Better late than never, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission appears to be catching up to reality. The media landscape is changing dramatically, and in many cases, traumatically.

Television is no exception, and the CRTC appears to be getting that based on recently released proposals that would give consumers more choice about what they watch and pay for. Essentially, the CRTC proposes broadcasters be required to offer a basic service made up primarily of Canadian channels, and that consumers could augment that package with a pick-and-pay structure. This proposal would give consumers the option of having a lean basic package consisting of CBC, CTV, City TV and the other major Canadian networks. If you want more channels, you have the option of buying them à la carte, or buying packages.

That's the sort of flexibility consumers want, and the lack of it is part of the reason traditional broadcast and cable distribution models are dying. Consumers don't want to pay for things they don't want. They're turning in droves away from traditional TV models to alternatives like Apple TV and Netflix. Broadcasters need to move swiftly to staunch the bleeding.