licence no. 1, broadcast day means the period of up to 18 consecutive hours, beginning each day not earlier than six o’clock in the morning and ending not later than one o’clock in the morning of the following day, as selected by the licensee, or any other period approved by the Commission."

There's no word on when this channel will hit the airwaves, but the CRTC told YTV it should get things going ASAP (they have a maximum time period of 36 months).

Francophone anime fans won't be left out in the cold either: the CRTC strongly hinted that YTV should set up a French-language version as well.

You can read the CRTC's decision in its entirety over here.