Since September 2017, Omni began to be distributed throughout the remainder of the country, as a group of specialty channels with mandatory carriage, corresponding to the four general regions where it operates. This group is licensed under the blanket name Omni Regional; Rogers argued that revenue from mandatory carriage was necessary to restore and sustain the stations' local programming. Originally licensed by the CRTC on a three-year interim basis while the commission considered alternative proposals for a national multicultural channel, the broadcast regulator ultimately chose to re-licence Omni Regional until at least 2023, on the basis of commitments to expanded Canadian programming production.