Wireless industry must ’embrace’ data monetization, says Bell’s Oosterman

Media | 05/11/2010 3:07 pm EDT

STRATFORD, Ont.—The wireless industry must embrace data monetization as traffic from new mobile devices increases broadband access and congests networks, says Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Mobility and chief brand officer at Bell Canada. Oosterman, who participated in a panel discussion...

Clement announces digital strategy consultation, says ‘this will not be done overnight’

Media | 05/10/2010 10:36 pm EDT

STRATFORD, Ont.—The federal government will draw up a digital economy action plan with the collective input of stakeholders and the public, but the plan could take up to 18 months to develop, Industry Minster Tony Clement said at the Canada 3.0 conference Monday.  “This will not be...

Independent producers having trouble accessing Canada Media Fund

Media | 05/07/2010 9:51 pm EDT

Canadian independent producers are having trouble accessing new media funding, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) told the House Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Thursday.  John Barrack, the CFTPA’s chief operating officer and chief legal officer, said the new Canada Media...

Shaw hoping for regulatory approval of Canwest deal by September

Media | 05/07/2010 9:33 pm EDT

Shaw president Peter Bissonnette says he hopes to see the CRTC approve the company’s acquisition of Canwest Global Communications Corp.’s broadcasting assets by September. “Our applications are filed, the commission has those, and we would expect it to be vetted by the beginning of June,”...

Cogeco must go local to increase profits with Corus Quebec stations, experts say

Media | 05/07/2010 7:32 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. can turn around its newly-acquired Corus Entertainment Inc. radio stations by making more efficient use of resources and focusing on local markets, experts say.  The companies reached an agreement late last month that will see Cogeco acquire Corus’s 11 Quebec FM radio stations. Corus and Cogeco didn’t respond to interview requests, but in a release the companies said the deal is valued at $80 million.  The deal involves stations CKOI 96.9, 98.5, CKAC Sports, and The Q 92.5 in Montreal; Souvenirs Garantis 102.9 and CKOI 102.1 in Quebec City; Souvenirs Garantis 104.7 in Gatineau; Souvenirs Garantis 107.7 and CKOI 104.5 in Sherbrooke; Souvenirs Garantis...

Von Finckenstein calls for expert panel to advise on ‘wholesale legislative reform’

Media | 05/06/2010 9:13 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The federal government should appoint an expert panel to study communications regulatory reform and come up with a roadmap on how to how to proceed on the prickly issue, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein says. “You need the foundation. Someone has to develop a new concept, a...

Increased tax revenues from foreign investment can be invested in Cancon: Expert

Media | 05/06/2010 9:03 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Opening up the Canadian telecommunications sector to more foreign investment would increase tax revenues and create fiscal room to fund more Canadian content, a University of Alberta economics professor told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, Thursday.  “I...

Tories poised to repeat Bill C-61 copyright legislation, Geist says

Media | 05/05/2010 10:38 pm EDT

The federal government is poised to introduce a new copyright bill within the next six weeks that will include American-inspired anti-circumvention measures and reject flexible fair dealing, Michael Geist says. Geist, a digital rights advocate and the Canada research chair of Internet and e-commerce law at the University...

Writers Guild proposes broad creator levy collected at all digital distribution and storage points

Media | 05/05/2010 6:31 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canadian content creators should be compensated for the illegal sharing and distribution of digital content through a broad levy collected at all distribution and storage points, including Internet services, storage devices, and mp3 players, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is...

Community television hearings conclude, come down to question of control, ownership

Media | 05/04/2010 9:55 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—At the conclusion of the CRTC’s hearings to review of the policy framework for community television, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) said Tuesday that the issue of ownership has become the central question for the sector. “The commission has two models in front of it,”...

Astral chairman calls for department of communications

Media | 05/04/2010 9:23 pm EDT

The Canadian telecom and broadcasting sectors would benefit from a unified ministry of communications, Astral Media Inc. chairman André Bureau told the House industry committee Tuesday. The House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology is studying the liberalization of Canada’s foreign...

Rogers argues for competition in community television sector

Media | 05/03/2010 8:31 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.--Rogers Communications Inc. told the CRTC Monday that free market competition is better for the community television sector than partnering to provide channels.  On Friday, Bell Canada proposed a plan to create two national community channels, one English and one French, and that existing community...

Cloud music services could be win-win for wireless carriers, consumers, rights holders

Media | 05/03/2010 7:52 pm EDT

Carriers are starting to eye the cloud music space. Cloud music services—or those streamed live from the Internet—can be accessed anywhere via smart phones and other devices, and don’t require downloading. Some observers consider them a potential Holy Grail for music...

Bell surprises commission with proposal for national community television channels

Media | 04/30/2010 8:21 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—Bell Canada faced tough questions from the CRTC Friday about a new proposal to merge the cable and Internet protocol TV (IPTV) providers’ community television channels in the same markets and share their content with two national Bell TV community channels, one in English and one in French. “We propose that the commission authorize access by all BDUs [broadcasting distribution undertakings] to one version of the local community channel currently operated by cable companies on the market-by-market basis,” Dan McKeen, senior vice-president of customer solutions at Bell Aliant Regional Communications, told the commission. The proposal means that the...

Hurtling toward online content ‘tipping point,’ Canadian voices could be drowned out, Perlmutter says

Media | 04/30/2010 3:10 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canada could find itself scrambling to provide a national voice on the Web if the country doesn’t get serious about its commitment to digital media and better communications infrastructure, the head of the National Film Board (NFB) told the Commons heritage committee Thursday. ...

Experts say merging telecom and broadcasting acts ‘not worth the effort’

Media | 04/29/2010 9:45 pm EDT

Experts say CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein’s calls for a merger of the telecom and broadcasting acts may not be worth the effort.  “I’m not really sure that the act of putting two bills into one really achieves a great deal,” Hank Intven, a lawyer and telecommunications expert with...

Organizations argue VOD, new media, alternatives to existing community TV model

Media | 04/29/2010 9:20 pm EDT

Companies and community organizations presented video-on-demand (VOD) and innovations in new media as alternatives to the existing community television model at the CRTC Thursday.  As the commission continued hearings on its review of the community television policy framework, Telus Corp. presented a description...

Cultural groups say cable concentration limits access to community coverage

Media | 04/28/2010 9:19 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—Two of Canada’s largest cultural workers’ unions told the CRTC Wednesday that a growing concentration of ownership in the country’s large cable providers is generating more “regional” programming than local, effectively limiting Canadians’ access to community...

ACTRA calls for a ‘national media strategy’ focused on content

Media | 04/27/2010 10:00 pm EDT

Canada needs do develop a “national media strategy” focused on Canadian content in the digital age, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) told the House Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Tuesday. ACTRA spoke before the committee as part of its study on emerging and digital media. “In order to seize the opportunities of this creative economy and compete in an increasingly digital and borderless world, we need your leadership. Canada needs a national media strategy,” Tyrone Benskin, ACTRA national vice-president, told the committee. Steven Waddell, ACTRA’s national executive director, told The Wire Report following the...

Videotron proposes increasing community television funding to five per cent

Media | 04/27/2010 9:48 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.— Quebecor Media subsidiary Videotron proposed an increase in community television funding Tuesday. At the CRTC’s hearings to review the community television policy framework, Videotron proposed that cable companies with more than 20,000 customers be required to put five per cent of their revenues...

Proposal emerges to split funding between cablecos, community television groups

Media | 04/26/2010 10:39 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—The CRTC heard a new proposal Monday during its review of the community television policy framework—from one its members. At the commission’s hearings, launched Monday to review the community television policy framework, commissioner Michel Morin raised the idea of cable companies and...

Industry associations argue PIPEDA is strong enough as law faces review

Media | 04/26/2010 10:02 pm EDT

The effectiveness of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is under debate as groups prepare for the privacy commissioner’s upcoming 2010 Consumer Privacy Consultations. While companies and industry associations say PIPEDA protects consumer privacy effectively, public interest...

Marketers looking for new ways to measure digital media consumption

Media | 04/26/2010 7:05 pm EDT

TORONTO—Marketers are struggling to track advertising reach in the brave new world of digital media, experts told a conference hosted by BBM Canada Friday. Researchers are looking for innovative ways to track digital media consumption as it becomes more important—but challenging—for companies to...

Lobbying intensifies in advance of CRTC’s week-long hearings into community television

Media | 04/23/2010 8:13 pm EDT

Lobbying is intensifying among community interest groups as they prepare for a heated debate next week at the CRTC’s hearings on community television.  Community television supporters are celebrating a development at the Quebec National Assembly this week, which unanimously adopted a...

Industry Canada responds to consultation criticism, says process was a ‘tremendous success’

Media | 04/23/2010 6:40 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Responding to criticism that the federal government’s national copyright consultations “failed” last year, the Industry Department says online consultation is an “excellent method that allows for broad engagement” and that the 2009 consultation process was...

Recording industry opposes iPod levy, says it would legitimize illegal file sharing

Media | 04/22/2010 9:59 pm EDT

OTTAWA--A levy on digital storage devices and music players such as iPods would help legitimize illegal music file sharing, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) told the House Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Thursday. “Do we have an issue with levies that are targeted and focused on private...

Banning deep packet inspection would have ‘damaging consequences across the Internet,’ says Sandvine

Media | 04/20/2010 9:46 pm EDT

Deep packet inspection (DPI) technology doesn’t threaten people’s privacy. People threaten people’s privacy. Or that’s what Canadian network policy control solutions company Sandvine Inc. suggests in a recent submission to the privacy commissioner.  The Office of the...

Many companies not aware of new, expanding digital media tax credits

Media | 04/20/2010 8:12 pm EDT

Provincial tax credits for the interactive digital media sector can be like manna from heaven for start-up firms and established companies, but some enterprises may be unaware of the subsidies. Ontario's refundable credit—up to 40 per cent of eligible labour costs—could mean thousands of dollars in the bank for interactive digital media developers that have yet to make a profit, as well as cash from the government for profitable firms, according to the accounting firm Deloitte and the Ontario government’s Media Development Corp.  Although the Ontario stimulus program has been expanded over the past four years, an official with the Crown corporation said...

Groups argue for clearer consumer rights, awareness, for online tracking

Media | 04/19/2010 10:30 pm EDT

Online content providers should make it clearer when they track consumers’ online behaviour for marketing purposes, digital rights and marketing groups have told the privacy commissioner.   The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is holding consultations on online tracking, profiling and targeting...

Opinion: The future of television is in the app

Media | 04/19/2010 7:17 pm EDT

The demise of television has been discussed at length. Video killed the radio star, remember? Well, of course, that didn't happen, and neither is television at much risk of being killed by new media, games or apps.  However, I have looked into the flat, multi-touch screen crystal ball of the iPad, and seen the future. The future has no room for...

Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone students drawing interest from angel investors

Media | 04/16/2010 9:32 pm EDT

TORONTO—Technology companies looking for new products and services for next-generation consumers may want to turn their attention to the innovative student projects at Ryerson University. The university opened a new business incubator called Digital Media Zone (DMZ) this month that offers hard-nosed business...

Online content producers struggling for funding, revenues, says The Mark’s Anders

Media | 04/16/2010 8:51 pm EDT

Online content producers face an uphill battle to secure funding for projects and experimentation with innovative ideas, Jeff Anders, CEO and co-founder of The Mark News, told the Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Thursday. “Speaking as one member of a vibrant community of start-up companies across the...

Analysts, insiders say Canadian industry should not miss opportunity to broadcast World Cup in 3D

Media | 04/16/2010 7:40 pm EDT

Experts suggest that a failure to bring the World Cup in 3D to Canada could be a missed opportunity to give the technology the kick it needs. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) says it is providing 3D footage of soccer matches during June’s World Cup tournament, but Canadian broadcasters and TV providers are keeping quiet about the prospect of 3D coverage in this country.  With matches scheduled in cities across South Africa this summer, the World Cup will be broadcast in 3D via a partnership between FIFA and Sony Corp. The organizers will offer as many as 25 games in 3D, according to a FIFA release. US-based sports network ESPN Inc....

Shaw says government should invest in satellite broadband to narrow the digital divide

Media | 04/15/2010 10:08 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The government should invest more heavily in next-generation satellite technology to provide broadband Internet access to remote areas, Ken Stein, senior vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs with Shaw Communications Inc., told the House of Commons Standing Committee on...

Liberals vote in support of iPod levy, but say it’s not a policy position

Media | 04/15/2010 7:47 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Although the Liberal Party voted in favour of a non-binding motion in the Commons Wednesday to create a levy on digital music devices, the party says the vote was not an expression of support for the policy. Liberal MP and party heritage critic Pablo Rodriguez said the party is still consulting on the issue...

Over-the-top television has potential to alter TV consumption, disrupt television industry

Media | 04/14/2010 9:44 pm EDT

Despite modest inroads in Canada, over-the-top (OTT) television has the potential to alter the way Canadians consume television, experts say. OTT, a form of Internet protocol television (IPTV), is the direct delivery of video over the Internet to any device, anywhere, at any time. “When I...

Telus to invest $1.7 billion this year, views television as growth area

Media | 04/14/2010 8:21 pm EDT

Facing competition in the West, Telus Corp. is viewing its television services as a growth area as the company invests $1.7 billion across the country this year.  Telus Corp. said Monday it is investing $250 million in Quebec, bringing the company’s announced investments across the country this year to more...

Moore asks: How many people who aren’t prepared for digital television are moving to other technologies?

Media | 04/13/2010 10:19 pm EDT

Facing questions about delays in the transition to digital television broadcasting Tuesday, Heritage Minister James Moore asked the Commons heritage committee, “How many people who are not prepared for the digital transition don’t want to [be]?” A significant percentage of people...

Von Finckenstein calls for single statute to cover broadcasting, telecom

Media | 04/13/2010 10:06 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canada needs a single piece of legislation to cover telecom, broadcasting and radio communications in a converged technological world, Konrad von Finckenstein, chair of the CRTC, told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Tuesday. “The legislative and regulatory structure...

Cultural groups request to appear in Public Mobile’s Federal Court challenge

Media | 04/12/2010 10:39 pm EDT

A coalition of cultural groups is requesting to intervene in support of Public Mobile’s Federal Court challenge of the government’s decision on Globalive Communications Corp., arguing that the law must be applied fairly and "in a manner that is consistent with the [Telecommunications] Act."  On...

ISPs are broadcast distributors, cultural groups argue at Federal Court of Appeal

Media | 04/09/2010 9:45 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The question of whether Internet service providers (ISPs) should be regulated as distributors under the Broadcasting Act has reached a boiling point as cultural groups and ISPs have put their arguments on the table at the Federal Court of Appeal.  The CRTC referred the legal question to the Federal Court...

CMF says it is trying to ‘level the playing field’ between CBC, private broadcasters

Media | 04/08/2010 10:37 pm EDT

In response to the CBC’s internal memo that it will lose $12.6-million in digital production and television program funding this year, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) says it is trying to “level the playing field” between the CBC and private broadcasters.  “The policy direction to level the playing field for all broadcasters resulted in the CBC/Radio-Canada’s envelope being calculated using the same factors as other broadcasters,” Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CMF, said in a written statement emailed to The Wire Report.  Before the new CMF was created this year, through the combination of the former Canadian Television Fund (CTF)...

Experts expect national digital economy consultations to rival scale of copyright consultations

Media | 04/08/2010 9:39 pm EDT

Industry insiders say they expect the federal government’s upcoming consultations on a national digital economy strategy to play out on a scale similar to last summer’s copyright consultations. “They are going to hear and experience a lot of emotion from Canadians,” Tom...

Bell and Telus take issue with ‘misleading’ CRTC figures issued days before value for signal decision

Media | 04/07/2010 9:13 pm EDT

Telus Corp. and Bell Canada say the CRTC released misleading financial information that favoured the broadcasting industry just days before the commission’s seminal March 22 decision on value for signal. In a March 29 letter to CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, Kevin Crull, Bell...

Increasing pressure on telcos to offer IPTV services, say experts

Media | 04/06/2010 11:05 pm EDT

The pressures of vertical integration are increasingly pushing Canadian telecom operators into offering Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services, say experts. Pacôme Revillon, CEO of satellite applications, communications, and digital broadcasting research and analyst firm Euroconsult, told The Wire Report that...

CTV, Score Media challenge new specialty channel applications

Media | 04/06/2010 10:16 pm EDT

Television providers CTVGlobemedia and Score Media are challenging new television licence applications from Jay Switzer and Canyon TV, arguing that they would compete directly with existing television services.  Jay Switzer, former CEO and president of Chum Ltd., has applied for a Category 2 specialty service,...

Google talks up mobile sociological shifts, new mobile tools

Media | 04/06/2010 10:08 pm EDT

TORONTO—Google Canada officials predicted the trends that will shape the future of the mobile Web at a “Mobile Monday” presentation at the Mars Centre in Toronto on Monday. About 400 people turned up for the event Easter Monday, eager to hear about the search giant’s direction. Some major sociological shifts are occurring, said Punit Soni, Waterloo-based product manager for Google Canada’s mobile applications initiatives. People now relate differently to their smart phones, especially “Generation Y” types who grow anxious when they’re not within range of “the hive”—their community of friends. “In our market research sessions, one guy said if he doesn’t get SMS text messages for a few hours, he...

CRTC the target of consumer ‘outrage,’ but the government has more power to make change

Media | 04/01/2010 9:44 pm EDT

On most days, the CRTC is not top-of-mind for the average Canadian, but on March 22 the commission issued a key decision on value for signal, and the public took notice.  The lament that it’s “time the CRTC start thinking about consumers”—as one newspaper expressed...

Location-based apps a gold mine for advertisers but minefield for privacy advocates

Media | 04/01/2010 9:33 pm EDT

The rising popularity of location-based services and applications has been described as potential gold mine for advertisers and a potential minefield for privacy advocates.  Applications like FourSquare, Yelp, Google Latitude, AroundMe and Poynt use the GPS capabilities on mobile devices to track users’...

Cannot rely on market forces to ensure Canadian content, witnesses tell industry committee

Media | 04/01/2010 7:24 pm EDT

OTTAWA—What started as an ideological debate about foreign ownership turned emotional Thursday as groups representing Canada’s broadcasting artists went head-to-head with Tory members of the Commons industry committee.  “You’re not listening to what we’re telling...

Opinion: CBC’s business model is no longer sustainable, says Lacroix

Media | 04/01/2010 4:22 pm EDT

Anyone following the fallout from the CRTC’s recent decision on value for signal is sure to have noted CBC/Radio-Canada’s forceful reaction. Some have called it exaggerated. Others have gone further than that: “Rattling cuff links. Umbrage. Outrage.” Had I been wearing cuff links, that would indeed...

Opinion: Time to review the role of the CBC, says Peladeau

Media | 04/01/2010 4:18 pm EDT

At a time when technology is becoming an integral part of the way people communicate and get information and entertainment, the CRTC’s job as a regulator is harder than ever.  That’s because regulatory systems are being undermined by the relentless spread of new kinds of communication and a borderless...

House parties discussing special legislative committee to study copyright bill

Media | 03/31/2010 3:09 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Liberal Party MPs are pushing for a special legislative committee of the House of Commons to review the government’s new copyright reform bill once it is tabled in Parliament.  The move would be a way to handle potential conflicts over copyright policy within parties and for the MPs responsible for...

Rogers says CRTC video-on-demand decision should draw broadcasters to VOD

Media | 03/30/2010 10:33 pm EDT

Broadcast distributors Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. say they are pleased with the CRTC’s decision to allow advertising on video-on-demand (VOD) services—and that the move should encourage broadcasters to put forward more content for VOD.  The CRTC decision, issued Monday, means a company like...

Opening foreign ownership for integrated telecom sector will impact broadcasting, Morrison tells committee

Media | 03/30/2010 8:27 pm EDT

OTTAWA--The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting warned the Commons industry committee Tuesday that loosening the foreign ownership restrictions in a vertically integrated telecommunications sector would have adverse ripple effects on the Canadian broadcasting sector.  “In this integrated...

Bring back the federal department of communications: O’Farrell

Media | 03/29/2010 11:03 pm EDT

Canada should recreate a federal department of culture and communications, Glenn O’Farrell, former president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), said Saturday during a panel at the Liberal Party’s Canada at 150 conference in Montreal.  O’Farrell, now CEO and principal at GPOcorp, said the dissolution of the Canadian department of communications, which ended in 1993 with the creation of Canadian Heritage, divided the mandate of Canada’s main culture and communications body between Industry Canada and the Heritage Department. Canada’s original department of communications was created in 1969 and was responsible for telecommunications, broadcasting, radio, satellite, radar, and national and international communications policy....

Newly launched Canada Media Fund to meet 50 to 60 per cent of demand

Media | 03/29/2010 10:22 pm EDT

Despite a $350 million budget, the new Canada Media Fund (CMF) will meet the demands of only 50 to 60 per cent of the market, CMF chief executive Valerie Creighton says.  The CMF released its guidelines at a launch in Toronto last week, and Creighton spoke to The Wire Report by telephone Monday about the new...

Distributors now assessing their options, looking ahead to Federal Court, lobbying

Media | 03/26/2010 10:20 pm EDT

Satellite and cable distributors are quietly regrouping and planning their next course of action following the CRTC’s decision this week on a negotiation regime for value for signal.  Although the private broadcasters declared victory following the CRTC decision—which if approved by the Federal Court of...

Augmented reality apps boosting smart phone uptake

Media | 03/26/2010 10:08 pm EDT

It’s said the next big thing for tech-hipsters is augmented reality, and carriers stand to profit from a coming wave of these cool and groovy applications for smart phones.   Augmented reality (AR) is a catch-all term for a wide range of smart phone applications that operate with image-capturing functions.  “It’s...

Ontario Technology Corridor needs to establish itself among Montreal, Vancouver clusters: Analyst

Media | 03/25/2010 7:24 pm EDT

Representatives of the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC) have returned from a mission to San Francisco to convince digital media companies to set up shop in the province, but the province appears to have significant work ahead of it to put itself on the map. Representing the five regions across the...

Opinion: Those sick of ‘Save Local TV’ and ‘Stop the TV Tax’ are about to get a whole lot sicker

Media | 03/24/2010 9:55 pm EDT

Where you end up depends on where you start. That’s the most important thing to remember as you parse the decisions released this week by the CRTC.  The decision on consumer impact is a hoot too.  We're going to have a lot of angry Canadians, quietly seething in their quiet, seething Canadian way.  Time to buy the entire nation a mouth guard, methinks. The brief the commission had to consider was simply massive: revisit the entire framework of the Canadian broadcast system and figure out how the business needs of the various players should be balanced.  Ignore people who talk about "market-based" this or that, because that's a canard. Like a lot of...

Morin’s dissenting opinion receives support, criticism

Media | 03/24/2010 9:46 pm EDT

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) says it supports CRTC commissioner Michel Morin’s argument that the proposal for a new framework for conventional television does more good for industry players than consumers.  “There’s a lack of competition in the provision of TV services, and consumers...

Conservative government emphasizes interests of consumers in response to CRTC

Media | 03/23/2010 10:26 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Dean Del Mastro, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage, says the government is taking the interests of consumers into consideration as it reviews the CRTC's recommendations to the government, issued Tuesday.  The CRTC’s report to cabinet Tuesday issued three recommendations to...

The retransmission consent regime: A primer

Media | 03/23/2010 10:04 pm EDT

Monday’s highly anticipated CRTC decision on value-for signal is turning attention to the United States’ “retransmission consent” system. The CRTC has recommended a Canadian version of the system, guarding approval from the Federal Court of Appeal. By this time next year, Canada could have a system similar to that of the United...

CRTC decision proposes broadcasters get power to force ‘value-for-signal’ negotiations with distributors

Media | 03/22/2010 11:41 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—CTV celebrated a key CRTC decision Monday that will allow private broadcasters to force open negotiations with the cable and satellite distributors by having the power to pull their programming—including popular American shows—from the distributors.  The...

Conservative government to introduce digital economy discussion paper ‘very shortly’

Media | 03/19/2010 9:24 pm EDT

The Conservative government will be introducing a digital economy discussion paper “very shortly,” Industry Minister Tony Clement told the House industry committee Thursday.  “We’ll be launching a discussion paper very shortly that will go to the country, and the fact...

Broadcasters, carriers, trying to catch up with online demand for TV programming

Media | 03/19/2010 6:14 pm EDT

Online television viewing has reached a tipping point, and carriers need to move faster to catch up with the trend, industry experts say. More Canadians now catch their favourite TV shows online than via personal video recorders (PVRs) and video-on-demand (VOD) combined, according to a recent survey of 1,000 people by...

Copyright bill this spring; ‘our laws will trump ACTA,’ Clement says

Media | 03/18/2010 10:22 pm EDT

OTTAWA--The Conservative government intends to introduce a copyright reform bill before Parliament’s summer recess, Industry Minister Tony Clement told The Wire Report.  The government held national public consultations last summer on copyright reform. Over the past several months the industry and heritage...

Foreign programming rises while broadcasters face largest drop in advertising revenue in 45 years

Media | 03/18/2010 10:13 pm EDT

Canadian conventional broadcasters spent 59 per cent of their programming expenses, or $846.3-million, on foreign programming in 2009, a 9.2 per cent increase over the previous year, say CRTC financial results released Thursday.  Total revenues for the private conventional broadcasters,...

Industry committee prioritizes foreign ownership study; to hear from industry, CRTC, government officials

Media | 03/17/2010 6:00 pm EDT

The House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology is giving top priority to its review of the foreign ownership rules in the telecom and broadcasting sectors, committee chair and Conservative MP Michael Chong says.  The committee will give the telecom review first priority following routine committee business, and is currently scheduled to hold four hearings on the issue.  However the number of hearings may be extended depending on the number of witnesses invited to testify.  Industry Minister Tony Clement said last week that his department will be holding public consultations in preparation for legislation to liberalize foreign investment rules in the...

Angus proposes copyright measures in House to ‘smoke out’ positions of government, parties

Media | 03/16/2010 9:58 pm EDT

OTTAWA—NDP MP Charlie Angus proposed two key copyright measures in Parliament Tuesday that are expected to force the governing and opposition parties to stake out positions on divisive copyright reform issues. One measure is in Angus’ private members’ Bill C-499, tabled Tuesday,...

Following CAB closure, conventional broadcasters to fend for themselves, say insiders

Media | 03/15/2010 8:26 pm EDT

Canada’s conventional television players are expected to fend for themselves after the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) closes this June, say experts and insiders. Last month, the CAB announced that it is closing in June due to an impasse between members. In its current form, the...

Plan to loosen foreign ownership for satellites to benefit investment, innovation

Media | 03/12/2010 8:06 pm EST

The Conservative government’s plan to remove foreign ownership restrictions for the Canadian satellite sector will help Canadian companies compete internationally, but the policy change isn’t likely to impact consumers, telecom experts say.  The federal government announced in its 2010 budget last week...

Government holds more than 20 meetings, will make digital strategy announcement in ‘coming weeks’

Media | 03/10/2010 8:05 pm EST

Canada’s most powerful lobby group for the information and communications technology (ICT) sector reported 21 meetings between January and November 2009 with top federal officials and cabinet ministers who were laying the groundwork for a national digital strategy.  The...

Jay Switzer returns with ‘shrewd proposal’ for gender-specific specialty channels

Media | 03/08/2010 10:13 pm EST

Although industry observers are calling Jay Switzer’s application for gender-specific specialty channels a “shrewd proposal,” they don’t expect his broadcasting pedigree to give him an upper hand in the search for a distributor. Switzer, former CEO and president of Chum Ltd., has resurfaced in the broadcasting fold with a CRTC application to licence four English-language specialty television channels. Switzer made the applications last month on behalf of a new corporation he plans to launch, which is yet to be incorporated. Switzer, the son of Canadian cable pioneer Israel "Sruki" Switzer, started at Chum in 1982, where he rose through the ranks to...

Bloc bill to regionalize CRTC meets strong opposition

Media | 03/08/2010 10:07 pm EST

Bloc Québécois private member’s Bill C-444, which would create a regional CRTC office in Quebec, met strong opposition from Conservative, Liberal and NDP MPs during a House debate Monday. The bill, introduced by Bloc MP Nicolas Dufour on Sept. 28, 2009, was debated at second reading in the House of Commons. Dufour proposes...

Rogers in talks to bring 3D TV channel to Canada

Media | 03/05/2010 7:57 pm EST

Rogers Communications is in talks with potential partners to bring a new 3D television channel to Canada, David Purdy, vice-president of video products at Rogers, said in an interview. Consumer demand for 3D television will be tested in the United Sates as ESPN, Discovery and Imax partner to launch a shared 3D television channel in the next few...

Bill to be debated Monday as Bloc, Quebec government push for regional communications regulator

Media | 03/05/2010 6:59 pm EST

Regionalizing telecommunications and broadcast regulations in Quebec could hamper Canadian innovation policy, experts say.  Experts are weighing in on the issue as Members of Parliament are scheduled to debate private member’s Bill C-444 Monday.  The bill, introduced by Bloc...

‘It’s going to be pretty tough’ for TVA Sports, say industry insiders

Media | 03/05/2010 3:39 pm EST

TVA Sports is expected to struggle in a market dominated by RDS, but industry observers say the station has opportunities to carve out niche sports programming, or better yet, prepare the groundwork to potentially air NHL games in Quebec City. Last month the CRTC approved an application...

Parties to prioritize new media study for return of House heritage committee

Media | 03/03/2010 7:19 pm EST

MPs from all four federal political parties agree the House Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage should study new media when it reconvenes.  The heritage committee launched a study on new media in October 2009, but the discussions were sidetracked by Bill C-302, the Italian-Canadian Recognition and...

Corus to face tough local news fight, say critics

Media | 03/02/2010 11:44 pm EST

Critics are questioning Corus Entertainment’s move to operate a local specialty television service aimed at 64 markets in Western Canada, saying the battle for local audiences and advertising would be a tough one. The service, tentatively known as Local1, plans to provide “hyper-local” news and information to communities in...

Canada should view CETA process as an opportunity to carve out its interests, says de Beer

Media | 03/02/2010 11:38 pm EST

Canada shouldn’t necessarily view the ongoing negotiations surrounding the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as a threat.  The country should instead view the process as a way to leverage some of its Intellectual property (IP) interests onto the agenda, Jeremy...

Canyon TV files lawsuit, says broadcast carriers fall under Telecom Act

Media | 03/01/2010 11:12 pm EST

Calgary company Canyon TV Inc. has posed the question of whether broadcast carriers should have to air channels that have received CRTC licences. Canyon TV has filed a lawsuit with the Alberta provincial court against Telus Corp., seeking damages for a failure to carry its channel.  The company argues that...

Quebec lobbying federal government for regional communications regulator

Media | 02/25/2010 11:31 pm EST

OTTAWA—The Province of Quebec is lobbying the federal government to regionalize some CRTC responsibilities, a spokeswoman for the Quebec minister of culture told The Wire Report. “[We are asking for] the establishment of a consultation mechanism when federal laws are revised involving telecommunications and radio-television, as well as when the federal Cabinet examines CRTC decisions that could impact Quebec,” Valérie Rodrigue, press secretary to Quebec Culture Minister Christine St-Pierre, said in an interview. “We want the regionalization of certain CRTC activities to Quebec.” Rodrigue said there have been discussions toward an agreement between...

Google competing for local advertising dollars, but not the only player in town

Media | 02/25/2010 10:53 pm EST

Google appears to be heating up the competition for local advertising—one of the last bastions for traditional media players. Until recently, consumers looking for pizzas or dentists would get global results when they searched those terms online. But not anymore. Last year, Google made changes that identify a...

Shaw takeover of CanWest to feel eyes of Competition Bureau

Media | 02/24/2010 11:03 pm EST

Shaw’s bid to take over CanWest’s broadcast assets will face close scrutiny from regulators including the Competition Bureau, which will examine Shaw’s potential power in the Canadian advertising market, says a former competition bureau commissioner.  On Feb. 19, Shaw Communications Inc....

Small specialty channels considering new lobby group following closure of CAB

Media | 02/24/2010 10:14 pm EST

Following the announcement that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) will cease operations in June, a small group of independent specialty channels will be discussing over the next few weeks the possibility of creating a new lobby group, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) CEO Jean LaRose told The...

Commissioners meet to discuss specialty channel applications

Media | 02/22/2010 10:04 pm EST

CRTC commissioners met Monday to consider 14 broadcasting licence applications for Category 2 specialty television channels. Parties did not appear before the commission Monday. At the non-appearance hearing, commissioners discussed the licences on the basis of the parties’ written applications. Astral...

DFAIT to lead ICT trade mission to Mexico

Media | 02/22/2010 5:46 pm EST

Canadian telecommunications and new media companies will showcase their information and communications technology (ICT) services this week during a trade mission in Mexico.  The Canadian trade mission, sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), will be held from Feb. 22 to 26 in Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico.  The goal of the trade mission is to connect Canadian ICT providers—including new media and telecommunications companies—with potential clients in the Latin American market. “This mission will appeal to Canadian ICT companies interested in establishing or expanding business activities in Mexico, and will be of interest to firms working in various sub-sectors, including telecommunications, software, new media, IT...

CRTC arrives at fee-for-carriage decision, but holding its tongue on forcing negotiations

Media | 02/19/2010 11:26 pm EST

OTTAWA—CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein says the commission has arrived at a decision on the controversial value-for-signal debate, but he’s holding his tongue on whether it will include a negotiations regime to determine the “value” of local broadcasts.  At the...

CRTC has lost its ‘structure of control,’ says von Finckenstein

Media | 02/19/2010 10:41 pm EST

OTTAWA—The role of the CRTC could change significantly in the coming years as converging technologies change how Canadians use and access media, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said at the Prime Time Ottawa conference Friday.  “The Broadcasting Act is based on the principle of limited access,...

Canadian broadcasters waiting for critical mass for 3D TV

Media | 02/19/2010 9:35 pm EST

OTTAWA—3D television is on its way in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, but Canadian broadcasters are waiting for a critical mass before 3D content shows up in Canadian homes, Kevin Wright, senior vice president of programming with Astral Television Networks said at a conference Friday. Wright took...

CMF guidelines pushed back three weeks, CTF president asks for patience

Media | 02/19/2010 5:30 pm EST

OTTAWA—The release date of the new Canada Media Fund (CMF) guidelines has been tentatively pushed back from March 1 to the third week of the month, Canadian Television Fund (CTF) president and CEO Valerie Creighton said Thursday.  Creighton noted the change during a speech at the Canadian Film and Television...

Canada’s digital strategy can’t wait for federal government: panel

Media | 02/19/2010 4:58 pm EST

OTTAWA—Canada’s digital strategy efforts should be spearheaded by players in the communications industry, not a slower-moving federal government, experts agreed at a panel discussion Thursday.  Entitled “Looking at a National Digital Strategy with a Creative Eye,” the panel was part of the...

‘Youtuber kids’ offer advice to film and television industry

Media | 02/18/2010 11:51 pm EST

OTTAWA—The Canadian film and television industry received an earful of advice from young video producers Thursday. At a discussion panel, titled “Meet the kids of the brave new world,” held at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s Prime Time Ottawa conference, young, successful...

Vast potential for mobile entertainment, experts say

Media | 02/18/2010 11:31 pm EST

OTTAWA—A panel of experts on the mobile industry said Thursday there is significant potential for mobile entertainment sales as more Canadians engage in “impulse commerce” and use their wireless devices for more than communication.  The panel, called “Mobile Entertainment—Understanding the Value Chain,” was...

Mobile operators partner to simplify–and shake up–app distribution

Media | 02/18/2010 11:11 pm EST

Canada’s three big wireless operators are joining forces on an application-distribution initiative that could change the online app-store landscape—a move that industry analysts say is designed to win a piece of the Apple Inc. App Store market.  “They obviously and understandably want to find a way...

Rogers sells 400,000 smart phones in fourth quarter

Media | 02/17/2010 9:40 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. sold 400,000 smart phones in the fourth quarter of 2009 that helped drive wireless data revenues to 24 per cent of the company’s total wireless earnings, the company reported Wednesday.  About 40 per cent of the smart phones were sold to new Rogers customers, the company said. The company carries more than 20 different smart phone models from HP, Research in Motion, Nokia, HTC, Samsung, LG Electronics, and Apple--which offers the ever-popular iPhone. Rogers saw a 45 per cent growth in data revenue in its fourth quarter results while its overall operating revenue grew by 4 per cent to $3 billion.  Rogers’ customers with smart phones generated about twice as much average revenue per user than those with regular cellphones, the company...