TAGGED AS COGECO
Cogeco expands U.S. biz with MetroCast buy
| 07/10/2017 1:08 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. is again expanding its U.S. footprint, with the announcement Monday that it would purchase the remaining cable assets from Harron Communications LP’s MetroCast.
The $1.4-billion US acquisition is being handled under Cogeco’s subsidiary Atlantic...
STB data measurement complex task, group says
Media | 06/30/2017 2:23 pm EDT
Activity by a working group tasked with studying the implementation of an audience measurement system via set-top boxes is slow, but steady, TV providers told the CRTC, with user privacy coming to bear as a top concern for those involved.
Broadcast distribution...
Cogeco expands 1GB service
telecom | 06/13/2017 5:46 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. has launched its 1GB Internet service in Quebec for the first time, making gigabit speeds available in Trois-Rivières.
It said in a press release Tuesday that...
‘Alternative video’ services more satisfying than pay TV: study
Media | 06/08/2017 3:10 pm EDT
Non-traditional TV subscribers, such as those who use over-the-top (OTT) services, are more satisfied than those with traditional pay-TV subscriptions, a new J.D. Power survey suggested. Customers...
CRTC to review pick-and-pay rollout in Oct.
Media | 05/18/2017 5:07 pm EDT
The CRTC will hold a hearing on a number of broadcast distribution undertakings’ [BDUs] licence renewal...
Terrebonne asks CRTC for help with access agreement
Media | 05/18/2017 2:38 pm EDT
Another Canadian municipality is turning to the CRTC after failing to agree on a municipal access...
Gatineau says it can’t reach access agreement with telecoms
telecom | 04/20/2017 6:21 pm EDT
The city of Gatineau, Que., is turning to the CRTC to approve its municipal access agreement after BCE Inc., Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., and Cogeco Inc. refused to accept some clauses of the document. The company said in a French-language Part 1 filing dated April 10 that it hasn’t been able to reach an agreement in principle on several elements, including fees for relocating the telecoms’ equipment at Gatineau’s request. It said that it is asking the CRTC to approve the terms because coming to a...
5G wireless substitution ‘not in the cards,’ says Cogeco’s Audet
Media | 04/07/2017 8:14 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. CEO Louis Audet said Friday that he’s not concerned about customers substituting wireline Internet service with wireless with the advent of 5G, and that the company...
Cogeco fined $84K for breach of contract clause
telecom | 03/31/2017 8:44 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. has been fined for being offside of Quebec consumer protection rules by changing a contract without notifying the customer, the province’s consumer watchdog said Friday. The Consumer Protection Bureau...
Quebec union ‘disappointed’ budgets didn’t address taxation imbalance
Media | 03/29/2017 8:58 pm EDT
A Quebec union representing communications sector employees said it is disappointed with both the federal and provincial budgets, saying that in “both cases, no action has been taken to counter...
Cogeco launches 4K PVR
Media | 03/21/2017 5:06 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. has launched a new 4K personal video recorder (PVR) to allow its subscribers to record and watch content at four times the resolution of high-definition TV. “This evolution in our offering is consistent with our ongoing commitment to better meet the changing needs of our...
Telecoms bond over stirring proposals to shake up call spoofing
telecom | 03/03/2017 7:18 pm EST
Technologies identified by the CRTC as potential tools to combat spoofed and nuisance calls have promise, but barriers to their deployment mean they’re not likely to be put in place any time...
Cogeco shifting data centre strategy due to Amazon, Microsoft: Audet
Media | 01/12/2017 9:56 pm EST
MONTREAL — Moves by Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. into the Canadian data centre business won’t compete directly with Cogeco Inc., which is changing its data...
Companies launching pick-and-pay ahead of new rules
Media | 11/30/2016 9:21 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc. have introduced their line-up of stand-alone TV channels a day ahead of the CRTC’s deadline requiring them to do so. The cost for individual channels with Rogers...
Cogeco launches gigabit service in Ontario markets
telecom | 11/23/2016 9:27 pm EST
Cogeco Inc. is now offering gigabit Internet, starting with Oakville and Burlington, Ont., with the launch of its UltraFibre 1Gig service, it announced in a Wednesday press release. It is the company’s first...
U.S. operations boost Q4 for Cogeco
Media | 11/03/2016 7:43 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. saw a 3.2-per-cent increase in revenue to hit $572 million for the final quarter of fiscal 2016, the company reported Wednesday. In a press release, Cogeco said the growth was driven by its communications segment “mainly through the improvement of its American broadband services operations combined with favorable foreign exchange rates compared to the prior year,” for the three months ended Aug. 31. The department’s gain was “partially offset” due to lower revenue in the media division because of the sale of its weather service...
iHeartRadio launches in Canada
Media | 10/07/2016 4:56 pm EDT
iHeartMedia Inc.'s free digital radio and music streaming service is now available in Canada, according to a press release from BCE Inc.’s media division. The free app, iHeartRadio, is available on a preview basis...
CRTC’s lowering of HSA rates means small ISPs ‘free to innovate’: CNOC
telecom | 10/06/2016 8:00 pm EDT
The CRTC has set revised interim wholesale rates for high-speed access (HSA) services, criticizing large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for proposing “unreasonable” rates that were too...
Court says Cogeco can’t claim ‘best Internet’
telecom | 10/04/2016 8:45 pm EDT
An Ontario Superior Court judge has granted an injunction requested by BCE Inc. forbidding Cogeco Inc. from claiming that it has the “best Internet experience in your neighbourhood.” In a Sept. 26...
Differing opinions on how to guide differential pricing, interventions show
telecom | 09/23/2016 8:09 pm EDT
Even among those who support differential pricing practices such as zero rating and sponsoring data, there isn’t a consensus as to how they should be regulated by CRTC, according to additional...
Data consumption, competitive pressures headline investor conference
Media | 09/21/2016 9:17 pm EDT
Canada’s biggest telcos told investors Wednesday that they are seeing growth in wireless data usage on the first of a two-day conference hosted by CIBC World Markets. BCE Inc. and Telus Corp., alongside Cogeco Inc. and Corus Entertainment Inc., participated in a discussion with CIBC analyst Robert Bek at the annual Eastern Institutional Investor Conference in Montreal about wireline and wireless trends and how the companies have been able to meet the...
Community TV complaints deferred: CACTUS
Media | 08/03/2016 7:05 pm EDT
The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said Wednesday it’s unhappy with the CRTC’s decision to put off complaints about alleged broadcast distribution undertakings’...
Quebec City lawsuit against Cogeco dismissed
Media | 06/22/2016 8:49 pm EDT
The Quebec Superior Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Cogeco Inc., determining the suit was abusive under section 51 of Quebec’s code of civil procedure. The City of Quebec had sued Cogeco, its...
CRTC ‘rebalances’ TV system funds; up to $90M available for local news
Media | 06/15/2016 10:44 pm EDT
The CRTC has established new funding for local television news in a decision on its local and community TV hearing, though advocates expressed concern that the changes won’t happen quickly...
Cogeco Connexion brings FTTH to Laurentides
telecom | 06/08/2016 12:13 am EDT
Cogeco Inc. announced it is making a $1.4-million investment in the Laurentides region of Quebec to expand its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network. In a Monday press release, Cogeco Connexion said the expansion would...
Tax all digital services or none, committee hears
Media | 05/31/2016 7:46 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Witnesses in the latest round of hearings in the House of Commons’ Canadian Heritage committee’s study of the media and local communities asked parliamentarians to level the playing field when it comes...
Cogeco launches public WiFi in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls
telecom | 05/18/2016 6:21 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. has launched a free public WiFi network with more than 360 hotspots in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, Ont., the company said Wednesday. Access to the network is free for...
Cogeco sued by former Quebec politician
Media | 05/10/2016 6:56 pm EDT
Former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau is suing Cogeco Inc.’s media division for wrongful dismissal, according to media reports. Radio-Canada reported Monday that Normandeau has filed a lawsuit...
Cogeco Connexion expanding FTTH network in Quebec
telecom | 05/10/2016 3:54 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. said Friday it is investing about $250,000 to expand its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to residents in Quebec’s Orford Township. The expansion will serve “several homes in the...
Cogeco Peer 1 names Scott Adams Canadian VP
telecom | 04/27/2016 8:39 pm EDT
Cogeco Peer 1, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc., has named Scott Adams as its new Canadian vice-president and general manager. In a Tuesday press release, Cogeco Peer 1 — which provides business products and services such as network connectivity, cloud services and colocation — said Adams will be “responsible for the tactical and strategic direction of the organization” in Canada and that he will be “overseeing operations and driving revenue growth. Adams, who will be based in Toronto, previously occupied senior positions with Cologix Inc. and Verizon...
Cogeco open to Shaw partnership: Audet
telecom | 04/14/2016 10:03 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. CEO Louis Audet said his company would be “delighted” to partner with Shaw Communications Inc. on its newly acquired wireless business, Wind Mobile. During the company’s second-quarter...
Cogeco launches business-specific TV bundles
telecom | 03/30/2016 5:47 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. is now offering TV packages aimed at business customers. In a Tuesday press release, the company said the new channel bundles were "specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses and...
Stingray buys in-store audio company for $2M
Media | 02/25/2016 5:14 pm EST
Stingray Digital Group Inc. has bought Numedia, a company that provides technology used by retail stores to play in-store audio. The company said in a press release Wednesday that the deal is worth $2 million. According to...
Cogeco launches 400 new WiFi hotspots in Ontario
telecom | 02/17/2016 8:11 pm EST
Cogeco Inc. announced Wednesday it has launched 400 WiFi hotspots across Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Georgetown, all located in the surrounding area of Toronto. It said in a press release that Cogeco has been working...
City of Quebec sues Cogeco for defamation
Media | 02/03/2016 9:27 pm EST
The City of Quebec is suing Cogeco Inc., its CEO, Louis Audet, as well as Richard Renaud, director of Quebec’s CJMF FM-93 radio station, for defamation. The municipality said in a French press release Wednesday that it’s seeking $1 million in compensation for defamatory comments that were allegedly made against the city during a radio show. The comments, made during a morning broadcast on CJMF by Sylvain Bouchard on Nov. 25, were regarding a report published by the province’s Charbonneau commission on corruption in the construction sector, the press release said. The...
Cogeco expands FTTH network in Quebec
telecom | 02/01/2016 9:37 pm EST
Cogeco Inc. announced Monday it is investing $250,000 to roll out its fibre-to-the-home service to residential and business clients in Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane, Que., which is about 400 kilometres north...
Cogeco sells out-of-home division to Bell
Media | 01/05/2016 9:37 pm EST
Cogeco Inc. has sold its Cogeco Métromédia, which focuses on out-of-home advertising in the public transit sector, to BCE Inc.'s media division, Cogeco said in a press release. The release, issued Tuesday, did...
Cogeco appoints Daniel Boisvert, Antoine Shiu, to exec positions
Media | 12/14/2015 4:30 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc.’s Canadian cable division has appointed Daniel Boisvert as vice-president of marketing and innovation, and Antoine Shiu as vice-president of business solutions sales, it said...
Cogeco Cable considers name change
telecom | 12/10/2015 8:36 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc. will ask shareholders to vote on a name change to Cogeco Communications Inc. at its annual meeting in January. The company said in a press release Wednesday that the “new name better expresses the...
Cogeco financials show big gains in U.S.
telecom | 10/29/2015 4:23 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. reported higher revenue and profit numbers this week, with its U.S. operations bringing in substantially more money as it benefited from a favourable trend in the U.S.-dollar exchange rate. The company said in a...
Cogeco opens Montreal-area data centre
telecom | 09/18/2015 4:53 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Friday it has officially opened a new 100,000-square-foot data centre in Kirkland, Que., just west of Montreal. The data centre, which the company announced earlier this year, is the first in Canada to bill...
Regulators will eventually embrace MVNOs: Audet
telecom | 09/15/2015 6:26 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. CEO Louis Audet said Tuesday he believes Canada's telecommunications regulators will come around to mandating access for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), notwithstanding the CRTC's decision on...
Corus launches Disney Channel, expands Cartoon Network distribution
Media | 09/03/2015 9:12 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. said Thursday in two press releases it has launched the Disney Channel and expanded the distribution of its Cartoon Network. Disney Channel is now available in 10 million...
Cogeco Cable earnings boosted by U.S. operations
telecom | 07/15/2015 3:04 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. reported higher third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, attributing gains largely to its U.S. operations, which benefited from favourable terms when translating U.S. dollars to Canadian. The company said in a press release that it had revenue of $516.4 million for the three months, which ended May 31, up four per cent from a year earlier. Its quarterly profit was $64.1 million, up from $35.5 million in the same period a year before. Credit for both gains were given to U.S. operations, which saw a 19.4 per cent gain in revenue, as measured in Canadian dollars, attributed to...
Cogeco approved for wholesale Internet rate cut
telecom | 03/04/2015 7:46 pm EST
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...
Cogeco promotes two executives at U.S. subsidiary
telecom | 12/10/2014 5:30 pm EST
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...
Cogeco boosts Internet speeds
telecom | 12/01/2014 5:42 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that it has increased the Internet speeds of its customers in Quebec and Ontario. The company said in a press release that, in Quebec, the changes include increasing the download speed of its Express...
CRTC tells Cogeco to implement customer-transfer system
telecom | 11/20/2014 7:38 pm EST
The CRTC said Thursday that Cogeco Cable Inc. must adopt an automated, cross-industry customer-transfer system for its television and Internet operations by the new year. In it decision, the...
Bell, Cogeco execs say enterprise market weak
telecom | 11/12/2014 9:42 pm EST
Executives from two of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies told the crowd at the Scotiabank Telecom & Cable 2015 Conference on Wednesday that the business of selling services to businesses is challenging their bottom line. Yet both BCE Inc. chief financial officer Siim Vanaselja and Cogeco Cable Inc. CEO Louis Audet said weak growth in enterprise services is an industry-wide phenomenon that reflects continuing tepid growth in the overall economy. “I don't believe that this is a market-share issue that we are seeing,” Vanaselja told the Toronto crowd....
Government pressured to open more WiFi spectrum
telecom | 11/05/2014 6:23 pm EST
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...
Diane Nyisztor joins Cogeco
telecom | 09/29/2014 4:46 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that it has appointed Diane Nyisztor as vice-president of corporate human resources. Nysiztor was previously partner of international executive services at tax and consulting services company KPMG Canada, Cogeco said in a press release. “Following our recent...
Cogeco calls for regulated access to wireless networks
telecom | 09/25/2014 8:05 pm EDT
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....
WiFi hotpots coming to homes near you
telecom | 07/16/2014 9:14 pm EDT
Telecommunications providers are discovering an untapped resource in their quest to provide customers with more opportunities to get online, and that resource is other people's homes. Service providers in the United States...
Cogeco to provide telecom services to Laurentian Bank
telecom | 07/15/2014 6:15 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc.’s data services subsidiary will manage Laurentian Bank’s “corporate telecommunications program,” the company said in a press release Tuesday. Michel Racine, vice-president of real estate...
Cogeco partners with TiVo, ditches IPTV plans
telecom | 07/10/2014 7:21 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. has abandoned a multi-year project to establish an Internet protocol-based TV platform in Canada and will instead launch a service in partnership with TiVo Inc. that its CEO says gives it "all of what we...
Cogeco Cable looks to enter wireless market
telecom | 06/12/2014 8:30 pm EDT
Internet- and television-service provider Cogeco Cable Inc. is looking to enter the wireless market if the CRTC paves the way with new rules as part of its ongoing review of the wholesale wireless sector, the company’s...
Video-on-demand, pay-per-view revenues fall: CRTC
Media | 04/30/2014 9:38 pm EDT
Television providers earned less from their video-on-demand services last year, according to CRTC data released Wednesday, despite investing in increasing the availability of content. The CRTC said in the statistical and...
Cogeco boosts residential Internet speeds
telecom | 04/16/2014 5:44 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. on Wednesday said it was boosting speeds on certain residential Internet packages in both Ontario and Quebec. It said in a press release the upload speed for its Express 10 package will increase to as much as 2 Mbps from 1.5 in both provinces. According to Cogeco's website, that package’s download speed will remain the same, at 10 Mbps. Cogeco’s Ultimate 30 package in Ontario will increase to a download speed of as much as 55 Mbps from 30, and its name has changed to Ultimate 55. A comparable product offered in Quebec, called Ultimate 40, is also being...
Cogeco Cable revenue, profits up, subs down
telecom | 01/14/2014 5:55 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc. reported revenue of $474.98 million for the three months ended Nov. 30, a 43.7 per cent increase from $327.91 million at the same time last year, the company said in its first-quarter results Monday. It reported...
Lachance new head of Cogeco Diffusion
Media | 11/06/2013 10:13 pm EST
Richard Lachance is the new president and CEO of Cogeco Inc. subsidiary Cogeco Diffusion Inc., the company said. Lachance, who joined Cogeco in 1999, was previously senior vice-president of Cogeco Diffusion, the company said in a...
Cogeco extends Internet service
telecom | 10/07/2013 9:30 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. extended its high-speed Internet service to Chandler and Pabos, Que., the company said in a release Monday. Customers can choose between the “Express 5, Express 10, Turbo 14, Turbo 20, Ultimate 40 and...
Dorval joins Cogeco
telecom | 09/30/2013 9:36 pm EDT
Nathalie Dorval is the new vice president of regulatory affairs and copyright at Cogeco Cable Inc. The company said in a release Friday that the position is effective Sept. 30. Dorval’s most recent position was as vice-president of regulatory affairs at Astral Media, where she worked for 16...
Cogeco profits, subscribers fall
telecom | 07/11/2013 9:07 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. posted a profit of $55.1 million in the third quarter, falling from the $55.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier, the company said in an earnings statement Thursday. Profits fell despite an increase in revenues to $504 million at the end of the company's third quarter of 2013 from $358 million a year earlier. “Profit for the period from continuing operations decreased slightly during the quarter mostly due to acquisition costs, additional depreciation and amortization and financial expense,” a release said. Its cable subsidiary Cogeco Cable Inc. reported a total of 1.1 million TV subscribers, with 233,941 in the U.S. and 845,344 in Canada. The company lost 8,407 TV subscribers and gained 2,351 Internet customers during the quarter. Cogeco added 2,725 phone service customers for a total of 826,495...
Safeguards not enough to limit Bell-Astral market power, competitors say
Media | 05/16/2013 9:25 pm EDT
Additional safeguards intended to protect competitors and consumers from a larger stable of media assets under BCE Inc. are not enough for the broadcast regulator to approve its purchase of Astral...
Gestion Audem sells subordinate voting shares in Cogeco
telecom | 05/13/2013 8:54 pm EDT
Gestion Audem Inc. reached an agreement with Cogeco Inc. for the private sale of 432,270 subordinate voting shares, Cogeco said. In a release Monday, Cogeco said the transaction does not change the...
Cogeco says its carriage fees with Bell Media rose 37% from previous agreement
Media | 05/08/2013 8:57 pm EDT
MONTREAL—The “horse trading” of content and channel carriage rights between large, vertically integrated broadcast companies increases wholesale carriage fees for independent...
Cogeco profits fall year-over-year
telecom | 04/11/2013 9:16 pm EDT
Profits for Cogeco Cable Inc. reached $56.5 million in the second quarter of 2013, down from $81.5 million in the same period a year earlier, the company said Wednesday. In a financial earnings report, Cogeco said profit for the...
Cogeco completes acquisition of Peer 1
telecom | 04/03/2013 8:35 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. completed its acquisition of Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc., Cogeco and Peer 1 said Wednesday. They completed an acquisition of all Peer 1’s common shares at a price of $3.85 per common share, resulting...
Cogeco upgrades Internet packages
telecom | 02/04/2013 8:50 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc. launched new Internet speeds for six services in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the company said Monday. The company increased the upload and download speeds and monthly data caps for its Express 5,...
Cogeco carries ethnic channels
Media | 12/19/2012 9:13 pm EST
Cogeco Cable Inc. expanded its ethnic channel offerings by adding 25 channels from the Asian Television Network International Ltd. (ATN) and 23 channels from the Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. (ECG), the broadcasters said this week....
CRTC looking at withholding small telco subsidies
telecom | 11/09/2012 7:13 pm EST
The CRTC opened a call for comments on whether it should withhold subsidy payments for small incumbent telecom companies that ignored an order to prepare for the arrival of local competition. In a notice of consultation posted on...
Cogeco cable subs, profits, decline
Media | 11/02/2012 8:18 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc.'s revenues rose 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2012 to $356.7 million as profits declined year-over-year, the company said in a quarterly and year-end financial statement Friday. The company said year-end revenues for the period ended Aug. 31, 2012 reached $1.406 billion, up 11 per cent from the previous year. Cogeco's profit in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $44.9 million, declining from $70.1 million in the same quarter of 2011, the company said. The decline was “mostly attributable” to the company's cable sector and an increase in income...
Cogeco reorganizes marketing team
Media | 09/17/2012 9:01 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. has adopted a new organizational structure for greater marketing efficiency for its residential services, Ron Perrotta, vice-president of marketing and strategic planning at Cogeco, said in a release Monday....