The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.
 

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

The last few months have not been kind to communications conglomerates. The value of AOL Time Warner’s stock recently hit a post-merger low, having fallen about 70 per cent from the beginning of 2000 when the merger was announced. The French media giant Vivendi Universal is quickly catching up (or down) with AOL, its shares having suffered a comparable decline over much the same time period. In Canada, BCE and Quebecor are under extreme financial pressure; their shares are depressed and management do not appear to be happy either. Speculation is rampant that they will have to sell off major assets sooner or later. That is in addition to the $4 billion worth of assets BCE announced it was selling last December.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

BCE Inc. chair and CEO Jean Monty abruptly resigned April 24, causing many to question the telecom giant’s future television, print, and Internet convergence strategy. Monty was the architect of Bell Globemedia. Michael Sabia, most recently BCE president and COO, replaces Monty as CEO, while Richard Currie becomes non-executive chair.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Copyright collective appealing pay audio tariff decision
The Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada (NRCC) has applied for judicial review of the Copyright Board of Canada’s first-ever tariff decision for pay audio services (CCR, Mar. 28/02). NRCC is not challenging the rate set by the board, but the proportion of royalties shared by NRCC and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). Parties must file a notice of appearance with the Federal Court of Appeal by April 26 if they wish to intervene on the appeal.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Telephone company Telus Corp. should not be allowed to provide a video-on-demand service in a massive Toronto condominium complex unless and until it applies for and receives a broadcast distribution licence, according to the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA). Industry observers say the issue represents an interesting test case for the CRTC.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Rogers Broadcasting Limited is opposing a request by CHUM Limited for a split advertising feed for its NewRO conventional television station in Pembroke and retransmitter in Ottawa on the grounds that it would represent a change in CRTC policy. Rogers argues that such a shift should only be contemplated as part of a broader public consultation process.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Bill S-7 could have potentially crippling effects on small broadcasters and cable companies, some politicians suggested during an April 17 meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Committee vice-chair Dennis Mills stated he was reluctant to move forward on Senator Sheila Finestone’s bill before an impact analysis was completed.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

CRTC chair Charles Dalfen is unconvinced that the U.S. style of broadcast and telecom regulation that reveals how commissioners vote can be transferred to the Canadian system. Opening the vote process at the CRTC is one of several proposals on regulatory reform put forward recently by the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA).

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Canadian broadcasters say that technological solutions may solve the problem of personal video recorders potentially ruining the existing advertising model of television broadcasting. They were reacting to a keynote address at the Canadian Cable Television Association’s annual convention last week in Vancouver by Leo Hindery Jr., who warned broadcasters that an unexpected consequence of a massive rollout of the PVR could be the demise of a system run on advertising dollars as viewers use the devices to skip over commercials.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.