TAGGED AS SATELLITE TV
Rogers backs Bell’s SRDU request while creatives oppose
telecom | 04/29/2024 6:58 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. is endorsing a Part 1 application by BCE Inc. that would see the five per cent contribution level by satellite relay distribution undertakings (SRDUs) eliminated and wants the same treatment for itself. Bell filed the original motion last month on...
Bell asks CRTC to lift regulations on satellite TV distributors
telecom | 03/27/2024 4:17 pm EDT
BCE Inc. asked the CRTC to lighten licensing requirements for ExpressVu, the company’s satellite TV division, and called for all satellite relay distribution undertakings (SRDUs) to be exempt from regulation because of declines in the market.
ExpressVu’s current...
Telesat provides satellite lessor capacity
telecom | 02/14/2022 4:26 pm EST
Telesat Corp. provided satellite lessor Anuvu satellite capacity in what the companies said is the...
No plans to change alerts system, for now: CRTC
telecom | 01/13/2020 5:18 pm EST
The CRTC says there’s no immediate plans to change the regulations governing Canada’s emergency alert system after an Ontario -wide alert about an incident at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station was sent in error. ...
Keep satellite OTA replacement program in place, CRTC hears
Media | 05/17/2019 11:47 am EDT
Users of a program that provides free access to conventional TV stations in areas where they’re not available over-the-air are asking the CRTC not to allow Shaw Communications Inc. to shut down the...
Freedom set to support older iPhones with spectrum rejig, deployment
telecom | 10/26/2017 5:37 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. announced Thursday that it would move to redeploy...
BDU revenue losses accelerate to 2.1%: CRTC
Media | 07/27/2017 5:10 pm EDT
Canadian TV providers’ revenues dropped 2.1 per cent in 2016 — a marked increase from the 0.1 per cent fall a year earlier, which was the first such decline in a decade.
The CRTC released its financial summaries for the broadcast sector Thursday, which showed that...
Quebec court dismisses call centre case against Shaw
telecom | 11/22/2016 9:44 pm EST
The Quebec Superior Court has dismissed a case against Shaw Communications Inc.’s satellite business in the province related to the termination of a third-party contract for call centre services. The...
Telus Q3 continues industry-wide trend of strong wireless
Media | 11/04/2016 7:27 pm EDT
Telus Corp. reported strong wireless revenues and subscriber additions Friday, as data helped propel overall revenues up to $3.23 billion. For the three months ended September...
Telecoms’ TV revenues declined last year: CRTC
Media | 07/12/2016 9:01 pm EDT
The television distribution revenues reported by Canada’s telecommunications companies have fallen for the first time in a decade, driven by a decline in satellite subscribers. Numbers released by the...
Four telecoms singled out for skinny-basic hearing
Media | 05/24/2016 9:36 pm EDT
The CRTC said Tuesday it will hold a hearing on the implementation of skinny basic TV packages, though it only asked four companies — BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc.,...
23.7% of Canadian households don’t subscribe to TV: report
Media | 04/06/2016 6:35 pm EDT
A new report from Convergence Consulting Group Ltd. estimates 3.43 million Canadian households, or about 23.7 per cent, didn’t have a traditional TV subscription with a cable,...
Corus closes Shaw Media deal, announces new exec slate
Media | 04/01/2016 5:14 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. has closed its $2.65-billion acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc.’s media division and appointed a team of executive vice-presidents for the combined company....
CRTC approves Shaw-Corus deal, with no tangible benefits
Media | 03/23/2016 10:37 pm EDT
The CRTC has approved the acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc.’s media division by Corus Entertainment Inc., and decided not to require Corus to pay any tangible benefits, a contribution...
TV subscription rate down to 77%: MTM
Media | 03/22/2016 10:47 pm EDT
The percentage of Canadians subscribing to TV service in Canada fell to 77 per cent in the fall of 2015, according to a new report released Tuesday by Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. That’s a...
CRTC tells CCTS to step up enforcement, ‘naming and shaming’
Media | 03/17/2016 9:09 pm EDT
In addition to expanding the mandate of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) Thursday to include TV service, the CRTC told the organization to make more use of enforcement tools at its disposal, including “naming and shaming.” The CRTC said it believes that “promoting and monitoring compliance are necessary first steps in enforcement… it is not clear how much effort the CCTS has put into these activities or into enforcement, but at this point it would appear to be insufficient.” The tools the CCTS has at its disposal include...
As skinny basic arrives, experts doubt consumer appeal
Media | 03/01/2016 9:41 pm EST
On the day Canadian TV providers were required to make their skinny basic options available to consumers, experts expressed skepticism about how many Canadians will sign up for the new offers and...
Rogers to offer $3-$18 theme packs with skinny basic
Media | 02/25/2016 8:34 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc.’s $24.99 skinny basic offer will include the U.S. "4+1” networks ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS, and its theme packages will cost between $3 and $18. Rogers spokeswoman Jennifer Kett sent...
Satellite spectrum fees changing
telecom | 02/22/2016 10:17 pm EST
Lower fees for spectrum used for satellite communication will go into effect on April 1. According to a notice from the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development published in last week's Canada Gazette and...
Heritage committee to conduct study on news media
Media | 02/17/2016 9:34 pm EST
The House of Commons heritage committee will undertake a study on the news media. The committee will hold at least 10 meetings that will study how Canadians and “especially local communities, are informed about local and...
CMF, CMPA to help promote Canadian kids’ productions
Media | 02/08/2016 9:15 pm EST
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) said in a press release Monday that it has teamed up with eight organizations, including the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the BCE Inc.-supported Bell Fund, to help promote Canadian kids’ content and opportunities for Canadian producers at the Kidscreen Summit. The conference, which will take place in Miami, Fla. this week, is “one of the world’s leading children’s entertainment content markets,” CMF said. “A delegation of over 350 Canadian content creators and audiovisual industry leaders will...
CRTC asks Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Quebecor to renew TV licences
Media | 02/08/2016 8:38 pm EST
The CRTC said Monday that BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. should apply to renew their TV licences that will expire in...
Bell profits down 8.8 per cent in Q4
telecom | 02/04/2016 9:45 pm EST
BCE Inc. reported net earnings of $542 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, down 8.8 per cent from the same time a year earlier. It said Thursday that final quarter revenues were up 1.4 per cent to $5.60 billion,...
CRTC approves new hybrid VOD service
Media | 02/01/2016 7:40 pm EST
The CRTC has approved a video-on-demand licence application by Gold Line Telemanagement Inc., a Markham, Ont.-based company that offers over-the-top (OTT) subscriptions to international TV and radio services. The commission...
Videotron says original show breaks Illico viewing record
Media | 01/28/2016 8:54 pm EST
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron said Thursday that its over-the-top (OTT) service Club Illico’s original series Blue Moon reached 100,000 views in less than 48 hours within its launch....
CRTC news fund proposal would ‘gut’ community TV: Cogeco
Media | 01/27/2016 10:14 pm EST
Cogeco Communications Inc. told a CRTC hearing Wednesday that a plan the commission proposed to create a new fund for local TV news programming, to be funded by existing financial resources within the...
Bell, Channel Zero tell CRTC local TV needs help
Media | 01/26/2016 12:57 am EST
GATINEAU — The first day of the CRTC’s hearing on local and community television painted a picture of traditional TV in flux, as operators of conventional stations said declining ad revenue is making local TV...
CACTUS complaints result in 4 CRTC proceedings
Media | 01/25/2016 4:45 pm EST
The CRTC has grouped 61 complaints by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) into four Part 1 proceedings, giving Shaw Communications Inc., Cogeco Cable Inc., Rogers...
Gusto TV sells show to South Korean 4K channel
Media | 01/20/2016 4:36 pm EST
Canada's Gusto TV on Tuesday announced that has sold one of its original shows to a South Korean 4K channel. It said in a press release that 30 episodes of A is for Apple — a cooking-challenge program — had been...
Rogers broadcasts first 4K NBA game
Media | 01/15/2016 8:40 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc., the National Basketball Association and BT Group PLC’s BT Sport teamed up Thursday to produce the world's first live broadcast of an NBA basketball game in 4K, a Rogers spokesman confirmed Friday. The game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic, played at London's O2 arena, was to be made available to Rogers cable customers in Canada through 4K-capable NetBox set-top boxes on channel 999, according to a press release issued Wednesday. Rogers spokesman Andrew Garas said in an email that it was also the first live 4K sports broadcast in...
Tangible benefits unclear for Corus-Shaw deal: expert
Media | 01/13/2016 8:18 pm EST
Regulatory approval of Corus Entertainment Inc.'s planned purchase of Shaw Communications Inc.'s media division shouldn't be a problem since there's no real change in who's controlling the assets, said one...
CRTC proposes fund for local TV news
Media | 01/12/2016 8:33 pm EST
The CRTC is proposing a new fund to support local TV news programming, which would be funded by existing financial resources within the broadcasting system. The proposal was included a paper released Tuesday, which will be used...
CCTS to enforce TV service provider code
Media | 01/08/2016 5:38 pm EST
The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) said in a press release Friday it will be responsible for administering the CRTC's new television service provider code of conduct. The new TV code, which...
TV service provider code takes effect September 2017
Media | 01/07/2016 10:21 pm EST
Television service providers have another 20 months before they are forced to abide by a new code governing their relationship with customers. The CRTC on Thursday released a finalized version of its television service provider...
Community TV channels do not meet CRTC standards: CACTUS
telecom | 01/07/2016 4:44 pm EST
The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said Thursday that most cable community TV channels do not meet CRTC standards for operating a community TV channel, according to one of the organization's members. CACTUS said in a press release that information was gathered from a study conducted by Deepak Sahasrabudhe, executive diretor of Newwest.tv, an independent multimedia access centre based in New Westminster, B.C., in preparation for the local and community TV policy hearing the CRTC will hold, starting Jan. 25. CACTUS also indicated in the press...
TV regulatory changes could cost 15,000 jobs: report
telecom | 01/05/2016 4:15 pm EST
New CRTC regulatory changes from the Let’s Talk TV decisions could lead to a loss of more than 15,000 Canadian jobs and take $1.4 billion from the Canadian economy annually by 2020, according to a new report released Tuesday...
Content on multiple platforms can lower future revenue: report
Media | 12/18/2015 3:48 pm EST
Having premium content on linear TV and on over-the-top (OTT) services can cause adverse effects on revenue growth and will cause consumers to expect lower costs for premium TV content, according to a...
TV ads most influential among Canadians: survey
Media | 12/16/2015 5:34 pm EST
In a survey of Canadian adults, 57 per cent said they are most likely to notice an advertisement while watching TV, compared to 13 per cent who said they were most likely to do so while listening to the radio and only two per cent...
Yahoo launches mobile app in U.S. to find OTT content
Media | 12/11/2015 8:04 pm EST
Yahoo Inc. announced Thursday the launch of its Yahoo Video Guide mobile app for customers in the United States to search for video content across multiple services they have installed on their devices. The company said in a blog...
CMPA reaches 3-year agreement with Directors Guild
Media | 12/11/2015 6:37 pm EST
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) announced Friday it has agreed on terms for a new three-year agreement with the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC). It said in a press release that the renewed agreement, which will...
Bell denied requests for no quota on independent programming
Media | 12/11/2015 6:18 pm EST
The CRTC on Friday approved requests from BCE Inc. to delete many genre-related terms on its licences for three different specialty channels, but it was denied in all three instances its requests that...
DHX produces new kids TV show to air in Canada, U.K.
Media | 12/10/2015 2:57 pm EST
DHX Media Ltd. announced Thursday it has been commissioned by BBC’s children's broadcasting arm, CBBC, in the U.K. to produce two seasons of Airmageddon, a new TV show for kids that features competitive radio-controlled...
CRTC denies application to amend third-language exemption order
telecom | 12/09/2015 5:34 pm EST
The CRTC denied an application from Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. Wednesday to amend the exemption order for discretionary TV services serving fewer than 200,000 subscribers in order for third-language...
Amazon offers to link video producers to audiences
Media | 12/09/2015 4:13 pm EST
Amazon.com Inc. announced Tuesday it is launching an over-the-top (OTT) streaming subscription program for video providers to reach out to Amazon Prime members, and will also allow Prime members to add other video subscription services onto their membership. It said in a press release that, for video providers, Amazon will be responsible for driving subscriber acquisitions, managing customer care services as well as payment services and managing compatibility of OTT services across different devices. Amazon added that Prime members will have access to free trials on all subscriptions...
Future CraveTV prices unclear for non-Bell customers
telecom | 12/08/2015 9:56 pm EST
Subscribers to BCE Inc.’s TV services will pay more for CraveTV starting in February, though the company isn’t saying how much customers who get the streaming service through other TV-service providers, or those...
ADR files complaint against Bell
Media | 12/08/2015 5:41 pm EST
A Quebec TV station that focuses on disseminating public-safety and police-related information has filed a complaint against BCE Inc. for its impending exclusion of carriage of the channel, though the CRTC has ordered Bell to keep...
DHX signs 5-year deal with DreamWorks
Media | 12/08/2015 3:15 pm EST
DHX Media Ltd. announced Tuesday it has signed a five-year deal with DreamWorks Animation LLC to produce, broadcast and distribute content across several channels. DHX said in the press release that it will be co-producing 130...
Distant TV signals losing value, service providers say
Media | 11/30/2015 9:13 pm EST
OTTAWA — Canada's major TV service providers argued before the Copyright Board of Canada on Monday that they should pay less for distant-TV signals because these channels are losing value as...
Broadcasters advised to ‘pick their winners’ as pick-and-pay approaches
Media | 11/27/2015 9:58 pm EST
As the Canadian TV industry approaches an era where customers have more choice over the channels they subscribe to, large broadcasters should “pick their winners” and consolidate into a smaller number of channels, a new report from RBC Capital Markets says. “Today, many if not most specialty channels benefit from being included in large BDU packages — particularly outside of Quebec," the report released Thursday said. "For years, BDUs have been...
Blue Ant sells content to Asia
Media | 11/27/2015 2:59 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc.’s international division announced Friday it has made sales of more than 175 hours of content from its catalogue of factual, factual entertainment, nature and wildlife, lifestyle and documentary series to...
Blue Ant to distribute Cream Productions content
Media | 11/24/2015 2:26 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc.’s international division announced Tuesday in a press release that it has signed a multi-year, exclusive distribution deal with Cream Productions Inc., an international factual content creator based in...
Bell holds out on distributing Bloomberg TV
Media | 11/19/2015 7:11 pm EST
When Channel Zero Inc. announced the launch of its Bloomberg TV Canada channel this week, it listed every TV-service provider that was carrying it and absent from that list was Canada's biggest provider of TV service. Channel...
Blue Ant makes several leadership changes
Media | 11/18/2015 6:56 pm EST
Blue Ant Media Inc. on Wednesday announced several changes to its leadership team, including the appointment of Jamie Schouela to the newly created position of executive vice-president of Canadian networks. Blue Ant said in a...
Telus, Cogeco challenge Bell appeal of wholesale code
Media | 11/17/2015 9:36 pm EST
Telus Corp. and Cogeco Cable Inc. have filed their opposition to BCE Inc.'s attempt to fight, before the Federal Court of Appeal, the CRTC's wholesale code governing relationships between television stations and TV-service...
TVB appoints Kathy Gardner VP of media insights
Media | 11/11/2015 3:36 pm EST
The Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) announced Wednesday it has appointed Kathy Gardner to the newly created position of vice-president of media insights. TVB said in a press release that Gardner will oversee research and...
Market has adjusted to 2-year wireless contracts: analyst
Media | 11/10/2015 8:42 pm EST
Third-quarter results indicate the mobile market has adjusted to the higher-priced, two-year contracts that became the norm after the CRTC implemented the wireless code in 2013, says Scotia Capital...
CRTC says 30-day cancellation ban not for single channels
Media | 11/06/2015 6:27 pm EST
The CRTC on Friday made certain clarifications about the policy implemented early this year to prohibit providers of telecommunications services from requiring 30-days' notice of subscription...
Rogers, Vice to launch new channel for millennials
Media | 11/05/2015 3:42 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it will launch a new 24-hour specialty channel aimed at millennials next year as part of its partnership with Vice Media Inc. It said in a press release that the new channel, called Viceland, will launch this winter and will feature content produced by Vice’s Canadian content creators. The release added that nine new Canadian original series are in development, and that Vice has a new multi-media production facility in downtown Toronto. The Toronto studio and the TV channel are part of a $100-million joint venture between the two companies...
Bell becomes largest TV provider for Canadians
Media | 11/04/2015 9:38 pm EST
BCE Inc. announced Wednesday that the popularity of its Fibe TV service has made its the largest TV provider in Canada for the first time with more than 2.7 million customers across the country. Bell said in a press release that...
CCTS asks CRTC to keep membership mandatory for telecoms
telecom | 11/03/2015 9:45 pm EST
Representatives from the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) told the CRTC Tuesday that making telecom companies' participation in the CCTS voluntary would affect the...
Connectivity beats content in telecom/media sector: report
Media | 11/03/2015 8:24 pm EST
The notion that "content is king" is challenged in a new report that points out that connectivity services take in significantly more revenue than content providers in Canada and have seen...
Bell Media asks for CBC disaffiliations in B.C.
Media | 10/30/2015 7:26 pm EDT
BCE Inc.'s Bell Media division has asked the CRTC to approve the disaffiliation of two TV stations it owns in British Columbia from CBC/Radio-Canada. Bell Media filed applications with the commission, which appeared online...
CRTC approves change of licence conditions for OWN
Media | 10/28/2015 6:42 pm EDT
The CRTC approved Wednesday an application from Corus Entertainment Inc. on behalf of OWN Inc., the Oprah Winfrey Network, to amend certain conditions of its broadcasting licence as well as its terms-of-trade agreement. The regulator said in the announcement that Corus had asked the CRTC to change the description of OWN from a national English-language specialty channel that provides formal and informal educational programming focusing on adult education, to a national English-language specialty channel that provides entertainment dedicated to women. It had also asked that a list of about a...
New Star Wars movie coming to Netflix in Canada only
Media | 10/26/2015 5:43 pm EDT
Canadian Netflix Inc. subscribers will be the only ones able to stream Walt Disney Co.'s Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2016. A Netflix representative confirmed in a phone call that the seventh installment, and latest...
CRTC denies ownership transfer of ethnic channel
Media | 10/22/2015 7:59 pm EDT
The CRTC denied Thursday a transfer of ownership application submitted by NMTV Inc., a national third-language general interest ethnic specialty channel. The application, which was filed on Aug. 1, requested the commission change...
Shaw sees 40% rise in profits in Q4
Media | 10/22/2015 5:35 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. announced Thursday a 43.8 per cent increase in its fourth quarter profits. It said in its quarterly results that its net income for the three months ending Aug. 31 was up 43.8 per cent to $276 million, up...
CBC gets rights to 2022, 2024 Olympic Games
Media | 10/21/2015 3:27 pm EDT
CBC/Radio-Canada said in a press release that it has secured the broadcasting rights for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the 2024 Olympic Games. CBC will become the official broadcaster for the next five Olympic Games...
Liberal government positive for big telecoms: analyst
Media | 10/19/2015 7:58 pm EDT
A telecom-market analyst says incumbent telecommunications-service providers would benefit under a Liberal government. Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan said in a research note released the Friday before Monday's election:...
Supreme Court denies Bell appeal against Quebecor
Media | 10/15/2015 8:13 pm EDT
The Supreme Court on Thursday denied BCE Inc.'s appeal of damages it was ordered to pay Quebecor Inc. subsidiaries for the hacking of Bell's satellite-TV service a decade or more ago and the lost revenue that resulted...
Corus expands original content distribution to U.S. broadcasters
Media | 10/05/2015 3:51 pm EDT
Following Corus Entertainment Inc.’s announcement at MIPCOM, the global entertainment content conference, it said in a press release Monday that it has signed deals to distribute its original...
Federal election unlikely to change telecom policy: Huang
telecom | 10/05/2015 2:42 pm EDT
Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang said in a research note Monday that, despite the uncertain outcome of this month's federal election, a significant change in policy with regard to...
Pick-and-pay TV prices could reduce cord cutting, say experts
Media | 10/02/2015 8:43 pm EDT
Prices for TV subscriptions in the coming pick-and-pay era will be one of the main factors determining how over-the-top (OTT) video services are affected, say experts, noting that competitive pricing in TV packages might curb the cord-cutting trend. Earlier this year, the CRTC announced that TV providers will have to offer skinny basic TV packages, starting in March of next year, for no more than $25 a month. This package will include public-interest, educational, some community, and local and regional channels. Emilia Zboralska, a researcher of communication and culture at...
Bell seeks exemption from emergency alert requirements
telecom | 10/01/2015 5:17 pm EDT
BCE Inc. is asking the CRTC to amend its condition of licence that requires it to distribute emergency alerts to satellite-TV customers who still have a set-top box that isn’t capable of...
OMNI TV to air first original series
Media | 09/30/2015 2:57 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc.’s OMNI TV announced Wednesday it will be broadcasting its first production of an original series on its channel. OMNI said in the release that the show, titled Blood and Water, will be a Chinese...
TV wholesale code finalized, takes effect in January
Media | 09/24/2015 9:00 pm EDT
The CRTC on Thursday released a final version of its anticipated wholesale code governing the business relationships between TV-service providers and channel operators, which, among other things, bans provisions that would prevent...
CRTC to review local, community-TV regulations
Media | 09/14/2015 8:29 pm EDT
The CRTC is asking whether maintaining a physical presence in an area is necessary to produce local programming and whether community-access TV is still relevant as part a proceeding on local and community television it announced...
Incognito says it can save ISPs millions
telecom | 09/10/2015 2:25 pm EDT
Incognito Software Systems, a Vancouver-based provider of Internet account management services, announced Thursday a new line of services it says can save broadband providers millions of dollars by preventing fraud and finding mistakes. It said in a press release that its new services "combine a detailed analysis of usage and consumption records along with both standards-based and proprietary device provisioning safeguards to block fraudulent devices from accessing broadband networks, pinpoint customer service record mistakes and align back-end cable systems." Incognito said one of...
Shaw asks for exemption from public alert system
Media | 09/09/2015 5:44 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. has filed an application asking the CRTC to exempt it from the requirement, as a condition of licence, that all its satellite-TV customers be able to receive messages from the National Public Alerting...
CMF provided $365.5B in funding last year
Media | 08/31/2015 6:58 pm EDT
The Canadian Media Fund (CMF) said Monday that it provided $365.5 billion in funding for television and digital-media productions last year. That's up from $354.5 billion that it reported spending in the previous year's...
Sprint offers free service to DirecTV customers
telecom | 08/27/2015 7:21 pm EDT
U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp. is offering free service to customers of DirecTV, the satellite-TV provider that was recently purchased by AT&T, a competitor to Sprint in the mobile market. Sprint said in a press release...
DHX snags 6 broadcasters for new show
Media | 08/26/2015 1:49 pm EDT
DHX Media Inc. announced Wednesday it has signed six broadcasters globally to air a new BBC-commissioned TV show called Twirlywoos. DHX said in a press release that the new channels include Lagardère in France, which will...
CBS, Cablevision carriage agreement features streaming
Media | 08/25/2015 7:55 pm EDT
CBS Corp. and Cablevision Systems Corp. announced on Tuesday that CBS All Access and Showtime streaming services will be delivered to Cablevision’s Optimum Online customers as part of a...
Bell says non-refundable monthly payments are OK
telecom | 08/13/2015 2:15 pm EDT
BCE Inc. says in a filing with the CRTC that it is not violating regulations by requiring customers to pay for various services by the month in advance and not providing partial refunds if subscriptions are ended before the...
Cord-cutting accelerated in first half of 2015: report
telecom | 08/12/2015 2:37 pm EDT
A report from Boon Dog Professional Services Inc. released Wednesday said Canada's publicly traded TV-service providers lost six times as many subscribers in the first half of 2015 than in the...
FCC approves AT&T, DirecTV merger
telecom | 07/24/2015 7:11 pm EDT
The FCC announced Friday it has approved the merger of AT&T and cable- and satellite-TV provider DirecTV. FCC said in a press release that the terms of the merger between the largest U.S. telephone and Internet service...
Wireless price hikes affecting other telecom spending: report
Media | 07/09/2015 8:55 pm EDT
“Sharp” price hikes in wireless service over the past year are prompting people to reduce how much they spend on other telecommunications services, according to a Conference Board of Canada report released Thursday, though some analysts say they wouldn’t necessarily draw the same conclusion. The Conference Board said in a press release that the cost of telecom services, along with “changing consumption habits and a slower economy, will cause Canadian consumers to reassess their telecommunications spending in 2015." Following the introduction of the CRTC’s...
Bell overcharging departing customers, says Quebecor
telecom | 07/07/2015 4:04 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. has filed an application asking the CRTC to force BCE Inc. to stop charging customers after the date they cancel telecommunications services. An application from Quebecor appearing on the CRTC website Monday said...
TV tangible-benefits spending up 27% last year: report
Media | 07/07/2015 2:32 pm EDT
Companies spent $138.7 million on TV-related tangible benefits in Canada in the 12 months ended Aug. 31 last year, marking a 27 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to TV-industry research...
Broadcaster challenges 2-year-old CRTC decision in court
Media | 07/03/2015 7:27 pm EDT
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...
CRTC approves 7 non-Canadian TV channels
Media | 06/26/2015 4:20 pm EDT
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...
International Datacasting shareholders reject acquisition
Media | 06/16/2015 8:09 pm EDT
Shareholders of broadcasting-technology maker International Datacasting Corp. have rejected the proposed sale of its key assets to a San Diego-based company. International Datacasting, an Ottawa-based company, said in a press release Friday that 41.5 per cent of votes cast were in favour of the sale to Pico Digital Inc. and 58.5 per cent were against. It said the transaction required approval from at least two-thirds of shareholders. As a result, International Datacasting said the $4.1-million US deal announced in April for Pico Digital to buy International Datacasting's...
BDUs worried about wording in new cancellation regulation
Media | 06/15/2015 8:16 pm EDT
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...
‘Golden age of TV’ facing changes: panel
Media | 06/03/2015 11:43 pm EDT
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,...
Misgivings expressed over proposed TV-service code
Media | 05/26/2015 9:31 pm EDT
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 plans to raise $140M from IPO
Media | 05/26/2015 6:26 pm EDT
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...
CRTC consulting on 30-day notice ban for telecom services
telecom | 05/14/2015 8:15 pm EDT
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...
CRTC opens online discussion on TV code
Media | 05/12/2015 4:33 pm EDT
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...
Broadcasters, BDUs at odds over proposed wholesale code
Media | 05/08/2015 8:49 pm EDT
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...
Government reducing rural satellite spectrum fees
telecom | 05/05/2015 4:05 pm EDT
Industry Canada said Tuesday that it is reducing licensing fees on spectrum for companies whose satellite technology provides telecommunications services to Canadians in rural or remote areas. The department said in a press...
Pay-per-view sports getting boost from boxing
Media | 04/30/2015 3:25 pm EDT
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 worldwide audience. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to face each other at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in a fight that promoter and Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum, who represents Pacquiao, told ESPN could raise $300 million US between ticket sales, pay-per-view sales and sponsorships. Ray Rutter, president of Canadastar Boxing Inc., said...