TAGGED AS BLUE ANT MEDIA INC.
Blue Ant and marblemedia announce merger
Media | 08/10/2023 4:26 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media and Marblemedia have decided to merge their operations into one firm, the companies said on Thursday. Marblemedia’s Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg will serve as co-presidents of the new venture, reporting to Blue Ant CEO Michael MacMillan.
“With Mark...
Unions opposed to broadcasters’ calls to lighten regulatory load until C-11 is fully implemented
Media | 06/16/2023 4:35 pm EDT
Several trade unions representing Canadian media members, artists, and producers are opposed to Corus Entertainment Inc.’s and other Canadian broadcasters’ calls for the...
CRTC grants CanCon producers flexibility on stock footage costs
Media | 03/24/2023 5:30 pm EDT
The CRTC has adjusted how it considers the use of stock footage for the...
Unscripted series the wave of the future for streamers, CMPA conference hears
Media | 02/06/2023 1:31 pm EST
OTTAWA–Streaming is the way of the future, a panel told the Canadian...
Broadcasters opposed to STB measurement system proposal
Media | 12/18/2019 6:12 pm EST
Several independent broadcasters have written to the CRTC to say the regulator shouldn’t grant a request by TV providers to change a rule forcing cable and IPTV services to hand over viewership...
Unclear who owns set-top box data, broadcasters argue
telecom | 08/21/2019 5:48 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. hasn’t established that it actually owns the set-top box data at the centre of a new...
Content exporters ask consulting panel for CMF envelope they can access, match
Media | 03/12/2019 7:07 pm EDT
A trade association for Canadian-based television and content distribution companies is seeking new federal incentives it says would lead to increasing up-front distributor...
CBC calls for site-blocking provisions for ‘manipulated content’
Media | 01/11/2019 4:09 pm EST
CBC/Radio-Canada wants the federal government to grant the CRTC the ability...
CRTC dismisses bias complaint against Bell Fund
Media | 01/08/2019 5:37 pm EST
The CRTC has dismissed in part a complaint lodged against BCE Inc.’s Bell Fund earlier this year by a...
Blue Ant buying Saloon Media
Media | 10/11/2018 3:45 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. is acquiring Saloon Media, a Toronto production company “specializing in globally relevant factual television,” it said in a press release Thursday. Saloon Media’s shows include Mummies Alive and...
Blue Ant names new VP, says it will focus on Canadian, U.S. market
Media | 10/10/2018 1:58 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. has named Julie Chang its new vice-president of...
Change Bell Fund rules, media companies ask
Media | 05/15/2018 7:08 pm EDT
On Monday, the CRTC published a complaint from a group of media production companies including...
Jamie Schouela to helm Blue Ant’s Canadian media operations
Media | 01/08/2018 12:28 pm EST
In a press release on Monday, Blue Ant Media Inc. announced the promotion...
Music channel denied Canadian distribution
Media | 12/21/2017 10:36 am EST
The CRTC has denied an application by Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. (ECGL) to bring a Polish music channel to Canada after Blue Ant Media Inc. and Stingray Digital Group Inc. said it would interfere with their own services. The...
Blue Ant Media CEO Raja Khanna steps down
Media | 11/21/2017 5:17 pm EST
In an emailed statement, Blue Ant Media Inc. has confirmed the resignation of its CEO of television and...
Blue Ant makes two int’l executive hires
Media | 11/14/2017 11:00 am EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. has hired two new executives at its Kids & Global Networks division, the company said in a media release on Tuesday morning.
BAM Asia, a subsidiary of Blue Ant, now has a new CEO in Beatrice Lee. She will be in charge of “managing and growing...
Blue Ant opening animation studio
Media | 10/12/2017 2:38 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. is launching an animation studio, the company said in a press release Thursday....
Videotron takes Wholesale Code dispute with Rogers to CRTC
Media | 10/05/2017 6:27 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC...
U.S. broadcasters look to resume retransmission row
Media | 07/21/2017 2:52 pm EDT
A group of American TV stations seems to be renewing its efforts to put compensation for signals...
CMF appoints two board members
Media | 07/06/2017 4:51 pm EDT
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has made two new appointments to its board of directors.
Michael Schmalz...
Sam Sniderman takes on new role at Blue Ant
Media | 06/26/2017 2:17 pm EDT
Sam Sniderman has been named global head of commercial affairs and production at Blue Ant Media Inc., effective immediately.
Sniderman, who is based on the United Kingdom, will be responsible for the financial and commercial performance of the company’s international...
Blue Ant names Alex Maldini VP of international sales
Media | 06/20/2017 12:11 pm EDT
Alex Maldini is the new vice-president of international sales and acquisitions at Blue Ant Media Inc.,...
Blue Ant buys Racat in int’l expansion move
Media | 05/24/2017 4:17 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. has acquired Racat Group, with international assets that include production houses and mobile game developers. As part of the deal, announced Wednesday, Blue Ant gets Racat’s New Zealand-based natural...
Nick Solowski joins Blue Ant
Media | 03/08/2017 5:15 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. has appointed Nick Solowski as its new director of international sales and acquisitions. He will be responsible for licensing Blue Ant content in various international markets, including the U.S. Hispanic...
Canadian tech, telecom community offers support in wake of U.S. travel ban
Media | 01/30/2017 4:08 pm EST
More than 1,700 people representing a variety of tech and telecom companies have signed on to an open letter opposing U.S. President Donald Trump’s weekend executive order blocking entry of...
Blue Ant partners on Canadian BBC Earth channel
Media | 12/06/2016 5:47 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. and BBC will launch the BBC Earth channel in Canada in January, the companies said in a Tuesday press release. The channel, scheduled to begin broadcasting on Jan. 24,...
Industry association for CanCon exports formed
Media | 11/17/2016 10:45 pm EST
An industry association representing Canadian distributors and exporters of TV and digital content has been formed, with the intention of helping develop content at home and export it abroad. The Canadian Association of...
Blue Ant sells 4 shows to Discovery Communications
Media | 11/14/2016 7:11 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. has sold four reality shows to Discovery Communications Inc., which will be broadcast on Discovery’s channels airing in the United States and Latin America. Blue Ant said in...
Bell’s Wholesale Code appeal, conditions of licence ask face stiff opposition
Media | 08/26/2016 9:14 pm EDT
BCE Inc. has “unclean hands” in its effort to have the Wholesale Code overturned by the federal Appeal Court while simultaneously applying to have removed certain conditions of...
Blue Ant sells lifestyle series abroad
Media | 06/28/2016 9:15 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. has sold several original series to international buyers, the company announced Tuesday. In a press release, the content distribution company said four home sales and renovation series will be distributed in the United States, Latin America, Italy, Israel, Spain, India and the United Arab Emirates. “Our premium lifestyles series have been well-received around the globe by tapping into universal desires, while fulfilling our remit of providing high quality content and service to our clients worldwide,” Solange Attwood, senior vice-president of Blue...
Heritage’s CanCon review could take a decade to play out, panel hears
Media | 05/05/2016 10:06 pm EDT
OTTAWA — The results of the sweeping review of Canadian content in a digital age announced by Heritage Canada last week could take 10 years to materialize, University of Ottawa law professor...
Blue Ant launches 4K streaming app
Media | 02/23/2016 4:49 pm EST
Blue Skye Entertainment, a joint venture between Blue Ant Media Inc. and Smithsonian Networks, announced Monday it has launched a 4K subscription video-on-demand app called Love Nature. It’s available in 32...
4K’s appeal extends beyond sports, say experts
Media | 01/22/2016 9:22 pm EST
While Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. are getting the ball rolling on 4K broadcasting in Canada with a heavy emphasis on sports, others feel food, nature, music videos and outdoor adventure programming are also the kinds of content that would work well in ultra-high definition. Chris Knight, CEO at Ottawa-based Gusto TV, said in a phone...
Freemantle’s Jens Richter slated for Prime Time keynote
Media | 01/11/2016 3:26 pm EST
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) said Monday that Jens Richter, CEO of FremantleMedia Ltd.'s international division, will be part of a keynote conversation at this year's Prime Time in Ottawa event. He will be joined on on the morning Friday, Feb. 5, by Raja Khanna, CEO of Blue Ant Media Inc.'s...
Blue Ant partners with Smithsonian Networks to create content
Media | 12/14/2015 2:33 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. announced Monday it has partnered with Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between CBS Corp.’s Showtime and the Smithsonian Institution, to create Blue Skye Entertainment, in order to develop and distribute 4K natural history and wildlife content. It said in the press release that Blue Skye Entertainment will operate out of the United Kingdom and distribute content globally via streaming video-on-demand as well as linear TV services under Blue Ant’s Love Nature brand and Smithsonian’s stand-alone streaming service, Smithsonian Earth. "Blue Skye...
Blue Ant sells content to Asia
Media | 11/27/2015 2:59 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc.’s international division announced Friday it has made sales of more than 175 hours of content from its catalogue of factual, factual entertainment, nature and wildlife, lifestyle and documentary series to...
Blue Ant to distribute Cream Productions content
Media | 11/24/2015 2:26 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc.’s international division announced Tuesday in a press release that it has signed a multi-year, exclusive distribution deal with Cream Productions Inc., an international factual content creator based in...
Blue Ant makes several leadership changes
Media | 11/18/2015 6:56 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. on Wednesday announced several changes to its leadership team, including the appointment of Jamie Schouela to the newly created position of executive vice-president of Canadian networks. Blue Ant said in a...
Blue Ant makes 4K channel available worldwide
Media | 10/01/2015 1:26 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. announced Thursday that its 4K Love Nature channel content is now available for worldwide distribution. The content company said in a press release that the 4K content will be available on linear and streaming...
Blue Ant launches new 4K content at MIPCOM conference
Media | 09/22/2015 1:42 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. announced Tuesday that its international division will launch new 4K titles in the nature, wildlife and documentary categories at MIPCOM, a global entertainment content conference. Blue Ant said in the press...
Blue Ant seeks CanCon quota reduction
Media | 08/31/2015 3:55 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. has asked the CRTC to require less Canadian content on its Cottage Life specialty channel for the remainder of its contract that expires in three years. Blue Ant said in its application, which appeared on the...
Canadian OTT startup looks to take on the world
Media | 08/17/2015 8:01 pm EDT
An emerging Canadian provider of over-the-top (OTT) video content hopes that reaching viewers around the world, and particularly those with very specific interests, translates into keys to success in the fast-changing television...
Canadian company plans niche OTT channels
Media | 08/11/2015 3:47 pm EDT
Toronto-based TableRock Media announced on Tuesday plans to launch niche Internet-based video channels for worldwide distribution, starting next year. The company said in a press release that it would create channels dedicated to...
Blue Ant sells content to Eastern Europe
Media | 06/09/2015 3:08 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. announced Tuesday sales of more than 100 hours of nature and wildlife content from its factual, lifestyle, reality and documentary series catalogue for distribution in Eastern Europe and other international locations. The company said in a press release that it sold content to AMC Networks Inc.’s global division for distribution in Central Europe, ITI Neovision SA for viewing in Poland, and Discovery Communications Inc. for consumption in Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “Blue Ant International is thrilled that our robust slate of premium...
Broadcasters, BDUs at odds over proposed wholesale code
Media | 05/08/2015 8:49 pm EDT
While many broadcasters and TV providers expressed support for the CRTC’s proposed changes to its wholesale code, which governs carriage agreements for TV channels, they took differing positions...
Jean-Pierre Blais to speak at Banff conference in June
Media | 04/17/2015 8:00 pm EDT
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will give the keynote address to the Banff World Media Festival on June 7, according to a press release from the organizers of the event. Blais will speak to the...
Bell Media’s Crull takes aim at U.S. channel retransmission
Media | 03/06/2015 10:04 pm EST
OTTAWA — The retransmission of U.S. networks in Canada is the equivalent of Aereo, the service ruled illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, Kevin Crull, president of BCE Inc.'s media...
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting at odds with Bell over TV ad
Media | 02/25/2015 9:54 pm EST
Advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting say a television ad was turned down by Canada’s largest broadcasters, yet at least one company says it has no record of the denial. In the...
Blue Ant appoints Kate Blank to run international arm
Media | 02/18/2015 3:34 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. said Wednesday it has appointed Kate Blank as director of international sales for the Asia-Pacific Region, German-speaking countries, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In a news release, the company said Blank was joining from Toronto-based production company Breakthrough Entertainment Inc., where she was director of international distribution. Blue Ant launched its international distribution arm in March 2014....
VMedia secures Blue Ant content for cloud-TV service
Media | 01/22/2015 8:14 pm EST
VMedia Inc. said it has secured its first specialty-TV channels for the cloud-based PVR service it makes available to IPTV customers. The company said in a news release Thursday that it has reached a deal to include Blue Ant...
Streaming services present ‘exciting’ opportunity: production exec
Media | 11/14/2014 10:03 pm EST
It makes sense that David Cormican is optimistic about the impact new streaming services will have on Canadian producers. He’s halfway through the shoot of a new show called Between. It's a teenager-focused drama about a group of youth quarantined by the government after the outbreak of a mysterious disease. It...
Laura Pearce new brand strategy VP at Blue Ant
Media | 10/20/2014 8:56 pm EDT
Laura Pearce is the new vice-president of brand strategy and fan engagement at Blue Ant Media Inc. “Her expertise will be a key asset in growing the company’s 10 media brands, including Cottage Life, T+E, Oasis and...
Blue Ant to make 4K programming
Media | 10/09/2014 6:15 pm EDT
Independent broadcaster Blue Ant Media Inc. will make 200 hours of 4K, or ultra high-definition, “nature and wildlife” content each year, the company said in a press release Wednesday. “Over 150 hours of...
Penetration-based pricing biggest barrier to pick-and-pay: analyst
Media | 07/09/2014 1:51 pm EDT
The biggest challenge standing in the way of a pick-and-pay TV system is the current penetration-based rate card regime, Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan said in a research note....
Blue Ant Media partners with YouTube-focused music network
Media | 04/01/2014 7:35 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc., a Toronto-based media group, said Tuesday it has struck a partnership with Omnia Media, which it said is the third-largest largest music-focused network on Google Inc.’s...
Blue Ant Media goes international
Media | 03/21/2014 5:36 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. has officially launched its international distribution arm, the company said this week. The Toronto-based distributor of television content said in a press release Thursday that its new division is called Blue...
Variety on television must be preserved, says Bell’s Crull
Media | 02/20/2014 10:26 pm EST
OTTAWA — Industry executives disagreed about the best way to give consumers more choice as they discussed the CRTC’s ongoing review of the television system during a panel discussion at...
Shaw offering free previews of Blue Ant channels
Media | 05/29/2013 9:44 pm EDT
Blue Ant Media Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. reached an agreement to offer Shaw cable subscribers free previews of three Blue Ant specialty channels. Shaw cable customers will have free access to HIFI, eqHD and radX until July 4, and Shaw Direct satellite TV will offer the free previews until August 29, Blue Ant said in a release Monday. HIFI and eqHD offer documentary programming and radX features adventure and action films....
Blue Ant appoints new production exec
Media | 02/15/2013 12:54 am EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. appointed Sam Linton as its executive in charge of production, Blue Ant said Wednesday. In a release, Blue Ant said Linton has more than 24 years of experience in production and programming. He previously held the position of vice-president executive producer at Toronto-based RTR Media Inc., the release said. Blue Ant...