IDC appoints Archambault as CFO

Media | 12/02/2013 7:34 pm EST

International Datacasting Corp., an Ottawa-based provider of digital content distribution technology, announced a number of changes to executive ranks Monday, including the appointment of Steven Archambault as chief financial officer. In a release, IDC said Archambault replaces Rick Clements, who IDC said will stay with the company until Jan. 31 to...

CRTC certifies Telus Fund

Media | 11/29/2013 4:39 pm EST

The CRTC certified Telus Corp.'s proposed Telus Fund as a new independent production fund, the commission said. In a decision Friday, the CRTC said broadcast and video-on-demand distributors will be allowed to direct some of their required annual Canadian programming contributions to the Telus Fund to help finance “the creation of programming portraying social and technological innovation in the field of health...

Netflix, NBCUniversal reach Canadian distribution deal

Media | 11/29/2013 4:12 pm EST

Netflix Inc. has reached a content-licensing agreement with NBCUniversal Inc. to distribute the American studio's feature films and TV reruns in Canada, the company said. In a release Friday, Netflix said its deal with NBCUniversal, a Comcast Corp. subsidiary, will allow the company to distribute the studio's...

Cogeco to launch pick-and-pay TV outside Quebec next year: Audet

Media | 11/28/2013 10:02 pm EST

MONTREAL—When Cogeco Inc. introduced its pick-and-pay cable-TV offering in Quebec a decade ago, it had to find a balance between profitability and satisfying customers, and the challenge will be...

Sirius launches new radio

Media | 11/28/2013 9:55 pm EST

SiriusXM Canada Holdings Inc. said Thursday it launched a new radio that gives listeners of its satellite radio service “more control over content.” The company said in a release that the Onyx Plus radio, currently available for sale at some retailers, gives subscribers “even more control of over 120 channels of music, sports, and talk and entertainment programming.” The company said subscribers will be able to create their own music channel by blending songs from favourite channels, automatically start songs from the beginning when tuning to a favourite channel, and scan and select songs already played on favourite channels, among other features. “People today expect to be a part of the listening experience, and now they can by mixing their own personal preferences with our already expertly curated audio...

Regulatory protection for content producers expected in DHX-Bell deal

Media | 11/28/2013 9:46 pm EST

DHX Media Ltd. will ensure other independent children’s TV producers maintain access to four former Astral Media Inc. channels after reaching a $170-million deal to purchase those channels from BCE Inc., DHX president Steven DeNure said. Halifax-based DHX said in a release Thursday that it had reached a deal to...

TVA to pay Rogers $120M annually in NHL deal: report

Media | 11/28/2013 6:24 pm EST

Quebecor Inc.’s TVA Group Inc. will pay Rogers Communication Inc. more than $120 million a year to air French-language National Hockey League broadcasts under a new 12-year, deal announced this week, the Globe and Mail reported. In a pair of press releases Tuesday, Rogers said it reached a $5.2-billion deal to acquire the exclusive Canadian...

Future viewer habits to determine length of CBC hockey partnership: Rogers

Media | 11/27/2013 11:55 pm EST

Technological developments that impact the way consumers watch broadcast content will help determine whether CBC/Radio-Canada will continue to air NHL hockey games five years from now, said Scott...

NHL deal to help Rogers in pick-and-pay regime: analysts

Media | 11/26/2013 10:01 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc.’s new 12-year deal for the broadcast and multi-platform rights to National Hockey League games is a $5.2-billion bet that Canadians will pay to maintain access to NHL...

Rogers survey says most Canadians want more TV choice

Media | 11/25/2013 5:43 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. on Monday said 86 per cent of respondents in a survey it commissioned want more choice and flexibility in the channels that are included in their TV subscriptions. The Harris/Decima survey also found that 60 per cent of respondents would be willing to pay extra per channel and 64 per cent like having access to TV packages...

Rathgeber proposes to cut CBC clauses from private members’ bill

Media | 11/22/2013 8:28 pm EST

Government amendments to a private member’s bill that aims to remove an exemption from the federal Access to Information Act for CBC/Radio-Canada would have the opposite effect and result in more legal disputes between the public broadcaster and the federal information commissioner, independent MP Brent Rathgeber...

Nokia launches new music-streaming service

Media | 11/21/2013 10:27 pm EST

Nokia Corp. said Thursday it has launched a new music streaming service called Nokia MixRadio with Play Me in 31 countries, including Canada. The company said in a press release that the service becomes a “personalized radio station that is unique to every user.” It uses artist choices, “favourite” selections, song skips and...

CRTC approves FM station in Hunstville, Ont.

Media | 11/21/2013 9:55 pm EST

The CRTC approved an application by Hunters Bay Radio Inc. to operate an English-language, community FM radio station in Huntsville, Ont., and its surrounding areas. In a decision Thursday, the commission said the station would...

BCE mobile TV offering an undue preference: complaint

Media | 11/20/2013 10:26 pm EST

The CRTC should ban BCE Inc. from allowing its mobile subscribers to access Bell Mobile TV content on their smartphones and tablets without it counting against those subscribers’ monthly data caps, a new CRTC application said. BCE’s Bell Mobility subsidiary allows its wireless subscribers to access up to 10 hours of TV programming, from specific broadcast channels, over their mobile connection for $5 per month, without it affecting their monthly data consumption allowance. In an application filed with the commission Wednesday, Ben Klass, a masters student at the University of Manitoba, said the offer gives BCE an undue preference that unfairly discriminates against other service providers. Klass—who made headlines this summer for a popular online critique of...

NDP proposes ban on some sports blackouts

Media | 11/20/2013 8:36 pm EST

The NDP introduced a private members bill that would ban TV blackouts for some live sports events. MP Glenn Thibeault introduced in the House of Commons Tuesday Bill C-552, which would ban blackouts for live sports events taking...

Music rightsholders, service providers tackle tariff rates at Copyright Board

Media | 11/19/2013 9:52 pm EST

Royalty rates and how they might apply to music-streaming services—including those that have yet to come to Canada—are poised to be a significant part of hearings at the Copyright Board of...

U.S. broadcasters praise CRTC television review, government talks

Media | 11/19/2013 9:33 pm EST

A group called the U.S. Television Coalition said Tuesday it is encouraged by the CRTC’s current review of the way television is regulated in Canada as well as by bilateral talks happening...

Bell launches CTV Go

Media | 11/19/2013 8:51 pm EST

BCE Inc. has launched CTV Go, an online service that allows viewers to watch live and on-demand programming from its CTV and CTV Two channels. The company said in a release Tuesday that the service includes “livestreams of both networks’ complete schedules,” access to 60...

Bell’s Rick Brace retiring

Media | 11/19/2013 8:19 pm EST

Rick Brace, the president of specialty channels and CTV production at BCE Inc.’s media division, will retire at the end of the year, the company said. Bell said in a release that Brace will retire after a “nearly 40-year career,” though he will do consulting work for the company and continue to serve as its representative on several boards of directors. “Rick has been a leader and friend to many of us and is overwhelmingly respected in every corner of this industry. For me personally, he has been a true mentor and a role model,” Kevin Crull, Bell Media president, said in the release. Bell added that Phil King, currently president of CTV sports and entertainment programming, will take over responsibility for Bell’s English-language specialty channels....

TV review must balance business models: Crull

Media | 11/18/2013 10:27 pm EST

The CRTC’s review of the future of television services should bridge the gap between consumers’ desire to have more flexible programming options and the high cost of standalone services, said Kevin Crull, president of Bell Media. The CRTC launched last month a “conversation” that asks consumers for their ideas about the future...

Seevibes expands to France

Media | 11/18/2013 9:08 pm EST

Montreal-based social media measurement group Seevibes acquired French social media measurement firm TvTweet and is opening an office in France. The company said in a release Monday that the move would “jump-start its development in Europe.” Seevibes launched a service that ranks...

CRTC’s TV review needs to consider impact of OTT: Dépatie

Media | 11/15/2013 9:24 pm EST

The CRTC’s public consultation on the future of television services needs to take into account the impact over-the-top services have had on the TV ecosystem, said Robert Dépatie, Quebecor...

Bell launching new French-language channel

Media | 11/15/2013 7:52 pm EST

BCE Inc. will launch a new French-language specialty channel on Dec. 12, the company said Thursday. Called “Investigation,” the channel will focus on “on the world of crime and investigation and forensic...

Government to wait for CRTC report before making decisions on pick-and-pay, Glover says

Media | 11/15/2013 1:07 am EST

The federal government will wait to see the results of a CRTC report on how best to implement a pick-and-pay television model before deciding whether to get involved in the...

Radio-Canada’s radio ads violating license terms, competitor says

Media | 11/14/2013 8:53 pm EST

A Montreal radio station has sent a letter to the CRTC asking the regulator to look into whether CBC/Radio-Canada is targeting local advertisers when selling ads on its Espace Musique radio channel. Radio-Classique Montréal Inc., whose CJPX-FM station broadcasts classical music in Montreal, said that in September,...

CRTC will not license new radio stations in Saskatoon

Media | 11/14/2013 5:22 pm EST

The CRTC will not issue a call for applications for new radio stations to serve the Saskatoon market due to concerns about the effect licensing additional commercial stations would have. The commission said in a decision...

U.S., Canada clash over copyright at TPP negotiations, WikiLeaks shows

Media | 11/13/2013 10:09 pm EST

A draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, leaked Wednesday, shows that the U.S. and Canada have found themselves at odds over copyright issues during the negotiating process. The 95-page...

Rogers launches Recommendation App, Kids Zone

Media | 11/13/2013 9:09 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. on Wednesday announced two new features for customers of its NetBox 3.0 service, one that helps viewers decide what to watch and another that provides a selection of kids programming. The "Recommendation App" can make suggestions based on what a viewer is currently watching or has just watched, and suggest other shows that are deemed similar by characteristics such as genre, starring actors and directors, Rogers said in a release. It can also make suggestions based on what are the most popular shows, movies and channels of Rogers customers at that time....

CRTC consulting on Rogers, Cogeco corporate reorganization

Media | 11/12/2013 8:19 pm EST

The CRTC is consulting on an application by Rogers Communications Inc. and an application by Cogeco Inc. subsidiary Cogeco Diffusion, the commission said in a notice Tuesday. It said Rogers had...

ATN reports higher Q3 profit

Media | 11/11/2013 8:03 pm EST

Asian Television Network International Ltd. reported higher earnings and revenue for the three-month period ended Sept. 30 in comparison to a year earlier. The Markham, Ont.-based broadcaster, with more than 40 specialty TV...

Netflix, YouTube account for half of North American Internet traffic: report

Media | 11/11/2013 7:37 pm EST

A new report shows that Netflix Inc. and Google Inc.’s YouTube are the source of more than half the traffic being accessed by Internet users on fixed networks in North America. Waterloo,...

Private over-the-air broadcasters struggle to regain lost advertising revenues

Media | 11/11/2013 6:29 pm EST

Five years after the 2008 global financial crisis caused a 10 per cent decline in Canada's TV advertising revenues, private conventional broadcasters are still feeling the pain. “If you...

Regulations must be adapted to today’s TV, Blais says

Media | 11/08/2013 7:11 pm EST

CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said the television broadcasting framework needs to be adapted to the way people watch television today. “We need to effectively develop a regulatory framework that will be flexible enough to be adapted to the new technological reality, and the way people consume their television,” Blais said in an interview aired Thursday on Radio-Canada radio program L'heure du monde. When asked whether this means the commission is going to refashion the way television functions in this country, Blais said, “Absolutely," in the sense that the regulatory system needs to keep up to date with the increasing consumer choice available.  Blais said in the interview that traditional television used to be watched in groups, such as families at...

PIAC urges CRTC to block Corus deal

Media | 11/07/2013 10:15 pm EST

The CRTC should block Corus Entertainment Inc.’s acquisition of the Teletoon Canada, Historia and Séries+ specialty channels from BCE Inc. because the deal is not in the “public interest,” the Public...

CRTC approves sale of Ft. McMurray FM station

Media | 11/07/2013 9:53 pm EST

The CRTC on Thursday said it approved the sale of CHFT-FM, or K-Rock 100.5, in Fort McMurray, Alta., to Harvard Broadcasting Inc. from Newcap Inc. Harvard owns radio stations throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, while Newcap is...

SOCAN deal aims for more revenue from YouTube

Media | 11/07/2013 7:19 pm EST

Performing rights copyright collective SOCAN reached an agreement for its members to receive additional payments from the use of their music in YouTube videos, the collective said. SOCAN said in a release Wednesday the deal...

Maich named VP of publishing at Rogers Media

Media | 11/06/2013 10:15 pm EST

Steve Maich is the new senior vice-president and general manager of publishing at Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division. The company said in a release Wednesday that Maich will “oversee all Publishing brands and...

Lachance new head of Cogeco Diffusion

Media | 11/06/2013 10:13 pm EST

Richard Lachance is the new president and CEO of Cogeco Inc. subsidiary Cogeco Diffusion Inc., the company said. Lachance, who joined Cogeco in 1999, was previously senior vice-president of Cogeco Diffusion, the company said in a...

Torstar reports loss as digital revenue falls

Media | 11/06/2013 10:11 pm EST

Torstar Corp., publisher of the Toronto Star newspaper and operator of web properties including the Workopolis job board, reported a third-quarter loss on Wednesday. The company said it lost $70.8 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, compared to a profit of $11.1 million one year earlier. The company attributed much of the loss to an increase...

Jim Patrick moving to Shaw next year

Media | 11/06/2013 9:13 pm EST

Canadian Wireless and Telecommunications Association (CWTA) senior vice-president Jim Patrick will be moving to Shaw Communications Inc. next year. Patrick, who started at the CWTA in 2008 and previously worked in senior positions at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, will start at Shaw in January as the company's vice-president for...

Rogers Media lays off 94 staff

Media | 11/05/2013 10:09 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division laid off 94 employees in an effort to lower expenses, the Canadian Press reported Tuesday. Andrea Goldstein, senior director of communications at Rogers Media, confirmed in an...

TVA revenues, profits rise

Media | 11/05/2013 9:45 pm EST

Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary TVA Group Inc. reported revenues of $102.2 million in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, up from $97.2 in the same period a year earlier. The company reported a profit of $6.3 million in its third-quarter financial results on Tuesday, up from $1.5 million at the same time a year earlier.  Television revenues were $83.7 million, falling from $81.6 million a year earlier, it said, while publishing revenues rose to $19.2 million from $16.85 million a year earlier. Pierre Dion, president and CEO of the company, said in a release that improvements in operating income “would not have been possible without the operational savings yielded by, among other things, the investments we have made in recent years in equipment and technological infrastructure.” He said that “the inclusion of...

Southshore begins broadcasting ‘multiplex’ stations

Media | 11/05/2013 9:43 pm EST

Southshore Broadcasting Inc. is now broadcasting test signals on four channels using multiplexing technology, said Tony Vidal, Southshore’s president and CEO. Multiplexing allows broadcasters to transmit multiple digital TV channels and sub-channels over a single, 6 MHz block of spectrum previously used to broadcast...

Corus makes case for Teletoon, Historia, Séries+

Media | 11/05/2013 8:17 pm EST

Corus Entertainment Inc. told CRTC commissioners that it is in the best interest of the Canadian broadcast industry that it acquire control of Teletoon Canada, Historia and Séries+ from BCE Inc. “We are here to...

ATN supports pick-and-pay

Media | 11/04/2013 10:01 pm EST

Asian Television Network International Ltd. chief executive Shan Chandrasekar said in a release that the company plans to “enhance our strong Customer base on a Consumer oriented Pick and Pay Model across Canada." He made the comment in a release Monday about ATN launching six new channels on BCE Inc.’s Fibe TV. Four of those channels will be launched in collaboration with Indian broadcaster...

Cord-cutting won’t reach tipping point within five years: PwC

Media | 11/04/2013 10:01 pm EST

A tipping point of cord-cutting or “drastic cord shaving” for TV services won’t happen within the next five years, a new report by PwC said.  “As long as consumers...

CRTC embracing ‘open government’: Blais

Media | 11/04/2013 9:35 pm EST

Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC, said Monday that his organization is embracing the philosophy of “open government” and cited examples like the hearings that resulted in the commission blocking BCE Inc.’s first application to buy Astral Media Inc. “The public responded en masse,” he said in the text of a speech to the annual workshop of the Community of Federal Regulators in Ottawa. “We received more than 9,700 comments from concerned citizens. I read out loud a number of those interventions during the public hearings and asked the applicants to...

Conservatives approve resolutions on CBC

Media | 11/04/2013 9:16 pm EST

The recent federal Conservative party convention in Calgary resulted in a new policy approach to funding for CBC/Radio-Canada. Party delegates approved by a vote of 596 to 504 a motion that "control and operations of the CBC...

Rogers hires Shaw’s Brad Kubota

Media | 11/04/2013 9:10 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division said Monday it hired industry veteran Brad Kubota for a newly created position. The company said in a release that Kubota will be Roger Media's vice-president of Western...

Newfoundland Capital reports $8.7m profit

Media | 11/01/2013 6:42 pm EDT

Newfoundland Capital Corp. Ltd., the parent company of Newcap Inc., reported a profit of $8.7 million for the three-month period ending Sept. 30. The company said in a release that figure was $9.7 million higher than the $1.1...

CRTC denies Rogers reorganization of Mountain subsidiary

Media | 11/01/2013 5:43 pm EDT

The CRTC denied aspects of a Rogers Communications Inc.’s corporate reorganization as part of a $400-million deal to purchase Shaw Communications Inc.’s cable subsidiary Mountain...

Bell Aliant reports fall in profits

Media | 10/31/2013 9:56 pm EDT

Bell Aliant Inc. reported a profit of $81 million for the three-month period ending Sept. 30, falling $7 million from the same time period a year earlier. The company, which is controlled by BCE Inc. through a 44 per cent stake,...

Cogeco loses TV, telephone subscribers

Media | 10/31/2013 9:38 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. lost 14,210 cable television subscribers in the fourth quarter, the company said in a quarterly financial statement released Thursday. In its cable segment, Cogeco said it had 1,065,075 television subscribers at the end of the quarter on Aug. 31, 2013, down 14,210 from the previous quarter. The company reported having 562,260 telephone...

Competition issues likely holding up beIN Sport, analysts say

Media | 10/31/2013 8:34 pm EDT

For a channel that has exclusive Canadian broadcast rights to big-ticket international sports events, beIN Sport doesn’t have the greatest track record in this country. The channel, a sports...

CRTC opens radio policy consultation

Media | 10/30/2013 8:51 pm EDT

The CRTC is consulting on a targeted review of its commercial radio policies, the commission said. In a notice Wednesday, the CRTC said it is consulting on its process for determining whether to call for competing applications...

Schyff joins Blue Ant

Media | 10/30/2013 8:24 pm EDT

Cynthia Schyff is the new chief financial officer at independent broadcaster Blue Ant Media Inc., the company said in a release Wednesday. Schyff will “oversee all finance initiatives” for the company, Blue Ant said. Schyff, who has “over 20 years of finance experience in the technology industry,” most recently served as worldwide head of operational risk and GRC at IBM Corp., the company said. She will work out of Blue Ant’s Toronto head office starting on Nov. 4, it said....

Experts call for sweeping review of Copyright Board

Media | 10/29/2013 9:52 pm EDT

The Conservative government should launch a major review of the Copyright Board of Canada, looking at its role and mandate as new technologies change the distribution of copyrighted works, experts said. In interviews with The...

CRTC to hear Vancouver radio applications

Media | 10/29/2013 8:54 pm EDT

The CRTC will hold a hearing in January in Surrey, B.C., to consider 16 radio licence applications, including 14 applications to launch a new Vancouver-area radio station, the commission said. In a notice Tuesday, the broadcast...

Canadians’ online phone, video calls doubled: StatsCan

Media | 10/28/2013 9:07 pm EDT

The number of Canadians who used online technology to make phone or video calls nearly doubled from 2010 to 2012, Statistics Canada said. StatsCan said in a release Monday that the number of Canadians who used services such as Microsoft Corp.-owned Skype or Apple Inc.’s FaceTime to make phone or video calls over the...

Shaw profits fall on cable sub losses

Media | 10/24/2013 8:59 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s profits fell 12 per cent in the past 12 months as the company lost more cable subscribers in the fourth quarter. Shaw said in a release Thursday that it lost 29,522 cable subscribers in the three...

Rogers profits down on slower sub growth

Media | 10/24/2013 8:56 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. reported slightly lower profits in the third quarter of 2013 as its wireless revenues and postpaid subscriber additions slowed, the company said. In a quarterly financial report released Thursday, Rogers said it recorded $464 million in net income in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, down about 0.4 per cent from $466 million in the same period a year earlier. That income included $3.22 billion in operating revenues in the quarter, up two per cent from $3.18 billion in the third quarter of 2012, the company said. Quarterly revenues from Rogers’...

Corus profits down as rock radio stations take a hit

Media | 10/24/2013 8:50 pm EDT

Corus Entertainment Inc.’s fourth-quarter profits nearly halved in 2013 as the company’s radio stations in the key Toronto and Edmonton areas “underperformed” due to poor audience ratings, the company said....

CRTC dives into TV review, says public complaining about channel packaging

Media | 10/24/2013 7:10 pm EDT

The CRTC officially launched its public consultation on television services, asking the public for input into questions related to the Conservative government’s promise to unbundle television...

CRTC updates pay-per-view regs

Media | 10/23/2013 9:20 pm EDT

The CRTC updated its regulatory framework for pay-per-view services, deciding that they should be licensed under the same broad criteria as video-on-demand services. The commission said in a decision Wednesday that the...

We’re not interested in sports: Netflix

Media | 10/23/2013 9:04 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. is not interested in sports content, Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at the company, said during a conference call with analysts Monday, according to a transcript available on the company’s website. “We're still not interested in sports,” Sarandos said in response to a question about Netflix’s appetite for...

CBC negotiating for Hockey Night in Canada rights

Media | 10/23/2013 9:04 pm EDT

CBC/Radio-Canada is in “ongoing” negotiations with the National Hockey League (NHL) to renew its Hockey Night in Canada broadcasting rights, which are scheduled to expire in June. “We’ve been negotiating...

Television primary source for sports content: MTM

Media | 10/23/2013 8:59 pm EDT

Television is “by far the primary source for sports,” with 56 per cent of anglophone sports fans using their TV as their main source for sports content, according to a Media Technology Monitor report. MTM, a joint research project between CBC/Radio-Canada and BBM Analytics, said in a report released Tuesday that 23 per cent consider the...

Apple TVs could arrive in 2014: analyst

Media | 10/23/2013 8:53 pm EDT

Apple Inc. will likely start selling a new television device in 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Analyst Masahiko Ishino told WSJ that Apple would probably begin selling the ultra-high-definition TVs in the fourth...

Privacy commissioner to look at Bell’s tracking

Media | 10/23/2013 8:43 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said it will investigate BCE Inc.’s plans to track customers’ television viewing and Internet and mobile device usage habits. In an emailed statement, Valerie Lawton, a...

Broadcasters still pondering: To license, or not to license, to Netflix

Media | 10/23/2013 7:44 pm EDT

If viewers of Netflix Inc.’s Canadian streaming service are in the mood for a Canadian show, they might find their selections pretty limited. Not counting children’s content, viewers can choose from CBC/Radio Canada series like Dragons' Den, Mr. D, Cracked, Heartland, Being Erica and Camelot, though not too much more than that. Independent broadcast consultant Kelly Lynne Ashton said Netflix’s Canadian TV content primarily comes from CBC because that content is not owned...

Gaming sector employed 16,500 in 2012: report

Media | 10/22/2013 9:19 pm EDT

Canada’s gaming industry employed 16,500 full-time equivalents in 2012, up five per cent from 15,700 in 2011, Nordicity said in a report commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada. The report, released by ESAC Tuesday, said there were 329 gaming studios in Canada in 2012, down five per cent from 2011. It also said the sector...

Distributors may face higher regulatory risk: analyst

Media | 10/22/2013 9:16 pm EDT

Canada’s broadcast distribution companies may be facing more regulatory risk than investors perceive, Canaccord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose said in a note to clients on Tuesday. “Last week the Government’s Throne...

CRTC approves FM station in N.B.

Media | 10/21/2013 9:03 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application by Bathurst Radio Inc. to operate an English-language, low-power community FM radio station in Bathurst, N.B. In a decision Monday, the commission said the station would broadcast 116 hours of...

Malavoy heads radio fund

Media | 10/21/2013 9:00 pm EDT

Jean Malavoy is the new executive director of the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Malavoy was previously executive director of the Association des auteures et auteurs de l'Ontario français, and has worked in arts management for 30 years, CRFC said. The organization said it has also...

Tories agree to EU trade deal, ensure European access to telecom market

Media | 10/18/2013 12:14 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The Conservative government announced it reached an agreement in principle for a free trade deal with Europe, ensuring EU access to Canada’s telecom sector and eliminating EU tariffs on Canadian communications technologies. The government announced the agreement Friday morning, though it did not provide the text of the deal, saying it has not been finalized for release. A backgrounder released at a media briefing Friday morning said the deal will ensure “that all players in the telecommunications market have fair access to networks and services, and ensure that regulators act impartially, objectively and in a transparent manner.” Information provided at the...

Unbundling to overhaul broadcast distribution system, insiders say

Media | 10/17/2013 10:07 pm EDT

The Conservative government’s promise to “unbundle” television channels and move toward a pick-and-pay model will involve a complex series of changes to the broadcasting system,...

TSN names Cook new head of sales

Media | 10/17/2013 8:39 pm EDT

TSN appointed Nathalie Cook as its new vice-president of sales and brand partnerships, the broadcaster said. In a release Tuesday, TSN said Cook has previously served in a “variety of senior management roles” at the broadcaster and its parent company, Bell Media (a BCE Inc. subsidiary). She was most recently vice-president of marketing and...

Opinion: Let’s have a discussion, not rush to judgment, on pick-and-pay

Media | 10/17/2013 6:50 pm EDT

Consumers want more choice and flexibility in television. Unfortunately, before Canada’s television regulator has even had a chance to carefully consider the issue, there has been a rush to judgment. The detractors say it can’t be done, or shouldn’t be done, as though Canadians are wrong for thinking...

Want pick-and-pay? You may end up paying $9 for TSN, consultant says

Media | 10/15/2013 9:12 pm EDT

If TV subscribers are about to receive individual channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as the Conservative government says it will mandate, they may be surprised at the standalone pricing for some of...

Telus sues AMC over carriage dispute

Media | 10/15/2013 9:07 pm EDT

Telus Corp. is suing AMC Networks Inc. to prevent it from withholding its popular TV content during a carriage dispute between the two companies, Reuters reported Tuesday. According to Reuters, Telus said in an Oct. 11 complaint filed in a New York court that AMC was threatening to pull its channel—which features hit shows Mad Men, The Walking...

Netflix aims to partner with U.S. TV providers

Media | 10/15/2013 8:58 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. is in talks with broadcast distributors in the United States to make its video streaming service available through the providers’ set-top boxes, the Wall Street Journal reported. In a report citing anonymous sources Sunday, WSJ said Netflix is asking the distributors to load a Netflix app on their set-top boxes, which consumers use...

‘Pro-privacy’ coalition calls for stronger safeguards

Media | 10/11/2013 2:11 pm EDT

A new coalition of about 30 organizations is calling for stronger safeguards on privacy rights, said the group, whose members include advocacy group OpenMedia.ca and consumer group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. The “Protect Our Privacy” coalition said in a release Thursday it is calling on the government...

Household strategy deepens with new services, share plans on top of bundles

Media | 10/10/2013 8:28 pm EDT

When Canada's wireless carriers put out new two-year mobile plans after the release of the CRTC's wireless code in June, many of the new rate plans emphasized the savings that could come through household or family sharing plans. Telus Corp.’s “Share Plus” plan, BCE Inc.’s “share...

Pixar Canada shuts down

Media | 10/09/2013 9:07 pm EDT

Walt Disney Co. is closing its Pixar animation studio in Vancouver. Chris Wiggum, senior publicist for the company, said in an emailed statement that Pixar Canada “will cease operations immediately.” “[A]s we look at the creative and business needs of our studio, we’ve made the decision to refocus our efforts and resources under one roof in Emeryville [California] and will be closing the studio in Vancouver,” he said in the email. Wiggum said the studio, which opened in 2010, has fewer than 100 employees. The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported Wednesday that the studio’s general manager stated in 2009, before the Vancouver studio opened, that it would have between 75 and 100 employees. “The team at Pixar Canada is incredibly talented and we are so proud of the excellent work we have produced there,” Wiggum said. Pixar Canada produced short films such as Air Mater, Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex, he added....

Bell partners with NBA

Media | 10/09/2013 8:50 pm EDT

BCE Inc. entered a “multi-year strategic partnership” with the National Basketball Association (NBA), the company said. In a release Wednesday, Bell said the deal will allow its customers to watch “new weekly NBA content on their smartphones and tablets” throughout the...

Million-plus Canadian households don’t pay for TV: SRG

Media | 10/08/2013 9:29 pm EDT

In the second quarter of 2013, the number of Canadian households with no paid TV subscription “who rely solely on Internet for video entertainment” rose to 1.1 million, consulting firm...

Group wants to launch new Montreal community channel instead of Videotron

Media | 10/08/2013 9:12 pm EDT

A coalition of activists and community broadcasters are asking the CRTC to postpone its decision on Videotron Ltd.’s application for a new English-language community TV station in Montreal to...

iTunes radio coming to Canada: report

Media | 10/08/2013 9:05 pm EDT

Apple Inc. is planning to bring its iTunes Radio streaming music service to Canada, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg said Apple plans to expand the service, released in the U.S. Sept. 18, to Canada...

Tory MP encourages market approach by CRTC

Media | 10/08/2013 9:01 pm EDT

The CRTC should follow a “market driven approach” to the broadcast rules for all-news channels, Conservative MP David Anderson said in a letter to the regulator in response to its CRTC’s proposed “news neighbourhoods” regulations. In the Sept. 4 letter to CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, written while Anderson was parliamentary secretary to the minister of Natural Resources, the MP said he encourages the CRTC “to move to a much more market driven approach to both news and entertainment options,” suggesting he disagrees with the proposed regulation, intended to give startup channels like Sun News Network a leg up in the broadcasting system. “[B]ut as that seems a distant possibility, I anticipate a decision that will be based on fairness and...

Regional broadcast distribution approved

Media | 10/07/2013 9:32 pm EDT

The CRTC approved two applications for broadcasting distribution operations, which would serve Stratford, St. Mary’s and Kingston, Ont. The commission said in a decision Monday it approved an application by Wightman Telecom...

CRTC consulting on 16 broadcast applications

Media | 10/04/2013 8:31 pm EDT

The CRTC is consulting on 16 television and radio applications, the commission said in a notice Friday. The applications include broadcasting licences for a Spanish-language sports and entertainment channel, a French-language horror genre channel, and an English-language specialty channel broadcasting user-generated content, the CRTC said. The...

Amazon to release set-top box

Media | 10/04/2013 8:22 pm EDT

Amazon Inc. plans to release a set-top box by the upcoming holiday shopping season, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said the device is similar to the Roku Inc. player and will...

Competition Bureau wants closer cooperation with CRTC

Media | 10/03/2013 9:05 pm EDT

Last month's deal for more cooperation between the Competition Bureau and the CRTC is “a first step, baby step,” Commissioner of Competition John Pecman said Thursday at a conference in Ottawa. “What really...

Internet ad revenue rises as TV falls: report

Media | 10/03/2013 9:00 pm EDT

Total media advertising revenue across all platforms rose to $12.5 billion in 2012 from $12 billion a year earlier, the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) said. In a report called “Net Advertising Revenue,” released Thursday, TVB said Internet ad revenue, including earnings from "traditional" media publishers, rose from $2.7...

Rogers launches mobile advertising service

Media | 10/02/2013 8:57 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is launching a service for customers to receive “personalized, location-based offers from their favourite retailers on their smartphone,” the company said in a release Wednesday. The...

Berbère Télévision approved for distribution

Media | 10/02/2013 8:50 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application from TV5 Quebec Canada to add Berbère Télévision to the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada. In a decision Wednesday, the CRTC said the general interest channel would broadcast “information and entertainment programming aimed at the entire...

FM station in Portage la Prairie approved

Media | 10/02/2013 8:47 pm EDT

The CRTC approved a licence application by Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. for an English-language FM station in Portage La Prairie, Man. The station will have a “Classic Rock music format” and will target adults...

Ubisoft adding 500 jobs in Quebec

Media | 10/01/2013 9:51 pm EDT

French gaming company Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. will concentrate its American operations for online games and infrastructure in Montreal, the company said in a release Monday. The company said it will also invest $373 million over seven years in the expansion of its motion capture technologies, resulting in an expected 500 new jobs in Quebec during the period. Ubisoft said it expects to employ more than 3,500 people in its Quebec studios by 2020. "The imminent arrival of the next generation of consoles, the expansion of mobile platforms, the multiplication of connected, immersive, and social environments, and the strategic importance of the relationship between developers and players are profoundly transforming the video game industry," Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement. The 500 new jobs will cover a wide range of new skills in development, production, and operations, including community and network management specialists, business intelligence analysts, mathematicians, telemetry...