ADR.TV said Friday that it has applied to Federal Court for a judicial review of the CRTC's decision in August 2013 not to grant it mandatory carriage on basic TV packages in Quebec past Aug. 31 of this year. The channel said in a press release that it is a "public interest television network," providing police bulletins 24-hours-a-day on missing people and suspects at large. ADR, whose channel is known as Avis de recherche, said in the release that "evidence has been unearthed suggesting there was significant political pressure placed on CRTC commissioners to refuse...
Cable companies are “poised to level the playing field” against telephone incumbents in the area of TV service as they launch more advanced technological services of their own, Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang said Monday. Huang wrote in a research note that in recent years, telcos have “differentiated with their advantage" in IPTV services, "which were successfully marketed to consumers as the sexier next-gen TV vs. legacy cable service.” Rogers Communications Inc. said recently it would launch its IPTV service at about the same time it starts...
The CRTC on Friday granted approval for seven non-Canadian television channels to be distributed in Canada, six of which were sponsored by BCE Inc. The stations approved, which Bell Canada sponsored, included: Radio...
A new study from Digitalsmiths, a subsidiary of TiVo Inc., shows almost 60 per cent of TV-service customers in Canada and the U.S. are spending more than $100 US a month for their subscriptions, and about one in four are...
Shaw Communications Inc. on Thursday reported a decline in its quarterly income with much of the drop attributed to a $55-million write-down taken on an abandoned IPTV project. Shaw said in a press release that it started work in...
The proportion of Canadians connected to the Internet by fibre is rising and these people are more satisfied with their Internet service than others, according to market research data released...
Speculation that the federal government is poised to approve the acquisition of Mobilicity and its spectrum by Telus Corp. or Rogers Communications Inc. has some observers disagreeing whether this would represent a major departure for the federal government in its spectrum-transfer policy. Recent reports in the Globe and Mail indicated that both companies have submitted proposals to purchase Mobilicity. An article published Friday quoted letters from Industry Canada that were addressed to Telus and Rogers, indicating that both proposals are so far seen in a positive light by the government....
The CRTC published Friday notices from Corus Entertainment Inc. seeking approval to disaffiliate one of its Ontario TV channels, as well as its rebroadcasting transmitters, from CBC/Radio-Canada. Corus said it is getting into a...
Prices of low-end wireless plans have continued to climb for the second year in a row, while Canada’s rates for broadband, wireless and bundled telecom services remain high compared to other...
Rogers Communications Inc. will launch its IPTV service at about the same time it starts adjusting to new rules that require service providers to provide skinny-basic TV packages for no more than $25...
The CRTC put out a call for comments on amendments to the exemption order for terrestrial TV-service providers that serve less than 20,000 subscribers. The notice stated that the amendments will...
Almost 60 per cent of the data generated globally by smartphones and tablets will be offloaded to WiFi networks by 2019, Juniper Research Ltd. said Tuesday. Juniper said in a press release that more than 115,000 petabytes from...
Canadian TV providers are worried the wording the CRTC proposed to prohibit policies requiring 30-day notice to cancel TV services could be interpreted to apply to the cancellation of individual...
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) told the CRTC that evidence presented by other parties supports its case that Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.'s Shomi has not been distributed in line with...
DHX Media Inc. announced Thursday it has licensed the new Teletubbies series exclusively to Viacom Inc’s Nickelodeon division in the U.S. The press release said the popular children’s...
BCE Inc.’s Bell Aliant announced Monday that its new data centre in Saint John, N.B. is now fully functional and open for business. The new $25 million data centre met the Tier III certification from the Uptime Institute, which “requires that the engineering design and commissioning of the facility is executed to a specific standard,” said spokeswoman Katherine VanBuskirk in an e-mail. Only one out of 11 centres in Canada hold this “gold standard for data centres”, the release stated. "We are particularly proud of this facility. Not only does it make good...
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) announced Monday the results of its board of directors election. The release stated that Jamie Brown of Frantic Films was re-elected as chairman of the board. It named the...
Cogeco Cable Inc. announced Monday that its U.S. subsidiary Atlantic Broadband will acquire MetroCast Communications of Connecticut from parent company Harron Communications LP for $200 million US. MetroCast Connecticut has a...
Shaw Communications Inc. says it will be increasing prices for residential Internet and television services to compensate for its own higher costs. A notice on its website said price changes will take effect Aug. 1, and it...
TORONTO — There has never have been a better time than now to be a consumer of television, it was said during a panel discussion Wednesday at the Canadian Telecom Summit, but it was also discussed how big changes are afoot,...
Sigma Systems announced Monday that it has received a major investment from Birch Hill Private Equity Partners Management Inc. Sigma, which provides subscriber-management software, said in a press release said the new partnership between Sigma and Birch Hill will significantly improve product development plans and create advanced solutions for their customers. “Sigma’s strength is in the deep industry knowledge of our people and its firm commitment to product innovation that our customers have come to expect from us,” Sigma CEO Tim Spencer said in the release....
A number of Canadian broadcast distributors have taken issue with aspects of the CRTC’s proposed code governing the relationship between TV providers and their customers, including the requirement that distributors must...
Stingray Digital Group Inc. announced Tuesday that its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange will include 22.4 million voting shares for total proceeds of $140 million. Based on these prices, market capitalization...
Charter Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it is acquiring Time Warner Cable Inc. for $78.7 billion US, including the assumption of debt. At the same time, Charter Communications said in a press release that it is buying a...
MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has launched a new app for Apple Inc.’s smartwatch that the company hopes will increase discoverability of channels available though its cable packages and appeal to early...
The CRTC said Wednesday in a notice of consultation that it is looking for comments on its elimination of 30-day notice requirements for cancelling telecom services, which has been in effect since...
Robert Dépatie, former CEO of Quebecor Inc., is resigning as CEO of restaurant operator St-Hubert Group, the company said Wednesday. Dépatie was named the next CEO of St-Hubert in December last year, and his role...
The CRTC said in a press release Tuesday it has opened an online discussion forum on a code of conduct for TV providers it proposed in March. At the time, the CRTC said the code would help better inform Canadians and help resolve...
Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. have named David Asch senior vice-president and general manager of their video-streaming service, Shomi. The move is effective immediately, the companies said in a press release Tuesday, adding that Ach “will oversee day-to-day...
While many broadcasters and TV providers expressed support for the CRTC’s proposed changes to its wholesale code, which governs carriage agreements for TV channels, they took differing positions on whether the code should be mandatory and whether it should ban minimum penetration and revenue guarantees. In March, the CRTC said it would consult on a revised wholesale code of conduct, which would come into effect by September and “clarify the wholesale relationship between cable and satellite companies and broadcasters, and ensure the fair negotiation of terms and conditions for the...
Despite streaming services eating away at the profits of pay-per-view movies and TV shows, TV providers could see their biggest PPV revenues in history on Saturday as two of boxing’s biggest names fight in front of a...
Former Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Nadir Mohamed will lead a new venture-capital fund created by the Ontario government, the office of Premier Kathleen Wynne said on Monday. Mohamed will lead a council of about 30 business...
Comcast Corp. on Friday confirmed that it is walking away from its proposed $45-billion US buyout of Time Warner Cable Inc. In a statement on Comcast's website, CEO Brian Roberts said: "Today, we move on. Of course, we...
Rogers Communications Inc. on Monday reported a 5.1 per cent annual gain in revenue for the first quarter, driven largely by a 26 per cent jump in its media division that benefited from Rogers' exclusive national rights to NHL...
Having five Canadian teams reach the NHL playoffs for the first time in more than a decade is set to translate into a winning season for Rogers Communications Inc. as it completes the first of 12 years of a $5.2-billion rights agreement with the National Hockey League. The inclusion of the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames in the playoffs will “spark a number of good outcomes for us,” Rogers Sportsnet president Scott Moore said in a phone interview, citing higher ratings, more advertising revenue and subscriptions,...
The CRTC said Thursday that unless a developer provides BCE Inc. "timely access" to a Toronto condominium building about to accept new occupants, the other service providers that have been...
Shaw Communications Inc. on Tuesday reported $1.34 billion in revenue in its second fiscal quarter, up five per cent from the same period a year earlier, though its net income during the three-month period ended Feb. 28 fell to...
Convergence Consulting Group Ltd. says in a new report that Canada lost 95,000 TV subscribers in 2014, the second year of decline, while TV subscriber revenue continued to grow. A summary of the report posted to the Convergence...
Cogeco Cable Inc. reported late Wednesday a decline in profit for its second fiscal quarter, a gain in revenue and fewer TV subscribers. It said in a press release that its profit was $58.9 million for the three months ended Feb....
While overall complaints about telecommunications services have continued to decline, according the first-ever mid-year report from the Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services...
Canada’s national news channels face new obligations from the CRTC even as the regulator is taking away their place on basic cable, raising questions about their future finances. Last month, as...
Shaw Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has named Vito Culmone as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer. The appointment is effective June 1, the company said in a press release. Culmone’s most recent...
A national emergency alert system became operational on Tuesday, according to officials speaking on behalf of the company that will operate the infrastructure behind it. A spokesperson for public relations company High Road,...
The Canadian Media Fund said Monday it will have $375.2 million to fund television and digital-media productions in the 2015-16 fiscal year. That's up $7.2 million from the $368 million it announced was the budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which runs April to March. "Underspending in some 2014-2015 programs, revenues from tangible benefits and one-time adjustments of revenues from broadcast distribution undertakings (BDU) in 2014-2015 contributed to achieving this program budget," the CMF said in a press release Monday. It said the budget is based on projected contributions...
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday it is now offering its TiVo Inc. service to customers in Quebec. Cogeco Cable Canada CEO Louise St-Pierre said in a Monday news release that the service ensures “there will always be something...
The CRTC’s proposed new code of conduct for television service providers is at odds with the commission’s stance that it won’t regulate over-the-top (OTT) services, according to...
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais on Wednesday issued a statement warning about the seriousness of "manipulating news coverage" in the wake of a report that a prominent BCE Inc. executive did...
An Ottawa consulting company says IPTV services aren’t absorbing the exodus of cable customers at the same rate as they used to. TV-industry consulting company Boon Dog Professional Services...
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) released a report on Monday that calls on Canada to legislate the requirement that all Canadians have access to "affordable" telecommunications services. PIAC said in its report that affordability should be defined in such a way that people can afford telecommunications without having to give up other essentials, such as heat or food. The document added that any such requirements should respect "consumer control of expenses and choice of services, to the maximum extent possible." The organization said affordable...
Financial analysts reacting to the CRTC’s new pick-and-pay rules say they don’t expect the decision to have a major impact on the industry, though the broadcasting side of the business is...
Quebecor Media Inc. said Friday it has upped its stake in TVA Group Inc. to more than 68 per cent from about 51 per cent. Quebecor Media, which is three-quarters owned by Quebecor Inc., said in a press release it bought 17.3...
Quebecor Inc. on Wednesday reported a net loss for the fourth quarter resulting largely from non-operational factors, while indicating major gains in its wireless operations' revenue and subscriber base. The company said in a...
New data shows an overall drop in the share of English Canadians subscribing to TV services over the last year. MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, released a report Thursday that showed the...
While Shaw Communications Inc. has been trying to raise the rates it charges to smaller ISPs to use its network, Cogeco Cable Inc. has been seeking permission to lower rates and received it on Wednesday. The CRTC said Cogeco has...
The CRTC ruled against Shaw Communications Inc.’s proposed new prices for third-party Internet access on Monday, approving interim wholesale broadband rates that are roughly half what the...
One of the executives behind the newly announced Bloomberg TV Canada news channel says that there are no plans to seek a broadcast licence that would compel broadcast distributors to offer the channel to customers. New York-based...
Newly released results from a Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) survey show the availability of online video content is a factor for four in 10 Canadian Internet users who do not subscribe to cable TV. The data,...
Cogeco Cable Inc.'s data services division has cut about 20 jobs in Toronto, the company said Thursday. Cogeco Data Services spokeswoman Shawna Abbott said in an email that the cuts were made Wednesday "to increase efficiencies and streamline internal processes." She added that the business "continues to experience positive growth," and referenced an announcement last week about a new data centre planned for Montreal and added that a facility in Barrie, Ont., just north of Toronto, is slated to expand. "[Cogeco Data Services] will continue to grow its...
BCE Inc.'s online TV-everywhere service, CTV Go, is now available to customers of Rogers Communications Inc. and four other TV service providers, CTV said Thursday. The network said in a press release that other broadcast...
About one in three Canadian customers of Netflix Inc. have used a U.S. IP address to access the company's American service because it offers more content than the Canadian version, Media...
The Quebecor Fund, the organization established to distribute project contributions on behalf of Quebecor Inc.'s broadcast distribution operations, on Tuesday announced $635,000 in funding under its event and film...
The CRTC is demanding that four of Canada’s largest cable companies and small ISPs represented by the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC) work out a dispute over customer service...
BCE Inc.'s CTV network announced Thursday that its TV everywhere service, CTV Go, has become the first of its kind in Canada to work with Google Inc.'s Chromecast streaming device. Chromecast is a thumb-sized device that plugs into a television's HDMI port and can access over-the-top streaming services as well as pick up video from a computer or mobile device. CTV Go is free mobile app and online service for Canadians, giving users on-demand access to CTV programming for up to seven days following the original broadcast. Cable subscribers including those from Bell, Shaw...
Shaw Communications Inc. said Wednesday it is shutting down call-centre operations in Edmonton, Calgary and Kelowna, B.C., with about 1,600 workers at these locations having a choice of whether to move, assume a different position...
Pierre Karl Péladeau, the controlling shareholder at Quebecor Inc., who was elected a member of Quebec’s national assembly last year, said Wednesday he maintains control of the company, the Montreal Gazette reported....
VMedia Inc. said Wednesday it has become the first independent telecommunications service provider to offer a triple-play bundle of television, Internet and home-phone service in Ontario. The company said its packages start at...
A public proceeding regarding new CRTC powers to impose monetary penalties on telecommunications companies would “not be appropriate,” given “the fact that further guidance will be...
Canadian video streaming service Shomi said Thursday it has secured the Canadian rights to original content made for Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime streaming service in the U.S. Shomi, a joint venture of Rogers Communications Inc....
Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday that TMN Go is now available to its cable customers in northern Ontario and satellite-TV customers throughout Eastern Canada, allowing them to watch The Movie Network, HBO Canada, Showtime...
Cogeco Cable Inc. has quietly rolled out home spotting, or the use of multi-signal routers in people's homes to provide both private WiFi signals to residents and separate public signals to...
TiVo Inc. said Wednesday it is widening availability in the United States of a PVR for capturing over-the-air programing, a product it released on a limited basis in the fall. The TiVo Roamio OTA is meant for people who do not...
Greater consumer interest in wearable technology, growth in over-the-top (OTT) television subscriptions and greater prominence of the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the top trends in technology expected for next year in Canada, International Data Corp. said Monday. The technology research company said in a press release the availability of Apple Inc.'s Apple Watch will "invigorate consumer interest in wearables" next year, helping to spur unit sales of 1.2 million in such technology, representing growth of 70 per cent from 2014. IDC also predicted that legitimate...
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Wednesday that Richard Shea and David Isenberg will share the title of president at its U.S. subsidiary Atlantic Broadband, as of Jan. 1. Shea will also be given the title of CEO on that date, and Isenberg...
The launch of new streaming services from Canada’s biggest TV providers adds yet another option for viewers who want to catch up on or try out a new show, raising the question of whether they will complement — or...
GATINEAU, Que. — Representatives from Canada’s small Internet service providers on Tuesday asked the CRTC to open up more of the incumbents’ broadband networks, mandating wholesale...
GATINEAU, Que. — CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said during the first day of the CRTC’s hearing into its wholesale wireline regulations that his commission needs to be a...
Shomi, the new streaming service from Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., announced Wednesday that it had signed a content deal with the Walt Disney Co. Under the terms of the deal, Shomi will offer a selection of Disney’s film library, as well as current and past TV shows from ABC and affiliated content holders, according to the press release. Shomi said the deal makes it the exclusive streaming provider of ABC’s popular current shows Scandal and Revenge. The release also noted that Shomi, which launched Nov. 4 for TV and Internet subscribers of Rogers and Shaw, will provide access to full series of older shows such as Alias, Boy Meets World and Felicity....
BCE Inc. is having more problems with a condominium developer operating in Toronto that it has previously filed complaints about. A letter posted on the CRTC's website this week shows Bell felt...
Industry Canada is being lobbied to open up more unlicensed spectrum for wireless Internet, as the United States did earlier this year. Government briefing notes and emails written in advance of a meeting planned for May 27...
Shomi, the online streaming service being offered by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., will launch Tuesday, the companies said Monday. It will be available initially to TV and Internet subscribers of Rogers...
When Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence wore a leather jacket to the announcement of his company's latest project —a $100 million joint venture with Vice Media Inc. —the unconventional outfit emphasized...
The CRTC faces another major policy hearing next month, and this one has the potential to affect independent Internet service providers that depend on major telecom companies to connect them to customers. In September, the...
Rogers Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Jack Tomik is stepping down as senior vice-president of media sales at the end of this month and being replaced by Al Dark. Rogers said in a press release that Tomik's departure...
Canadian telecom service providers got more money from their customers last year largely as a result of increased wireless data usage and demand for faster Internet, the CRTC said Thursday. Overall...
Shaw Communications Inc. has reached a sponsorship deal with the operators of the Ottawa Convention Centre, resulting in the venue being renamed the Shaw Centre, effective immediately. Shaw said in a press release that the...
Eastlink announced a wireless TV service Thursday that will allow customers to use the company’s Maestro DVRs wirelessly on up to six different TVs. The company said in a news release the DVRs will record up to six programs at once to be watched from anywhere in the home as well as allowing customers to order their own list of channels and pause live TV. “With Eastlink wireless TV, our customers get an unmatched TV experience hassle-free, whether they're rearranging their living room or watching the big game on the back patio or in the garage,” Eastlink CEO Lee Bragg said in the release....
Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron on Thursday announced three senior-level appointments in the marketing department of existing employees, two of which had managers becoming vice-presidents. Julie Brault was named vice-president of...
Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday that Jacob Glick will start work next month in the newly created position of chief corporate affairs officer. Previously, Glick headed Google Inc.'s global public policy and government relations team, and before that took on the same responsibilities...
The Television Bureau of Canada has released what it says are the first statistics on viewership of broadcast distributors’ video-on-demand (VOD) platforms, which show an additional four to nine per cent of viewers use VOD...
Quebecor Inc.'s controlling shareholder Pierre Karl Péladeau said he'll put his holdings in the company in a blind trust if he becomes leader of the sovereigntist Parti...
Rogers Communications Inc. announced it is releasing a new hockey app that will give customers access to new camera angles and additional content like interviews and analysis. “Exclusive to Rogers’ customers, and it is the ultimate second-screen experience,” said Rogers Media president Keith Pelley at the launch event in Toronto on Monday. “It allows our customers to select replays, to pick camera angles, to be the producer, to be the director.” The GamePlus app is available to those who subscribe to Rogers’ NHL GameCentre Live streaming service, which was...
Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday its customers can now access TV-everywhere products for BCE Inc.’s TSN and Rogers Communication Inc.’s Sportsnet specialty channels. “Through Sportsnet Now, Shaw Cable and...
Odyssey Television Network Inc., which operates channels in Canada with Greek-oriented programming, is sponsoring a sports channel from Greece to be authorized for distribution in Canada. OTN's application was posted to the...
The CRTC on Thursday awarded Quebecor Inc.'s Sun News Network a victory in one of two arbitration cases involving its carriage with broadcaster distributors, though it sided with the service provider in another. In a dispute...
Companies associated with Quebecor Inc. were given the go-ahead on Tuesday to add English programming to its French-language pay-per-view service, Canal Indigo. A decision posted on the CRTC's website said the service will...
Cogeco Cable Inc. wants the CRTC to set up regulated access to established wireless carriers’ networks, president and CEO Louis Audet said during a conference call with media Thursday....
Shaw Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Steve Wilson, its executive vice-president of corporate development and chief financial officer, will retire next year. It said in a press release that Wilson, who has been the...
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Tuesday it will hold a conference call with journalists on Thursday to discuss "the future of mobile services in Canada." Cogeco has indicated an interest in launching wireless service, and it is...
John Boynton and Shelagh Stoneham, two Rogers Communications Inc. executives who left in the wake of its corporate overhaul this year, have both found other jobs. Boynton, formerly the chief marketing officer at Rogers, is now...
GATINEAU, Que. — You can’t assume that young people who have never had subscription-TV service will eventually get it, Ken Engelhart, Rogers Communications Inc.’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, told the CRTC on Thursday. In the past, the number of subscribers increased at the same rate as the number of homes passed, though for the last four or five years, it has stayed flat and has now started declining, he said during Rogers’ appearance during the commission’s two-week Let’s Talk TV hearing into the future of television. “When digital...