Laflamme moves to Stingray

Media | 10/01/2013 9:11 pm EDT

Claude Laflamme is the new vice-president of legal and regulatory affairs at Stingray Digital Group Inc., the company said in a release Friday. Laflamme, previously vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs at Astral Radio, left Astral following its acquisition by BCE Inc. over the summer. “Having worked in the legal departments of large private companies for more than 20 years, Ms. Laflamme will be a key...

Rodrigues joins Rogers

Media | 09/30/2013 9:37 pm EDT

Nataline Rodrigues was appointed director of original programming at Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division. The appointment is effective Oct. 1, the company said in a release Monday. Rodrigues will “manage the submission, development, and production of original Canadian...

New video on demand service approved

Media | 09/27/2013 7:29 pm EDT

The CRTC approved a new video on demand service to serve “multi-unit dwellings in downtown Toronto.” In a decision Friday, the commission approved an application by Beanfield Technologies Inc. for a regional video on demand service. The service would “consist primarily of current titles from Hollywood studios, including movies and...

Conway joins CBC

Media | 09/27/2013 1:45 pm EDT

Heather Conway is the new executive vice-president of English Services at CBC/Radio Canada. In a release Thursday, the public broadcaster said Conway, now chief business officer at the Art Gallery of Ontario, would start in her new role in early December. “Her business-focus to decision...

Rogers launching all-you-can-eat magazine service

Media | 09/27/2013 1:43 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division will launch a tablet app offering subscribers “all-you-can-read” access to more than 100 magazines. The company said in a release Thursday that the Next Issue Canada service will cost $10 per month for access to monthly magazines and $15 for monthly and weekly publications from a catalogue that includes 100-plus magazines. Ken Whyte, president of Rogers Publishing Ltd., will be president of Next Issue Canada, it said. The U.S. Next Issue service was launched by five American publishers who formed Next Issue Media in 2009, the...

Roku to launch two new devices

Media | 09/26/2013 9:04 pm EDT

Roku Inc. will roll out two new streaming players in October, the company said. In a post on the company’s blog Wednesday, Roku said its new Roku 1 and Roku 2 devices will stream high-definition video to users’ TVs,...

57% of Canadians had access to four or more carriers in 2012: CRTC report

Media | 09/26/2013 8:54 pm EDT

Fifty-seven per cent of Canadians had access to four or more wireless carriers in 2012, while a 6.3 per cent increase in revenues to $20.37 billion for wireless providers was powered by higher use of...

Basskin retiring from CMRRA

Media | 09/25/2013 8:50 pm EDT

David Basskin is retiring as president and CEO of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency after 24 years with the copyright collective. His retirement is effective Sept. 30, the CMRRA, which licenses the reproduction of songs, said in a release this week. “It’s been an exciting...

Apple not releasing a TV: executive

Media | 09/25/2013 8:40 pm EDT

Mike Fries, chief executive of cableco Liberty Global Plc., said he doesn’t expect Apple Inc. to come out with its own television, Bloomberg reported Monday. Previous reports predicted that Apple would release a new iTV...

CRTC, Competition Bureau sign cooperation agreement

Media | 09/25/2013 8:30 pm EDT

The CRTC and the federal Competition Bureau reached a deal to encourage more cooperation between the two organizations, the CRTC said. In a release Wednesday, the commission said the deal will mean the two regulatory bodies share...

CRTC approves Saskatoon CBC FM station

Media | 09/24/2013 8:45 pm EDT

The CRTC approved a CBC/Radio-Canada application for a new English-language FM radio station in Saskatoon. In a decision Monday, the commission said the station will replace the rebroadcasting transmitter CBK-1-FM Saskatoon....

CRTC dismisses complaint against Rogers

Media | 09/24/2013 8:44 pm EDT

The CRTC dismissed a complaint by NB Spring and Manufacturing Ltd. against Rogers Communications Inc. The CRTC said in a decision Monday that NB Spring had alleged Rogers “subjected it to an undue disadvantage and had given...

Online video advertising revenues still a fraction of TV

Media | 09/24/2013 8:24 pm EDT

In a fragmented media market, one thing hasn't changed: advertisers continue to look for eyeballs. And that means following Canadians in their online video viewing. Online video advertising...

MTM says 21% of Canadians subscribe to Netflix

Media | 09/24/2013 6:57 pm EDT

The number of Canadian subscribers to Netflix Inc.'s online streaming service has almost doubled year-over-year, reaching 21 per cent of Canadian adults this spring, according to polling data by Media Technology Monitor. MTM, a joint research project between CBC/Radio-Canada and BBM Analytics, said that 21 per cent of Canadian adults say they subscribe to Netflix. The national results, provided to The Wire Report, came from a poll conducted in the spring, for which the survey asked 4,000 Canadian adults: “Do you currently have a paid subscription to Netflix?” Twenty one per...

CRTC’s role no longer ‘gatekeeper:’ Menzies

Media | 09/23/2013 9:06 pm EDT

Technology has changed “old assumptions" about the CRTC's role as "a gatekeeper,” Peter Menzies, the CRTC’s vice-chairman of telecommunications, said in a speech at a Canadian Cable Systems Alliance conference on Monday. “But now the Internet and all the devices that can reach it...

Parisien leaving Bell Media

Media | 09/23/2013 9:00 pm EDT

Jacques Parisien, Bell Media’s president of national specialty and pay TV, radio, and out-of-home, is leaving the company, BCE Inc. said. In a release Monday, the company said Parisien has decided to leave at the end of 2013. Parisien was previously executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Astral Media Inc. and president of Astral Radio, prior to Astral’s acquisition by BCE in July. “I...

CRTC consulting on radio licence renewal

Media | 09/20/2013 8:44 pm EDT

The CRTC is consulting on a radio licence renewal by Faithway Communications Inc. for its Fredericton, N.B. Christian music radio station. The regulator said in a notice Friday that the company applied to change the frequency of...

MuchMore rebranding as M3

Media | 09/19/2013 8:01 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Bell Media subsidiary is rebranding its MuchMore specialty channel as M3, the company said in a release Thursday. Bell said M3 would target viewers in their 30s and that its programming would include “music, the hottest scripted series, reality programming and blockbuster...

‘Illico Communications’ trademark dispute goes to Federal Court

Media | 09/19/2013 7:08 pm EDT

A dispute over the Illico brand has made its way to Federal Court as legal research services company Illico Communications Inc. appealled a decision by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office that favoured Videotron Ltd. Videotron, a Quebecor Inc. subsidiary, has been promoting its Illico on-demand television service, which now includes online and mobile platforms and is available for an additional $10 per month for Videotron TV subscribers. The company had initiated a proceeding with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, said Alain Lecours, a lawyer for Illico Communications Inc., through which the company sought to quash the Illico Communications trademark due to a lack of use....

Carpentier joins TVO as VP

Media | 09/18/2013 8:49 pm EDT

TVO appointed Michael Carpentier as its new vice-president of business development, innovation and marketing, the Ontario public broadcaster said in a release Tuesday. Carpentier will be responsible for growing revenues, overseeing marketing activities, and leading TVO's digital strategy, the release said. He has been serving in the role on an interim basis since July 2013, TVO said. Carpentier has more than 20...

Online ad revenues rise 15% to $3.1b in 2012, IAB says

Media | 09/18/2013 8:14 pm EDT

Online advertising revenues in Canada rose 15 per cent in 2012, reaching a total of $3.1 billion, said a new report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. Chris Williams, president of IAB Canada, said in a telephone interview that the revenues were slightly higher than forecasted for 2012. “In general,...

CRTC approves Ontario FM station

Media | 09/17/2013 8:43 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application by Saugeen Community Radio Inc. to operate an FM radio station in Mount Forest and Wellington North, Ont., the commission said. In a decision Tuesday, the regulator said the English-language community FM station would broadcast 126 hours of programming each broadcast week, including 120 hours of local programming. The...

Rogers names Mindell as programming VP

Media | 09/17/2013 8:39 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. appointed Hayden Mindell as its new vice-president of television programming and content at its Rogers Media division, the company said. In a release Tuesday, Rogers said Mindell will take on the newly created position and will “oversee, develop, and implement the programming and multiplatform strategy for all Rogers...

Moore set to move on anti-spam, experts say

Media | 09/17/2013 7:54 pm EDT

Canadian businesses should “dust off their copy” of Canada’ long-delayed anti-spam laws as Industry Minister James Moore is preparing to move on the file, experts say. Passed into law in December 2010, Canada’s anti-spam laws have stalled during the implementation process as the CRTC and Industry Canada consulted on a pair of...

CRTC to consider new Toronto FM station

Media | 09/16/2013 9:47 pm EDT

The CRTC will consider applications to use the 102.7 FM frequency in the Toronto area, which could offer applicants an entry into Canada’s largest radio market. CRTC spokesman Guillaume Castonguay said when the regulator...

Nielsen’s online ad campaign measurement now in Canada

Media | 09/16/2013 8:50 pm EDT

Nielsen Co. made its online campaign rating system commercially available in Canada. The company said in a release Monday that the rating “measures the audience of online advertising,...

CMF funding digital international co-productions

Media | 09/13/2013 7:28 pm EDT

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) launched a pilot program to boost international digital media co-productions involving Canadians. CMF said in a release Thursday that the $350,000 Digital Media Co-Production Incentive is “designed to stimulate digital media co-productions between Canadian producers and their international counterparts.” The...

Houle to lead Greenberg fund’s French program

Media | 09/13/2013 7:03 pm EDT

Michel Houle will replace Rock Demers as the president of the Harold Greenberg Fund’s French-language committee, BCE Inc. said. In a release Friday, BCE’s Bell Media subsidiary said Houle has served on the fund’s board of directors and French-language committee for 11 years. It added that he has also been appointed to co-chair the board. Bell Media took over the Harold Greenberg Fund, which funds Canadian dramatic feature films, as part of its acquisition of Astral Media Inc. in July.   CORRECTION: Due to the wording of a press release, an earlier version of the story incorrectly stated Houle would serve as president of the French-language program....

One in 10 Canadians have four screens: MTM

Media | 09/12/2013 9:52 pm EDT

Ten per cent of Canadian Internet users have four Internet-connected devices at their disposal: a smartphone, tablet, computer and Internet-connected TV, a new report from Media Technology Monitor said. The report, released Thursday by MTM, a joint research project between CBC/Radio-Canada and BBM Analytics, said the number rose from three per cent...

Bell fund to support digital to TV conversion

Media | 09/12/2013 9:08 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Bell Fund launched a new program to support existing digital media programs aiming to move to television, the non-profit organization said. In a release Tuesday, Bell Fund said the OnLine to OnTV program will...

Sun News outperformed projections, ramped up subscribers: Giganomics report

Media | 09/11/2013 8:55 pm EDT

Sun News Network has performed better than forecasted, reaching 4.9 million subscribers in 2012 and almost matching the channel's subscriber revenue projections under a business model involving...

CMF releases annual report

Media | 09/11/2013 8:46 pm EDT

The Canadian Media Fund (CMF) provided 574 projects with $371.8 million in funding in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the organization said. In an annual report released Tuesday, the CMF said it supported 489 “television and related digital media productions” which received a combined $322.1 million, and 85 “innovative and digital media projects,” which received $35.1 million in funding. That funding...

BCE applies to bring Brazilian channel to Canada

Media | 09/11/2013 8:17 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has applied to the CRTC to add the Brazilian television network TV Record to the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada. In its application, BCE said TV Record is “the largest and oldest running Brazilian TV Network broadcasting in Portuguese to over 150 countries.” It said the channel “offers exclusive programs that span all categories from sports, movies, series, documentaries, news, cartoons and soap operas,” and would target “[t]he Portuguese-speaking community of Brazilian descent,” if brought to Canada. In a letter supporting the application, Record Enterprise Television Inc.said the channel would also allow Canadians to see “Brazilian culture at its best” during the upcoming 2014...

White joins PIAC

Media | 09/10/2013 9:37 pm EDT

Lawyer Geoff White has joined the Public Interest Advocacy Centre's (PIAC) team as counsel. In his practice, White “provides advice and representation on legal and regulatory matters, with emphasis on telecommunications, broadcasting, media, competition law, and privacy,” PIAC said on its website. White is working as counsel to PIAC following Janet Lo's move to the federal Finance Department through...

Shaw, Telus, Cogeco line up against CRTC’s ‘news neighbourhood’ regs

Media | 09/10/2013 8:52 pm EDT

Several broadcast companies are opposing the CRTC's proposed “news neighbourhood” regulations intended to help news channels like Sun News Network get a leg up in the broadcasting system. Shaw Communications Inc., Telus Corp., CBC/Radio-Canada, Cogeco Cable Inc., and a former senior...

Intven retires as McCarthy partner

Media | 09/09/2013 8:26 pm EDT

Hank Intven has retired from his position as a partner at McCarthy Tétrault, and as head of the firm’s communications practice group. In an emailed statement Monday, Intven said he will continue to serve as a counsel for the firm—working out of Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto—while taking on an adjunct professor position at the...

Rogers to launch credit card in 2014

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

Rogers Communications Inc. received authorization from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions to begin offering credit card services. The company said in a release Friday that it would roll out a pilot program...

Anselmi resigns from MLSE

Media | 09/06/2013 7:03 pm EDT

Tom Anselmi resigned as chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the company said Friday in a release. Anselmi joined MLSE in 1996 and was instrumental in the development of the Air Canada Centre, home to the company's Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2004 he was appointed chief operating officer and later named president of MLSE in September of 2012. "I am from this community, and I’m...

CRTC issues small radio station Cancon exemption

Media | 09/06/2013 6:13 pm EDT

The CRTC finalized changes to Canadian content development rules for radio, exempting commercial and ethnic radio stations with less than $1.25 million in revenues from making Cancon contributions. The regulator issued a...

Providers exploring the business opportunities of in-stadium WiFi, team apps

Media | 09/06/2013 2:15 pm EDT

When fans of Sporting Kansas City are watching a live game at the team’s 18,467-capacity stadium and miss a kick, play, or goal on the soccer pitch, they can catch up by pulling out their...

Videotron applies to operate new Montreal TV channel

Media | 09/05/2013 8:57 pm EDT

Videotron has applied to the CRTC for a licence to launch a new community TV channel catered to Montreal’s English-speaking community. In a release Thursday, the Quebecor Media Inc. cable subsidiary said the new channel, if...

Cabinet won’t intervene in decision on CBC radio ads

Media | 09/05/2013 8:54 pm EDT

The federal Conservative cabinet rejected a request to order the CRTC to review a decision to let CBC/Radio-Canada air commercials on its Radio 2 and Espace Musique radio networks. “[T]he Governor in Council, having considered the petition, is not satisfied that those decisions derogate from the attainment of the objectives of the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in subsection 3(1) of the Broadcasting Act,” cabinet said in an Aug. 26 order-in-council decision posted on the Privy Council Office website. “Therefore, His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, pursuant to section 28 of the Broadcasting Act, declines to refer back to the Commission for reconsideration,” it said. The CRTC said in a...

Copyright Board updates private copying levy

Media | 09/05/2013 8:26 pm EDT

The Copyright Board issued its first decision on private copying since the Conservative government introduced regulations to exempt memory cards from the levy. The decision, issued Aug. 30 and covering the years 2012, 2013, and...

Roku releases new streaming player in Canada

Media | 09/04/2013 9:09 pm EDT

Roku Inc.’s new Roku 3 streaming player is now available in Canada, the company said. In a post on the company’s blog Wednesday, Roku said the new device is its “fastest and most powerful streaming player to...

Canadian TV subscriptions continue fall in Q2

Media | 09/03/2013 7:45 pm EDT

Overall Canadian TV subscriptions fell by a net 10,810 in the second quarter of 2013, a new report from IHS said. While Internet protocol television (IPTV) services gained customers, they were not enough to offset losses in cable...

Deal gives Newcap entry to key Toronto, Vancouver radio markets

Media | 08/27/2013 8:41 pm EDT

Newcap Inc. is looking for opportunities to further expand its radio footprint in large Canadian cities after striking a deal to enter the “major leagues” of Canadian radio, said the...

Newcap acquisitions complete Bell-Astral divestments

Media | 08/26/2013 9:20 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has found potential buyers for all of the radio stations it was required to sell as a result of its acquisition of Astral Media Inc. following an agreement to sell five stations to Newfoundland Capital Corp.’s Newcap Inc. subsidiary, the company said. In a joint release Monday, Newcap and BCE’s media subsidiary said Newcap will pay $112 million, “plus the assumption of certain liabilities,” to acquire fom Bell the broadcasting licences for CHBM-FM and CFXJ-FM in Toronto and CKZZ-FM, CHHR-FM, and CISL-AM in Vancouver. Bell, which acquired Astral in July, was required by the Competition Bureau and the CRTC to divest 12 pay and specialty TV stations and 10 radio stations as part of that deal. Scott Henderson, a Bell Media spokesman, confirmed in an emailed...

Advertisers increasingly interested in ‘second screen’ initiatives: report

Media | 08/23/2013 8:13 pm EDT

Advertising agencies are increasingly interested in the “new phenomenon” of second screen initiatives, “and are looking to hone in on second screen experiences that can generate...

CRTC approves acquisition of CHLS-FM

Media | 08/23/2013 8:00 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application by non-profit group Lillooet Camelsfoot T.V. and Radio Association to acquire local community station CHLS-FM from the Radio Lillooet Society in Lillooet, B.C. The commission said in a decision...

Blue Ant to rebrand ‘bold’ as Cottage Life

Media | 08/22/2013 7:25 pm EDT

Independent broadcaster Blue Ant Media Inc. will rebrand its specialty channel “bold” as the Cottage Life channel. The channel will launch on Sept. 4 with a free national preview, the company said in a release Thursday. The channel’s programming will focus on “themes like DIY, food, real estate and outdoor living,” the...

Google in talks for NFL Sunday Ticket: report

Media | 08/22/2013 6:37 pm EDT

Google Inc. has opened talks to acquire the rights to the National Football League’s (NFL) “Sunday Ticket” subscription TV service, tech blog AllThingsDigital reported on Tuesday. U.S. broadcast distributor DirecTV currently holds the American rights to the Sunday Ticket service, which allows subscribers to watch out-of-market NFL...

East to leave film distributors’ lobby group

Media | 08/22/2013 6:07 pm EDT

Ted East will step down from his position as president of the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters, The Hollywood Reporter reported Monday. East will leave the organization, which lobbies on behalf of film distributors, on Sept. 15 as the group “restructures and considers whether to find a replacement or out-source public...

Videotron, BCE reach carriage agreement

Media | 08/21/2013 9:57 pm EDT

Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Videotron Ltd. and BCE Inc.’s media division reached a new agreement for Videotron to carry former Astral Media Inc. channels, allowing the companies to avoid CRTC arbitration. In a letter to the CRTC Friday, Kevin Goldstein, Bell Media’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, said the companies “have now...

‘Neighbourhooding’ to create better business case for all-news channels, experts say

Media | 08/21/2013 8:34 pm EDT

A CRTC proposal to group national all-news channels in “news neighbourhoods” and to more closely regulate how they are carried by broadcast distributors will make Canadian news channels a more viable business opportunity, industry experts said. “I think that those two things...

CBC taps Smith as Radio 2 ad sales lead

Media | 08/20/2013 9:05 pm EDT

Jennifer Smith will serve as the national sales director for CBC/Radio-Canada’s Radio 2 network when the station begins airing ads this fall, the Crown corporation said. In a release Monday, CBC’s revenue group said Smith will assume Radio 2’s top ad sales position while continuing to serve as the broadcaster’s director of sales...

CRTC rejects broadcasting complaints

Media | 08/20/2013 5:01 pm EDT

The CRTC rejected two broadcasting complaints, one by the former Astral Media Inc. about Quebecor Media Inc.’s illico Club Unlimited service and another about CBC/Radio-Canada’s Explora specialty service, the commission said. In a decision Tuesday, the CRTC said it rejected Astral’s February complaint that illico Club Unlimited competed against Astral’s Super Écran pay TV channel in violation of commission rules, which prohibit video-on-demand services from competing with the Category A “general interest” channel. Astral, which was acquired by BCE...

CRTC grants Comedy Gold more programming flexibility

Media | 08/15/2013 9:01 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application by BCE Inc.’s Bell Media division to allow more programming flexibility for its Comedy Gold channel. The CRTC said in a decision Thursday that the Category B specialty channel channel can now air news, reporting and actualities, and religious programming, as well as music video clips and music video programs. The...

Eastlink launches pick-and-pay TV add-on

Media | 08/13/2013 8:57 pm EDT

Eastlink introduced a new pick-and-pay option that will allow customers to add individual channels to their TV service packages, the company said. In a release Tuesday, Eastlink, a Bragg Communications Inc. subsidiary, said it...

TV ratings systems evolving to remain industry ‘currency,’ experts say

Media | 08/13/2013 6:42 pm EDT

Part of the process that helps determine the fates and ad rates for television shows in North America has remained essentially unchanged for decades. Thousands of television viewers across Canada and...

Lo leaves PIAC on two-year exchange

Media | 08/12/2013 8:53 pm EDT

Alysia York-Suen Lau is the new legal counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), as former counsel Janet Lo leaves to join the federal finance department through an “interchange agreement,” PIAC said. In a notice posted on its website Friday, PIAC said Lo started a two-year stint with Finance Canada on Monday. It said York-Suen...

Facebook teams small businesses, ad firms

Media | 08/12/2013 8:45 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. is launching a program that pairs up media agencies and Toronto-area small businesses, the company said. Facebook’s six-week “Grand for Good” program will team up local businesses in the Greater Toronto Area with “10 of Canada's top media agencies,” who will compete to build the most effective Facebook presence, the company said in a release Monday. It said the ad agencies taking part in the program are M2Universal, MEC, MediaCom Canada, Mindshare, OMD Canada, PHD Network Canada, Starcom Mediavest Group, UM Canada, Vision7 International...

Shaw launches lifestyle channel

Media | 08/09/2013 7:19 pm EDT

Shaw Media, a division of Shaw Communications Inc., is rolling out a new lifestyle specialty channel named Dtour. The channel will launch on Aug. 26 with a national free preview, the company said Thursday. “The exclusive...

Consumer group supports CRTC’s 9(1)(h) decision

Media | 08/09/2013 6:59 pm EDT

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said it supports the CRTC's decision to deny 13 applications for mandatory carriage under Section 9(1)(h) of the Broadcasting Act. The CRTC decision emphasized “making television services accessible and affordable for Canadians while encouraging competition and uniqueness of programming in...

Quebecor reports $45.1m loss in second quarter

Media | 08/09/2013 4:40 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. reported a loss of $45.1 million as revenues rose 0.8 per cent during its second quarter of 2013. For the three-month period that that ended June 30, revenues were $1.09 billion, up from $1.08 billion from the same...

Fibe TV adds most quarterly subs ever, BCE says

Media | 08/08/2013 8:53 pm EDT

BCE Inc. said it added a net 50,555 subscribers to its Fibe TV service in the second quarter of 2013, more than in any other quarter to date, as the company continued to expand its IPTV footprint. In a financial statement...

CRTC denies 13 mandatory carriage applications, approves three

Media | 08/08/2013 8:03 pm EDT

Citing the affordability of television services, the CRTC denied 13 applications for mandatory carriage on basic TV, granting just three new must carry licences to nonprofit channels. Among the 13...

CRTC proposes ‘must offer’ news channels, denies Sun News mandatory carriage request

Media | 08/08/2013 5:50 pm EDT

The CRTC denied Sun News Network's application for mandatory carriage on basic TV packages while opening a consultation on a proposal to give Canadian all-news channels “must offer” licences and requiring distributors to group them together on the dial in “news...

Tories make more changes to foreign worker program

Media | 08/07/2013 7:38 pm EDT

Employment Minister Jason Kenney said the government introduced further changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including a new $275 processing fee and additional advertising requirements. The advertising requirements will double the length and reach of employers’ advertising to increase Canadians’ awareness of available jobs, a...

Shropshire joins CBC

Media | 08/06/2013 8:26 pm EDT

Rebecca Shropshire is the new director of digital sales at CBC/Radio-Canada's revenue group, the public broadcaster said. Shropshire will be responsible for “establishing digital sales and business development strategies for all program properties in support of CBC Revenue Group targets and objectives,” the Crown corporation said in a release Tuesday. Shropshire was previously vice-president and director...

CRTC approves three radio services

Media | 08/06/2013 8:25 pm EDT

The CRTC approved an application for a Banff, Alta. English-language commercial FM radio station and two applications for English-language specialty audio services. The commission said in a decision Tuesday that it approved an application by the Banff Centre to launch an FM radio station, which would operate at 107.9 MHz and with an “Adult Album Alternative music format.” It also approved two applications by Evan Kosiner to operate national specialty audio services known as “Popular” and “Pub.” In a decision, the CRTC said Popular would be aimed at males between the ages of 18 and 34, and “would broadcast popular and special interest music including Motown, classic party hits and music mixed by DJs for use in bars, restaurants and night...

St-Pierre to head Cogeco’s Canadian cable division

Media | 08/06/2013 7:34 pm EDT

Cogeco Cable Inc. appointed Louise St-Pierre as president and chief executive officer of its Canadian cable division, the company said. In a release Tuesday, Cogeco said the “unanimous” decision reflects efforts to “adapt” its corporate structure, following acquisitions of U.S. cableco Atlantic Broadband Inc., completed in...

The next battle for OTT? Licensing

Media | 08/06/2013 3:33 pm EDT

Television providers have had a few years now to get used to online competition from over-the-top streaming services, though they should brace for more. As early as this year, they will be facing a new generation of online...

TVA profits, revenues fall in Q2

Media | 08/02/2013 7:48 pm EDT

Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary TVA Group Inc. reported revenues of $111.5 million in the second quarter of 2013 that ended June 30, down from $113.5 in the same period a year earlier. The company said profits were $6.98 million...

CRTC consulting on radio station purchases

Media | 08/02/2013 6:36 pm EDT

The CRTC opened a consultation on purchases of radio broadcasting assets. My Broadcasting Corporation has applied to purchase CJMB-FM Peterborough, to obtain a broadcasting licence to operate an FM radio station serving Carleton...

Canadian smartphone penetration at 56%: Google

Media | 07/31/2013 4:22 pm EDT

More than half of Canadians are now smartphone users, according to a report released by Google Inc. The report, dated May 2013, found that smartphone penetration rose from 33 per cent in 2012 to 56 per cent this year. It also found that 79 per cent of smartphone owners won’t leave home without their devices, while two-thirds reported using them daily over the past week. “Smartphones have become so important to consumers that 35% would rather give up TV than their smartphone,” the report said. It said 90 per cent of smartphone owners use their phones for communication and entertainment, such as email and browsing the Internet, while 66 per cent use them to stay informed using websites, news, and other resources. Users had an average of 30 apps installed on their...

Polar Mobile product integrates ads into newsfeeds

Media | 07/29/2013 8:59 pm EDT

Toronto application developer Polar Mobile Group Inc. launched a new “native advertising platform” that will allow publishers using the company’s applications a greater ability to use targeted ads in their newsfeeds, the company said. In a release Monday, Polar Mobile said its new MediaVoice product allows users to integrate sponsored...

Friends asks cabinet to reverse CBC advertising decision

Media | 07/26/2013 8:16 pm EDT

Watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting asked the federal cabinet to direct the CRTC to reconsider allowing CBC/Radio-Canada to air ads on its Radio 2 and Espace Musique radio channels. In an...

Online video, TV watching rises: report

Media | 07/26/2013 8:00 pm EDT

An rising number of anglophone Canadians are watching full TV programs over the Internet, Media Technology Monitor said in a new report. MTM, a joint research project between CBC/Radio-Canada and BBM Analytics, said in a July 25 report on video streaming that 28 per cent of anglophone Canadians watched a complete episode of a TV program online in March...

Google releases $35 smart TV device

Media | 07/26/2013 7:37 pm EDT

Google Inc. introduced a new device that will allow users to play video and audio files on their televisions while controlling the content and playing options through their mobile devices or computers. Google’s new Chromecast device, launched in the U.S. Wednesday and priced at $35 US, is capable of streaming online content on high definition TVs...

Bohm to lead Nelvana

Media | 07/26/2013 3:25 pm EDT

Corus Entertainment Inc. named Colin Bohm to run its children’s programming specialty services Nelvana Studios and Nelvana Enterprises, the broadcaster said. In a release Wednesday, Corus said it appointed Bohm as vice-president of television and head of its Corus kids division. The company...

Andrea Rosen retiring

Media | 07/25/2013 8:47 pm EDT

Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer, is retiring and leaving the commission at the end of September, Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said. Rosen, former deputy commissioner of the federal Competition Bureau, established the CRTC’s compliance and enforcement...

Bell-Rogers mobile TV deal raises ‘horse trading’ concerns, consumer group says

Media | 07/25/2013 7:29 pm EDT

Mobile providers Telus Corp. and Bragg Communications Inc. could pay higher prices to access TV content on wireless devices following a mobile TV rights deal announced last week between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., said Janet Lo, legal counsel at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre...

Rogers’ revenue, profits, Internet users, rise; cable subs fall

Media | 07/24/2013 8:01 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s operating revenue rose slightly to $3.2 billion for the second quarter of 2013 from $3.1 billion at the same time last year. The company released its second quarter financial results Wednesday, reporting profits of $532 million from $413 million during the same period a year ago. The...

CRTC approves Afrotainment channels

Media | 07/24/2013 7:02 pm EDT

The CRTC approved foreign specialty channels TV Naija, Afrotainment Music HD, Afrotainment HD and Africa Box Office for distribution in Canada. Soundview Entertainment Inc., located in Mississauga, Ont., had applied to the CRTC to bring the U.S. channels into Canada, and in regulatory documents filed in March, competitor Afromedia Communications Inc. urged the commission to block them. Afromedia, based in Brampton, Ont., said the channels would compete directly with its African Movies and Entertainment Television (AMET TV) channel, which was seeking carriage agreements with Canada's broadcast distributors. “The Commission therefore finds that Afromedia has not provided evidence that the four proposed non-Canadian services are totally or partially competitive with AMET-TV or...

Startup launches interactive TV device

Media | 07/23/2013 9:05 pm EDT

Waterloo, Ont.-based startup WestonExpressions Inc. launched a device that turns televisions and digital signs into displays that customers can interact with by tapping their smartphones to buy products, or receive coupons, apps or games, the company said. In a release Tuesday, WestonExpressions said the new device “gives displays the ability to...

Charges for paper bills justified, providers say

Media | 07/23/2013 2:54 pm EDT

Canadian consumers need incentives to make the switch to environmentally friendly electronic bills, SaskTel said in response to CRTC questions about telcos' charges for paper billing.  SaskTel, a provincial Crown...

Watchdog group criticizes CBC for not airing its ads

Media | 07/22/2013 8:45 pm EDT

CBC/Radio-Canada refused to air television ads that criticize a new federal law that undermines the public broadcaster’s independence from government, watchdog group the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting said. In a release Monday, Friends said CBC refused to air the ads, commissioned by Friends, because they were critical of a part of Bill C-60...

Gignac new Exchange Lab CMO

Media | 07/22/2013 8:27 pm EDT

Paula Gignac is the new global chief marketing officer at marketing company Exchange Lab Inc. The new role is effective immediately, and Gignac will be “responsible for defining and leading the company's global marketing objectives and strategy, while working hand in hand with both global and country general managers and marketing teams to localize and implement it,” a release said. She will also...

CRTC gives BCE, Videotron until July 30 to settle carriage dispute

Media | 07/22/2013 8:05 pm EDT

The CRTC temporarily suspended its final offer arbitration process for a carriage dispute between BCE Inc. and Quebecor Media Inc. to give the companies more time to negotiate a deal. In March, Astral Media Inc., now owned by BCE, requested the CRTC lead a final offer arbitration process for the renewal of a distribution agreement with Videotron Ltd., Quebecor's telecom subsidiary. The two companies had begun negotiations in March 2012 to renew Videotron's broadcast, video-on-demand...

Quebecor buys La Semaine

Media | 07/19/2013 8:01 pm EDT

Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Groupe TVA purchased Les Publications Charron & Co. Inc., which owns magazine La Semaine. In a release Thursday, Groupe TVA said the acquisition is part of the company's strategy to remain a market leader in magazine publishing in Quebec. Claude J....

Apple buys Toronto startup Locationary

Media | 07/19/2013 7:56 pm EDT

Apple Inc. acquired Locationary Inc., a Toronto startup that focused on location data, the Canadian Press reported. CP reported Friday that Apple confirmed the acquisition, though it would not say how much it paid or why it bought the company. According to its website, Locationary uses “revolutionary real-time blending technology that can merge...

Bell, Rogers swap mobile TV content rights

Media | 07/19/2013 7:36 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. have reached a deal to license rights to each other’s sports and over-the-air television content for distribution on their mobile platforms, the companies said. In a release Friday,...

Teliphone sells IPTV assets

Media | 07/19/2013 7:14 pm EDT

Regional B.C. cableco Coastline Broadcasting Ltd. has reached a deal to acquire Teliphone Corp.’s Internet protocol television (IPTV) assets, Teliphone said. Teliphone, a Teliphone Navigata-Westel Inc. subsidiary that offers home phone, Internet and other digital services, said in a release Friday that Coastline will use the IPTV assets to expand its own IPTV service. It said Coastline currently serves about 800...

Canada’s new ‘hands on’ heritage minister, a former cop, takes the reins

Media | 07/19/2013 6:33 pm EDT

Canadian media sector, watch out. Shelly Glover’s path to cabinet included a 19-year career with the Winnipeg police, which at times involved going undercover as a sex trade worker, raiding crackhouses and investigating gangs. The Manitoba MP worked as a patrol officer and spokeswoman for the...

Bell Media reorganizes sales team

Media | 07/18/2013 9:50 pm EDT

BCE Inc. division Bell Media has a new organizational structure for its sales division, the company said in a release Tuesday. The re-organization follows the company’s acquisition of the former Astral Media Inc. The Wire...

Newcap selling Fort McMurray radio station

Media | 07/18/2013 9:36 pm EDT

Newcap, owned by Newfoundland Capital Corp., is selling its radio broadcasting licence for Fort McMurray’s CHFT-FM to Harvard Broadcasting Inc., Newcap said in a release. "This was a unique situation in a market where...

Quebecor challenges part of wireless code

Media | 07/18/2013 9:23 pm EDT

Quebecor Media Inc. is asking the CRTC to review the definition of “indeterminate contracts” in its wireless code to “level the playing field” in Quebec’s wireless market, said Serge Sasseville,...

Writers Guild, CBC reach collective agreements

Media | 07/18/2013 8:57 pm EDT

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) reached a tentative deal with CBC/Radio-Canada on two new collective bargaining agreements for CBC’s English-language TV and radio services, the groups said. The agreements, effective Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2016, also cover workers writing for CBC’s digital platforms, CBC and WGC said in a release Thursday. They said the deal, once ratified, would mark the first new agreement between the organizations since 2000. “In recognition of the 13 years between agreements, the new deal includes a one-time rates adjustment, an increase in...