International legislators flag regulatory options for data giants

Media | 05/29/2019 6:01 pm EDT

OTTAWA - Legislators on Tuesday gave some sense of what regulatory options...

Don’t allow white space devices above 608 MHz, ISED hears

telecom | 02/22/2018 5:59 pm EST

Innovation Canada (ISED) is hearing from both telecoms and broadcasters that it should go ahead with its proposal to limit white space devices to bands below 608 MHz, though for very different...

Automated advertising set to grow in Canada: report

Media | 12/19/2017 3:22 pm EST

Canadian programmatic digital ad spending will account for two-thirds of display advertising by 2018, says a recent report from market research company eMarketer Inc. released on Tuesday. Programmatic ads are purchased and...

Google doesn’t have to comply with SCC order: U.S. court

telecom | 11/03/2017 4:56 pm EDT

Alphabet Inc.’s Google does not have to comply with an order from...

Creative Canada ‘cultural policy, not tax policy’: Joly

Media | 11/02/2017 9:39 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Opposition MPs continued their criticism of Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s cultural strategy during Joly’s appearance at the House standing committee on Canadian Heritage late Thursday afternoon, including questioning the minister about imposing sales tax...

Opposition MPs say conflict of interest in Heritage office

Media | 06/15/2017 5:26 pm EDT

Alphabet Inc.’s Google Canada lobbied Leslie Church, its former...

SOCAN acquires MediaNet

Media | 05/16/2016 8:52 pm EDT

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) has purchased Seattle-based music technology company MediaNet. The organization said the move will improve its ability to match music to its right holder and help increase revenue for rights holders, especially those whose...

What inroads will virtual reality make in TV, communications?

Media | 03/29/2016 9:37 pm EDT

This week is a long-awaited one for virtual reality enthusiasts, as Facebook Inc. starts to ship its Oculus Rift headset to people who pre-ordered their $599 US devices as far in advance as early...

Apple gathers support in FBI dispute

telecom | 03/04/2016 9:14 pm EST

Major tech companies have filed documents with the U.S. courts in support of Apple Inc.'s position against creating a workaround for investigators to access encrypted information on an iPhone connected with the Dec. 2 attack...

WhatsApp won’t be available on BlackBerry by end of year

Media | 02/29/2016 10:32 pm EST

Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp will stop supporting its messenger app on most BlackBerry Inc. devices by the end of the year, the company said in a blog post Friday. Company...

Google can appeal B.C. court’s worldwide injuction: Supreme Court

telecom | 02/18/2016 10:29 pm EST

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday it has granted Google Inc. leave to appeal a B.C. court decision that issued an injuction stopping Google from linking to a company in its search results....

CRTC won’t change course despite appeals, criticism: Blais

Media | 02/17/2016 11:05 pm EST

CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Wednesday the CRTC will stick to the course of action it has set despite disapproval by those who feel the CRTC’s direction “upsets their entitlements...

CRTC proposes fund for local TV news

Media | 01/12/2016 8:33 pm EST

The CRTC is proposing a new fund to support local TV news programming, which would be funded by existing financial resources within the broadcasting system. The proposal was included a paper released Tuesday, which will be used...

Shaw’s FreeRange TV first step in transition to IP-based system

Media | 01/06/2016 9:09 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. on Wednesday began publicizing the first phase in a transformation of its television service that it hopes gives consumers reason to choose its TV service over competitors and over the option of having no TV service at all. It announced the availability of an application called FreeRange TV, which Shaw chief operating officer Jay Mehr said will allow the company's TV customers to get the full range of their TV subscriptions on mobile devices within their homes or while out and about. "We think it's a major step forward," he said in a phone interview. "The ability to take everything you subscribe to on your TV, at no extra charge, onto your...

Content on multiple platforms can lower future revenue: report

Media | 12/18/2015 3:48 pm EST

Having premium content on linear TV and on over-the-top (OTT) services can cause adverse effects on revenue growth and will cause consumers to expect lower costs for premium TV content, according to a...

BlackBerry mum on quarterly smartphone sales

Media | 12/18/2015 2:53 pm EST

BlackBerry Ltd. did not provide figures on smartphone sales for its third fiscal quarter, leaving it undisclosed how well its first smartphones to run on Android software are selling. The Canadian smartphone-maker and...

Yahoo launches mobile app in U.S. to find OTT content

Media | 12/11/2015 8:04 pm EST

Yahoo Inc. announced Thursday the launch of its Yahoo Video Guide mobile app for customers in the United States to search for video content across multiple services they have installed on their devices. The company said in a blog...

Walmart announces mobile payment function for U.S.

telecom | 12/11/2015 3:20 pm EST

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Thursday that it is launching a mobile-payment function for stores in the United States. It said in a press release that certain stores will start accepting mobile payments from the Walmart app this...

Millennials consume most TV, video content online: MTM

Media | 12/10/2015 8:32 pm EST

Canadian millennials, defined as individuals aged 18 to 34, spend 31.8 hours a week on the Internet and are more likely to watch TV and video content online than those aged 34 and above, who spend 16.5 hours per week online, according to a new report released by Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. MTM said Thursday in the report that most “millenials are more interested in watching TV over the Internet,” and indicated that 75 per cent of Generation Z, aged 18 to 25, and 72 per cent of Generation Y, aged 26 to 34, watch TV online, compared to only 40...

Netflix’s share of peak traffic hits 37% in North America: Sandvine

Media | 12/07/2015 4:50 pm EST

Audio and video traffic — or real-time entertainment — now accounts for more than 70 per cent of download traffic on fixed Internet networks during peak periods in North America, with Netflix Inc.'s share now 37.1 per cent, an increase from 36.5 per cent a year earlier, according to a report released Monday...

Smartphone shipment growth slowed this year: IDC

telecom | 12/03/2015 5:32 pm EST

Worldwide smartphone shipments in 2015 are expected to be 9.8 per cent more than last year for a total of 1.43 billion units, marking the first time that percentage growth for this product has been less than double digits,...

Google folds Songza into new, free music service

Media | 12/03/2015 2:41 pm EST

Google Inc. is folding its music-streaming service Songza into a new ad-supported, free tier of Google Play Music. Wendy Manton, a Google spokeswoman, said in an email that this is happening everywhere Songza had been available,...

Data analytics key to discoverability, CRTC hears

Media | 12/01/2015 8:50 pm EST

The use of data analytics to build a global audience steered much of the discussion around content discoverability at an event hosted by the CRTC in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The panel of experts...

Mélanie Joly hires Leslie Church as chief of staff

Media | 11/26/2015 6:00 pm EST

Leslie Church, head of communications and public affairs at Google Inc.’s Canadian division, is Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s new chief of staff. She said on Twitter Thursday that she was “very...

Google launches YouTube Kids in Canada

Media | 11/18/2015 4:02 pm EST

Google Inc. announced Wednesday it is launching in Canada its YouTube app for children.  It said in a blogpost that the YouTube Kids app will be a “safer version of YouTube, a family-friendly place for kids to explore...

MTS to offer CTV, TSN TV-everywhere apps

Media | 11/12/2015 5:38 pm EST

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Thursday that all of its TV customers will have access to BCE Inc.’s TSN GO and CTV GO mobile apps for free. MTS said in a press release that the apps are available through Apple...

Apple Music available on Android

Media | 11/11/2015 2:42 pm EST

Apple Inc. has made its music-streaming app available for Android devices. The Apple Music website now includes a link, that takes users to the Google Play store, to download what it calls a "beta" version of the app...

YouTube more popular with richer, educated Canadians: survey

Media | 11/10/2015 8:55 pm EST

A majority of Canadians reported in a survey this year they are users of Google Inc.'s YouTube video-streaming service, with the likelihood increasing among those further up on the income and education ladders. Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio Canada, said in a report released Tuesday that 69 per cent of Canadians surveyed this spring reported having used YouTube at least once in the past month. That was up from 64 per cent in a survey done a year earlier and 57 per cent in the fall of 2011. The rate of people using YouTube was 83 per cent among those in households...

Napster launches music subscription service to Canadians

Media | 11/02/2015 4:37 pm EST

Rhapsody International Inc.’s music subscription service, Napster, announced Monday that its subscription service is now available in Canada. It said in a press release that, for a limited...

Smartphone shipments up 8.4% in Q3: Juniper

Media | 10/29/2015 5:51 pm EDT

Juniper Research Ltd. said Thursday that global smartphone shipments in this year's third quarter totalled 342.5 million, representing growth of 8.4 per cent. It said in the press release that Apple Inc.’s iPhones...

Smartphone shipments rise 6.8% in Q3: IDC

Media | 10/28/2015 3:53 pm EDT

Worldwide smartphone shipments grew 6.8 per cent from a year earlier in the third quarter to 355.2 million units, up from 332.6 million units in the same period the previous year, according to a new report from International...

Youtube to launch paid video subscription service

Media | 10/22/2015 2:23 pm EDT

Google Inc.’s Youtube announced Wednesday it will launch a new paid video subscription service that will have ad-free original content. It said in a blog post that the service, called Youtube Red, will be available on all...

Liberals to be ‘less aggressive’ on 4th-player policy: analyst

Media | 10/20/2015 8:21 pm EDT

Canaccord Genuity analysts Aravinda Galappatthige and Sanford Lee said Tuesday that they expect a Liberal majority government, as elected Monday, to take a “softer pro-wireless new entrant stance.” They said in a research note that the previous Conservative government had “consistently pursued the idea of a fourth national wireless player” through policies such as spectrum caps and set-asides in spectrum auctions, expecting that more competition would lower prices for...

Rogers, Telus on opposing sides of zero-rated music case

Media | 10/15/2015 8:39 pm EDT

An undue-preference complaint against a music streaming service offered by Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has Rogers Communications Inc. arguing that zero-rating the service is a net-neutrality...

Employee app reviews cost Bell $1.25M

Media | 10/14/2015 6:42 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau said Wednesday it has reached a deal with BCE Inc. in which the company will pay a fine of $1.25 million for urging employees to make positive online reviews about Bell apps. The bureau added in a press...

Quebecor creates initiative to help YouTube content creators

Media | 10/05/2015 2:06 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Groupe Média announced Monday it has launched an initiative to help Google Inc.’s YouTube content creators maximize their impact and visibility. It said in a...

iPhone users more likely to stream: MTM

Media | 10/01/2015 6:12 pm EDT

Apple Inc.’s iPhone owners stream audio and video content more than any other device owners, according to a new report released by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. The report said that among...

Android-powered BlackBerry confirmed

Media | 09/25/2015 1:51 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. on Thursday confirmed that it will be releasing a smartphone that runs on Google Inc.'s Android system within the coming months. It said in a press release that the device will be called the Priv and feature a...

File sharing down due to popularity of OTT: Sandvine

Media | 09/24/2015 6:10 pm EDT

The proportion of Internet traffic taken up by peer-to-peer file sharing is down in Canada due to the ongoing popularity of over-the-top (OTT) services, according to Sandvine Inc., a network management provider. It said in a blog...

BlackBerry completes acquisition of AtHoc

telecom | 09/23/2015 2:09 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. announced Wednesday it has completed its acquisition of AtHoc Inc., a software provider for secure networked crisis communication. It said in the press release that AtHoc will operate as a division of BlackBerry...

Google rolls out Android Pay

telecom | 09/11/2015 2:14 pm EDT

Google Inc. announced Thursday on its official Android blog it has launched Android Pay. The blog post said that, after downloading the app onto any NFC-enabled Android device, users can use it for payments at more than a million...

Where federal parties stand on telecom, media issues

Media | 09/09/2015 4:48 pm EDT

Telecommunications and media have not been prominent issues in this year's federal election campaign, taking a backseat to things such as the Mike Duffy trial, the deficit and Syrian refugees. The Wire Report has made repeated attempts to talk with the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP about their stances toward telecom and media, but has been largely ignored. However, here is a look at statements, documents and publicly disclosed initiatives of the three major parties that are indicative of the positions they hold on telecom and media, or have at least held recently. Conservatives As...

Another complaint emerges against Videotron’s music service

Media | 09/08/2015 5:24 pm EDT

Another application has been submitted to the CRTC that protests an offer by Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron to not count data used by its mobile customers for certain music-streaming applications. Vaxination Informatique, a telecommunication consulting company, has launched its own undue-preference complaint about...

Visually attractive equipment prioritized in WiFi deployment

telecom | 09/04/2015 4:44 pm EDT

WiFi hardware is increasingly being designed to blend in with the surrounding environment or be more esthetically pleasing, and the providers of such technology say they are able to do so without...

Rogers Radio teams with YouTube

Media | 09/04/2015 2:21 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Friday that its radio division will team with Google Inc.'s YouTube for a weekly show that will look at the hottest trends in music, fashion, entertainment and gaming. Rogers said in a press...

CBS to live-stream first regular-season NFL game

Media | 09/02/2015 6:38 pm EDT

CBS Corp.’s sports division said Tuesday that next month it will live-stream a regular-season National Football League game for the first time. The game featured is an Oct. 4 matchup between the New York Jets and Miami...

PIAC launches complaint against Videotron music service

Media | 09/01/2015 8:45 pm EDT

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is asking the CRTC to direct Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron to change the price structure of its new music service, which exempts data consumed through some music streaming apps from data caps. Videotron “favours its own mobile service by making it more attractive and less expensive to use at the expense of all other [Internet] use and in particular any other non-covered audio content, streamed or otherwise,” PIAC said in a Part 1 complaint filed Tuesday. Videotron introduced the service, called Unlimited Music, last week. It allows...

Major tech companies form new-media consortium

Media | 09/01/2015 5:57 pm EDT

Seven technology companies announced on Tuesday a new alliance to develop next-generation media formats, codecs and technologies to meet demand for better video, audio, imagery and streaming quality across all platforms and...

Amazon adds download option for Prime customers

Media | 09/01/2015 2:17 pm EDT

Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Video members in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Austria will now be able to download movies and TV shows for easy offline viewing at no additional cost, the company said in a press...

Android Wear now compatible with iPhones

Media | 08/31/2015 4:54 pm EDT

Google Inc. said Monday that its Android Wear operating system for smartwatches can now work with Apple Inc.'s iPhones. Google said in a blog that LG Corp.'s Watch Urbane is the first device the iPhone-compliant version...

Net-neutrality advocates cry foul over Videotron music service

Media | 08/27/2015 8:15 pm EDT

MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is giving itself an undue preference with a new service that allows its mobile customers to listen to music streaming without it counting against their...

Stingray, Google, Rdio joining Videotron for announcement

Media | 08/26/2015 2:53 pm EDT

Representatives from Stingray Digital Group Inc., Google Inc.’s Google Music and Rdio Inc. will take part in the announcement about the new music service from Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron on...

Experts question feasibility of low-orbit satellites for Internet

telecom | 08/25/2015 7:24 pm EDT

Some of the world’s most well-known investors, including Richard Branson and Elon Musk, are betting that new projects that involve putting thousands of satellites into low orbit will bring the...

Instagram users more tech savvy: MTM

Media | 08/24/2015 5:56 pm EDT

A new report released Monday from Media Technology Monitor (MTM) says 85 per cent of Canadian users of Facebook Inc.’s photo and video-sharing app, Instagram, are younger than 50 and most are prone to owning new technology....

Global smartphone sales growth slows

Media | 08/21/2015 7:17 pm EDT

Worldwide smartphone sales in this year's second quarter grew at their slowest rate since 2013, largely as a result of the first year-to-year decline on record for sales of smartphones in China, Gartner Inc. said Thursday....

Google releases new WiFi router

telecom | 08/18/2015 6:10 pm EDT

Google Inc., in partnership with TP-LINK Technologies Co. Ltd., announced Tuesday it is launching a new WiFi router that it says will provide faster and more efficient Internet connections. OnHub, the router that looks like a black cup, has a “unique antenna design … [which] searches the airwaves and selects the best channel for the fastest connection,” Google said in a blog post. The router’s internal software runs in the background “automatically adjusting OnHub to avoid interference and keep your network at peak performance,” the company said. The router is managed and set up through the Google On app, which is available on Android software operated systems as well as Apple Inc.’s iOS, Google said. The blog noted that the app “tells you how much bandwith your devices are using, lets you run...

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...

Harper comes out against ‘Netflix tax’ in video

Media | 08/06/2015 1:52 pm EDT

Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday posted a video of himself on Twitter standing in front of a screen with a Netflix logo and criticizing calls for taxes on video-streaming services. In the video, Harper said he is a fan...

Federal election debates enter YouTube era

Media | 08/04/2015 4:22 pm EDT

Google Inc. said Tuesday that this Thursday's federal election debate will mark the first time such an event has been broadcast live and in full on its YouTube platform.  Google's blog post noted that this debate...

White House announces program to bring broadband to poor

telecom | 07/15/2015 5:05 pm EDT

The office of U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a program to bring broadband Internet to 275,000 low-income households across the country, in partnership with local governments and...

Digital activists push for free wireless Internet for all

telecom | 07/10/2015 6:50 pm EDT

A movement is underway to make wireless Internet access ubiquitous and free in most urban environments, with people's home routers as the source of these public connections. The people behind this idea have a few specific goals in mind to help their vision become reality: creating a highly secure router that efficiently divides a home's private network from that accessible to the public, and convincing people that using such technology is worth their while. Adi Kamdar, an activist with a San Francisco-based non-profit called the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which started the Open...

‘Arbitrary’ limits in Industry Canada transparency guidelines: critics

telecom | 06/30/2015 8:49 pm EDT

Industry Canada’s new guidelines for transparency reports released by telecom companies put unnecessary limits on how information should be reported, according to two academics with expertise in...

Corus launches first kids’ app

Media | 06/29/2015 4:07 pm EDT

Corus Entertainment Inc. announced Monday the launch of TreehouseGO, its first kids' app in a "full suite" of TV Everywhere apps based on its kids' television brands. The company said in a press release that the launch of the apps is part of a move to expand Corus’ digital content. The release said the app is safe and easy to...

Hexoskin shirts available through Best Buy

Media | 06/26/2015 8:20 pm EDT

Hexoskin, a Montreal-based maker of shirts that capture biometric information about people, said this week that its products were to become available on the Canadian website of Best Buy Co. Inc. as of Friday. The company said in...

Bell says its gigabit service marks ‘major shift’ in telecom

telecom | 06/25/2015 9:14 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is leveraging its fibre-to-the-home network to launch a new gigabit Internet service, making it the first large telecommunications company in Canada to offer such connections. It will launch first in Toronto, where 50,000 homes and businesses will have “first access” to the Gigabit Fibe service this...

Google launches free music-streaming service in U.S.

Media | 06/23/2015 7:55 pm EDT

Google Inc. announced in a blog post Tuesday it will be adding to its current Google Play Music offering a free, ad-supported music streaming service. It will give users “a new way to find just the right music and ......

Pay app launched for Android, BlackBerry, while Apple users wait

Media | 06/23/2015 7:26 pm EDT

A mobile payment application owned and supported by Canada's three biggest wireless providers was announced Tuesday for Android and BlackBerry phones, while iPhone users are left waiting for Apple...

Privacy commish criticizes targeted ads on ‘sensitive topics’

Media | 06/15/2015 4:26 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said in a report Monday that some targeted ads are tracking online behaviour related to “sensitive topics,” such as divorce and pregnancy, without...

Court upholds injunction against Google results for company

Media | 06/12/2015 6:36 pm EDT

The British Columbia Court of Appeal this week upheld an injunction against a certain company turning up in Google searches because the company is alleged to be infringing on the rights of another...

BlackBerry declines comment on Android report

Media | 06/12/2015 4:12 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. declined Friday to comment on a report that it was considering using Google Inc.'s Android software in an upcoming smartphone. Reuters reported Thursday that four sources with knowledge of the matter said BlackBerry was considering using the Android operating system as a way to shift its focus more toward software and device management, and less on creating the actual devices. In an emailed statement, BlackBerry said: "We don’t comment on rumours and speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and...

Changes made to Google’s privacy controls

Media | 06/01/2015 4:23 pm EDT

Google Inc. announced Monday changes to its privacy and security settings. It said in a blog post the changes will include an easier way of managing user privacy controls, as well as the creation of a new website that answers questions about privacy and security settings.   In the past, account holders had to sift through several of the search...

Google launches IoT platform

telecom | 05/29/2015 4:10 pm EDT

Google Inc. will launch a new Android-based platform that will allow companies to build connected devices, it said in a blog post Thursday. Google said the platform, called Project Brillo, will include a communications protocol,...

Smartphone market growth to slow this year: IDC

telecom | 05/26/2015 4:00 pm EDT

International Data Corp. said Tuesday that global smartphone shipments will rise 11.3 per cent in 2015, down from growth of 27.6 per cent last year. That will result in about 1.45 billion smartphones shipped worldwide, IDC said...

Google taking self-driving cars to public roads

Media | 05/15/2015 5:11 pm EDT

Google Inc. said Friday that the testing of its self-driving cars will move from its own track to public roads in its home base of Mountain View, Calif. Google said in a blog post that cars on the public roads will not be able to...

DHX revenue almost triples over 1 year

Media | 05/14/2015 2:35 pm EDT

DHX Media Ltd. said Thursday that revenue for its third quarter ended March 31 almost tripled from a year earlier to $85.6 million from $29 million, thanks to a major acquisition and gains in its distribution and production businesses. The broadcaster and TV-content producer said in a press release that much of that gain came from the acquisition of Family Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior from BCE Inc., which was announced in November 2013 and closed last year. The DHX Television unit created by this purchase contributed $20.4 million to quarterly revenue. David Regan, DHX's...

Canadians should have digital identities: group

Media | 05/06/2015 7:15 pm EDT

The Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) has issued a report calling for the creation of an official digital identity for all Canadians, which would be accepted across the country, by government and the private...

Google launches Digital News Initiative in Europe

Media | 04/29/2015 7:34 pm EDT

Google Inc. announced a new partnership with European news organizations on Tuesday called the Digital News Initiative. The search and advertising giant said it will work with newspapers including the Financial Times, the...

YouTube to make feature films

Media | 04/28/2015 4:23 pm EDT

Google Inc.'s YouTube said Tuesday that it will be partnering with a division of DreamWorks Animation LLC to make feature films in the coming years. It said in a blog post that it will work with DreamWorks' AwesomenessTV...

SaskTel launches mobile-payment capabilities

Media | 04/24/2015 7:03 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Thursday it has launched mobile-payment capabilities for wireless customers who bank with Toronto Dominion Bank and have certain devices. SaskTel said the current service works...

Little growth in music streaming services: MTM

Media | 04/22/2015 9:05 pm EDT

Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, said in report released Wednesday that the percentage of anglophones using "personalized" audio streaming services over the last year or so has been...

Google launches wireless service in U.S.

Media | 04/22/2015 7:35 pm EDT

Google Inc. on Wednesday announced it has launched a wireless service in the United States, partnering with T-Mobile U.S. Inc. and Sprint Corp. for coverage on their networks. A website for Google's new service, called...

Vancouver’s BroadbandTV buys leading kids’ content creator

Media | 04/22/2015 2:53 pm EDT

Vancouver-based BroadbandTV Corp. announced Tuesday that it has bought a company that bills itself as the world's top producer of digital video content for kids. Broadband said in a press release that the acquisition of YoBoHo New Media Pvt. Ltd., based in Mumbai, India, positions it as "one of the leaders in kids...

Comp watchdog seeking experts for Google case: report

Media | 04/22/2015 1:43 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau is looking for experts in the fields of online search and advertising, and experts say it's likely related to its probe into Google Inc.'s advertising practices, the Financial Post reported....

Android updates smartwatch technology

Media | 04/20/2015 4:30 pm EDT

Google Inc.'s Android division on Monday announced several upgrades to its smartwatch technology, including built-in WiFi, making apps visible even when devices are in energy-saving mode, and adding easier functionality for opening apps and sending messages. David Singleton, director of engineering for Android Wear, said in a blog that watches running on its operating system will begin allowing apps to stay visible even when the energy-saving function kicks in, just not in full colour. As well, smartwatches running on Android Wear will able to connect to WiFi networks and continue to...

Online video viewing up an hour a week over year: MTM

Media | 04/07/2015 7:50 pm EDT

In the fall of 2014, Canadian anglophones spent an hour more watching online video in a typical week than they did a year earlier, according to new data from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM). MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada,...

Comcast to launch 2 GB Internet service in May

telecom | 04/02/2015 2:44 pm EDT

Comcast Corp. announced Thursday that it is launching two-gigabit broadband service in Atlanta in May that will reach more than 1.5 million customers. The company said in a press release that the symmetrical 2,000 Mbps connection will be the fastest residential Internet in the Untied States. Comcast’s offering, delivered via a fibre-optic...

Telecom and broadcasting converge as legislation remains separate

Media | 03/31/2015 5:38 pm EDT

A case involving BCE Inc.’s mobile-TV service that’s currently winding its way through the Federal Court of Appeal is just one example of how the lines between telecommunications and...

Google appoints Ruth Porat CFO

Media | 03/24/2015 6:54 pm EDT

Google Inc. said Tuesday it has appointed Ruth Porat, formerly chief financial officer at Morgan Stanley, as its new chief financial officer. Porat joined the bank in 1987, and led its investment in tech companies including...

Competition Bureau says no Google decision coming Wednesday

Media | 03/18/2015 1:54 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau on Wednesday disputed a report that a decision on an investigation it has been conducting into Google Inc.'s search and advertising businesses could be coming later that day. The Globe and Mail had reported that the investigative phase of this proceeding, which started in December 2013, is complete and a decision could be issued as soon as Wednesday. Competition Bureau spokesman Greg Scott said in an email to The Wire Report on Wednesday: "I’m not sure where they got their information, but I can confirm that the bureau has no plans to release any...

IDC downgrades tablet forecast for 2015

Media | 03/12/2015 2:54 pm EDT

International Data Corp. has lowered its forecast for tablet and 2-in-1 hybrid shipments in 2015 following previous figures that showed the first ever year-on-year decline for this market in the fourth quarter of last year. IDC...

Patrick Pichette retiring from Google

Media | 03/11/2015 6:03 pm EDT

Patrick Pichette, the Canadian chief financial officer of Google Inc., said in a web post Tuesday he will retire in the coming months to spend more time travelling with his wife Tamar. Pichette, who is from Montreal, according to...

RBC expects challenge from tech giants over mobile payments: report

Media | 03/10/2015 8:25 pm EDT

The chief executive of the Royal Bank of Canada says his company is on a “collision course” with technology giants such as Apple Inc. and Google Inc. as the act of making payments with...

Google confirms wireless plans in U.S.

telecom | 03/02/2015 8:36 pm EST

Google Inc. will enter the U.S. wireless market, senior vice president of products Sundar Pichai said Monday at the WorldMobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain. He said the service would be small-scale and not meant...

Google to give mobile-friendly websites more priority

Media | 02/27/2015 7:49 pm EST

Google Inc. said Thursday that it will start giving mobile friendliness more weight in terms of how websites are ranked in Google searches. It said on its Webmaster Central Blog on Thursday that the change will take effect April...

Google announces work software for Android devices

Media | 02/25/2015 9:05 pm EST

Google Inc. said Wednesday it has a developed a program that will help utilize Android devices for business purposes in a way that ensures security for employers. A blog post from Google said the technology is called Android for...

IPhone 6 Plus data usage double that of regular iPhone 6: report

Media | 02/25/2015 6:06 pm EST

Users of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 6 Plus are using twice as much data as those with the iPhone 6, according to a report from Citrix Systems Inc. The U.S. provider of workplace mobility technology said...

Android, iOS approach ‘total domination’ of smartphone market

Media | 02/25/2015 3:47 pm EST

Google Inc.'s Android and Apple Inc.'s iOS operating systems "inched closer to total domination of the worldwide smartphone market" in the fourth quarter of 2014, International Data Corp. said Tuesday. The technology research company said in news release that the two operating systems powered 96.3 per...

Twitter, Google reach deal to make tweets more searchable

Media | 02/05/2015 4:21 pm EST

Twitter Inc. and Google Inc. have reached a deal that will make posts on Twitter’s social media accounts easier to find through the Google search engine, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Quoting anonymous sources, the news service said posts will appear in Google searches as soon as they’re posted to Twitter, starting in the first half of 2015. Bloomberg noted Twitter and Google previously had a similar deal in place, from 2009 to 2011....