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“Some may balk at the suggestion that Canadian programming can reach the same heights as shows created in other major global markets. Not me. I know it can succeed,” Blais said. “They can, provided the climate under which they produce their works changes and becomes less rigid.”

Canadians are about to get more choice when it comes to the television channels they pay for, but a lot of them will probably stick with what they know, analysts say.

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But in that same speech, Blais announced the dismantling of the system that made Mad Men and shows like it profitable — bundled cable and the affiliate fees that come with it. In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter looking back on Mad Men’s early days as it enters its final episodes, AMC’s former head of programming and production said the network was looking for a show that would make a splash so cable companies wouldn’t dare leave the channel out of bundles, ensuring steady affiliate fee revenue for AMC.

Blais blamed red tape and resistance to change for the dearth of Canadian hits, but people who work in the business say the real challenge is getting funding for big-budget, ambitious projects. And by requiring cable companies to let consumers pick and pay for the channels they want, dropping protection for genre-based specialty channels and reducing Canadian content requirements, the CRTC just made getting funded even harder.

“Even if it’s a brilliant idea, it will be very difficult to get that project off the ground,” said Janis Lundman, executive producer at Montreal’s Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. “I don’t think [the CRTC] quite understands how projects are financed.”