Cogeco rolls out VOD in Ontario, Quebec in hopes of boosting digital service

Cogeco Cable Inc. is hoping the rollout of video-on-demand across the territories it serves in Ontario and Quebec will boost its digital cable service, as it faces intense competition from satellite TV providers, both legal and illegal. Canada’s fourth-largest cableco has already completed "soft" rollouts of VOD in several cities in the two provinces, joining Rogers Cable Inc. (CCR Update, Oct. 17/02; CCR, March 1/02) and Shaw Cablesystems (CCR, July 4/02) in trying to give its digital cable service an edge over satellite. It’s harder for satellite distributors to offer VOD services because they don’t yet have two-way broadband capabilities, and cablecos across North America are now aggressively trying to capitalize on this shortcoming. Vidéotron ltée, Canada’s other major cable player, is currently testing VOD and hopes to launch the service commercially around Christmas or early in the new year, according to a Vidéotron spokesperson. Using Concurrent Computer Corp. equipment, Cogeco’s VOD service is similar to Rogers’, which is powered by SeaChange International equipment, in that customers can order movies using their remote control. Shaw customers must go on the Internet to place an order for a VOD title. Hélène Dubuc, Cogeco’s communications and programming VP for Quebec, tells Canadian Communications Reports that VOD is now available in Shawinigan, Trois-Rivières and Drummondville. In Ontario, Maureen Tilson Dyment, Cogeco’s director of communications and programming for Ontario, says the service is already available in Hamilton (CCR, Oct. 24/02). "The soft launch is going well in Hamilton. For not promoting it, we’ve got people who are busy using it, and the word is spreading because people so enjoy the instant convenience," Tilson Dyment says. "We’re just now starting to substantially promote the service in Hamilton. The marketing campaign includes flyer insertions in the Hamilton daily." In Quebec, the service is expected to be rolled out in St.-Hyacinthe, St.-Georges de Beauce, Thetford Mines and Rimouski by December 11, with Ste.-Adèle, Mont-Tremblant, Alma, Roberval, Baie-Comeau and Sept.-Iles getting hooked up sometime in January 2003, and Magog, Plessisville, Montmagny, Matane and Valleyfield joining a month later. Rollout plans in Ontario include Niagara getting on the VOD train next week, and Kingston, Burlington/Oakville and St. Catharines are scheduled to be hooked up in December. Belleville/Trenton, Sarnia, Wallaceburg, Windsor and Leamington are due to come on board in January, and Peterborough, Lindsay, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Cornwall and Coburg in either February or March. Cogeco announced on November 14 that Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. will provide movies for its VOD service under a long-term supply agreement. Alliance Atlantis will provide old and current movies, including new releases such as Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, as part of the service’s inaugural launch. "Cogeco Cable can now offer its digital clients very easy and user-friendly access to its video-on-demand service, allowing them to watch, at their convenience, movies selected from the huge Alliance Atlantis library," Cogeco president and CEO Louis Audet noted in a news release. Alliance Atlantis announced a similar agreement to supply content for Shaw’s VOD service in September (CCR Update, Sept. 18/02). Tilson Dyment and Dubuc point out that Cogeco has other product suppliers for its VOD service, including Hallmark Entertainment, Lion’s Gate Entertainment, Federal Hill, Videoville Showtime, Distribution S.E.L., Crystal Films, A&E and Corus Entertainment. But Dubuc notes that Alliance Atlantis will provide most of the new releases on offer. Old films and content from the library are priced at $2.99 per choice with viewing allowed in a 24-hour time period, $5.49 for new releases, and $8.49 for adult content.

Cogeco rolls out VOD in Ontario, Quebec in hopes of boosting digital service

News | 11/22/2002 5:00 am EST

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