Glenn O'Farrell is president and CEO, of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

As the members of our industry gather at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre for the 18th Annual Gemini Awards, there is much to celebrate. In 2003, Canadian viewers have an unprecedented amount of television viewing choices, in every conceivable format, with programming to suit all tastes.

During the awards ceremony, we will see once again that our domestic television industry consistently produces a large number of programs of the highest quality, thanks to creators, producers, performers and technical crews that are second to none, as well as the support and dedication of broadcasters and policy makers who are committed to a distinct Canadian television industry.

This year, private broadcasters' programs and stars have lit up the small screen. Programs like The Eleventh Hour, Blue Murder, The Atwood Stories and Trailer Park Boys are just a few of the shows that not only received a record number of Gemini nominations this year but also garnered large audiences.

Private broadcasters have earned recognition for producing first-rate news and current affairs shows, and this is reflected in the multiple Gemini nominations received by programs like Global National with Kevin Newman, as well as the nominations for such incisive programs as Citytv's MediaTelevision, or the highly effective A MuchMusic Special: Afghanistan. The list goes on and on.

This should surprise no one, of course. After all, Canadians turn to private broadcasters as their first choice for television viewing. In recent years, private television has seen a considerable increase in its audience numbers. In fact, between 1991 and 2000, English-language private television (conventional and specialty and pay services) saw its overall market share go from 54% to 61%, while French-language private television (conventional and specialty and pay services) increased from 68% to 76% in the same period.

Best of all, Canada's private broadcasters are the first choice of Canadians for homegrown programming. The numbers are impressive. Between 1984 and 1999, English-language private television saw its audience share for Canadian programming go from 54% to 74%. In other words, almost three-quarters of English-Canadians watching Canadian shows do so on privately owned channels.

Given the importance of private broadcasters, both to the Government of Canada's cultural objectives and to our economy as a whole, it is imperative that an environment be created that fosters our long-term commercial viability.

That is why private broadcasters are leading the campaign to shut down satellite signal theft, a silent killer of jobs that is also undermining Canada's cultural expression.

In all, more than 750,000 Canadian households may be illegally accessing satellite services, either by purchasing unauthorized equipment or by hacking into Canadian services. This translates into over $400 million per year in lost revenue to Canadian actors, writers, directors, producers, technicians, distributors, broadcasters, advertisers and the many others employed in the production and airing of Canadian television programming.