TAGGED AS TELEVISION
Government, non-VI companies defend standstill rule
Media | 03/03/2020 5:47 pm EST
Telus Corp., Cogeco Inc. and the attorney general have filed arguments defending the CRTC’s application of its standstill rule in the fight over carriage of TVA Sports. The attorney general, who represents the CRTC in such appeals, said in a French-language filing that the regulator “clearly” has the power through the broadcasting act to regulate certain aspects of economic relationships between companies. The court case follows an emergency hearing in April 2019 the CRTC held after Quebecor pulled the signal for TVA Sports during the opening night of the Stanley Cup...
Super Channel takes piracy fight to Alberta court
Media | 03/03/2020 11:50 am EST
Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc.’s Super Channel has dropped its Federal Court lawsuit against four major retailers, whose employees allegedly recommended pirating content from media boxes sold in the store, only to launch similar action seeking $50 million in damages in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. Super Channel’s new litigation lists 100 “John Doe” suppliers as defendants, as well as the four retail stores -- Best Buy Canada Ltd., Staples Canada ULC, Canada Computers Inc., and London Drugs Ltd. -- and 1000 “John Doe” customers listed in its now dismissed Federal...
Bell backs Quebecor on standstill rule — but not for TVA Sports
Media | 02/10/2020 5:48 pm EST
In the case that sparked a year of conflict between rivals BCE Inc. and...
CanCon producers praise BTLR terms of trade recommendation
Media | 01/31/2020 5:01 pm EST
OTTAWA — The reintroduction of an agreement governing contracts involving...
Guilbeault promises BTLR legislation in ‘months’
Media | 01/30/2020 12:53 pm EST
OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says his government will introduce legislation to...
CRTC should regulate foreign digital services, news sites: BTLR
Media | 01/29/2020 12:00 pm EST
The blue-ribbon panel tasked with modernizing Canada’s communications...
As Parliament returns, Bains promises ‘plan’ for lower wireless prices
telecom | 01/23/2020 6:12 pm EST
When the House of Commons comes back after winter break next week, it will be to a political environment in which telecom and media issues are set to take centre stage in an...
Rogers says further regulation could lead to capex cuts
telecom | 01/22/2020 6:09 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. has warned that, depending on what regulatory...
Bell appeals CRTC decision in fight over undue preference
telecom | 01/20/2020 5:19 pm EST
A months-long dispute between BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc. entered yet another phase Friday, as Bell filed for judicial review of the CRTC’s Dec. 19 decision that found Bell gave undue preference to...
Cogeco’s IPTV service in beta testing, but no start date
telecom | 01/15/2020 4:27 pm EST
There’s no firm timeframe for when Cogeco Inc. will roll out its new IPTV service, despite the cableco previously telling investors it would become available in 2019. Cogeco’s CEO Phillipe...
Big Three pricing has been ‘erratic’: Shaw’s McAleese
telecom | 01/13/2020 5:58 pm EST
After taking credit over the summer for the reduction in wireless pricing...
‘Clock ticking’ on new content rules for web giants, Guilbeault says
Media | 01/13/2020 2:30 pm EST
The Liberal government's minority mandate means it will have to move fast...
Corus TV revenues up, radio down
telecom | 01/10/2020 5:42 pm EST
Corus Entertainment Inc. this morning reported television revenue either in line or slightly higher than...
Videotron buys cable company in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Que.
Media | 01/02/2020 5:41 pm EST
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has purchased a local cable company operating...
Bell did unduly disadvantage TVA Sports: CRTC
Media | 12/19/2019 3:48 pm EST
The CRTC has ruled on two applications in which rivals BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc. accused each other of...
SCC simsub ban rejection a boon for Canadian performers: ACTRA
Media | 12/19/2019 10:15 am EST
The nation’s highest court has quashed a 2016 decision by the CRTC to ban the substitution of Canadian advertising on American networks for the Super Bowl, which will mean more work opportunities for Canadian performers, a labour union says.
In a 7-2 decision released...
Broadcasters opposed to STB measurement system proposal
Media | 12/18/2019 6:12 pm EST
Several independent broadcasters have written to the CRTC to say the regulator shouldn’t grant a request by TV providers to change a rule forcing cable and IPTV services to hand over viewership...
Netflix disclosure ‘nothing to do with regulation,’ company says
Media | 12/18/2019 5:51 pm EST
Following the federal parties’ shared pursuit to further regulate foreign...
Amos, Dabrusin, van Koesverden in as new parlsecs
Media | 12/12/2019 3:23 pm EST
As the new Parliament gets up and running following the election of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to a minority government, there are also some changes to the ranks of parliamentary secretaries as well. The Prime Minister’s...
Rovi’s STB suit an attempt to extract royalties, Videotron says
Media | 12/06/2019 11:49 am EST
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron will argue in Federal Court later this month...
V buy would give Bell too much market share: PIAC, Quebecor
Media | 12/03/2019 5:44 pm EST
BCE Inc.’s proposed acquisition of French-language Groupe V Media Inc.’s conventional TV network V would exacerbate a “crisis” in local television and especially local news programming, would negatively impact competition, and “raise serious concerns about Bell’s...
Keep dispute resolution rule in place for FibeTV, CRTC hears
Media | 11/19/2019 6:03 pm EST
A group representing independent broadcasters is telling the CRTC it should maintain the rules forcing BCE Inc. into a dispute resolution process over affiliation agreements for its FibeTV. The...
Court orders Canadian ISPs to block pirate website for the first time
Media | 11/15/2019 6:35 pm EST
In a precedent-setting decision, a Federal Court judge has ordered internet...
BDUs appeal new distant signal tariffs
Media | 11/12/2019 12:00 pm EST
The country’s largest TV service providers are appealing an increase in the over-the-air distant signal...
If Corus gets to defer CanCon obligations, we should too: Rogers, Bell, Quebecor
Media | 11/06/2019 4:47 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc., and Quebecor Inc. have all told the CRTC that if the regulator allows Corus Entertainment Inc. to shift some of its CanCon requirements from one broadcast year...
Allarco’s Super Channel asked to justify its license renewal before the CRTC
Media | 11/06/2019 11:28 am EST
GATINEAU — Either Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc. is an essential part of...
Bell to focus on declining mobile service prices in MVNO review
Media | 10/31/2019 5:40 pm EDT
Ahead of the CRTC’s wireless review early next year, and on the heels of...
Corus putting more focus on AVOD strategy
Media | 10/18/2019 5:46 pm EDT
High demand among advertisers for premium content to be siloed in ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD)...
CPC plans for Netflix, rural broadband still unclear days ahead of vote
Media | 10/17/2019 12:54 pm EDT
Despite Conservative leader Andrew Scheer indicating throughout this...
Federal Court rejects Quebecor’s leave to appeal on STB data
telecom | 10/16/2019 1:19 pm EDT
The Federal Court of Appeal has decided it will not hear a case brought by Quebecor Inc. on handing over set-top-box (STB) data to the CRTC. In the latest in a months-long dispute between Quebecor’s Videotron and the CRTC over the issue, the court said Monday that it would not grant Videotron leave to appeal. The CRTC ruled in June that Videotron must provide STB data for an industry working group charged with creating a viewership measurement system. Videotron had asked in May if it could walk away from the group, which had a deadline of Sept. 19 for setting up such a system. In...
Corus asks CRTC to defer CanCon obligations, citing volatility
Media | 10/03/2019 4:57 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. is asking the CRTC if the broadcaster can spend...
TVO’s de Wilde to step down
Media | 10/02/2019 4:51 pm EDT
Ontario public broadcaster TVO is losing its longtime leader, after Lisa de Wilde announced yesterday that she would be stepping down as the broadcaster’s CEO after 14 years in the job. In a statement she posted on Twitter,...
MediaTube asking Supreme Court to review Bell Fibe case
telecom | 10/01/2019 5:44 pm EDT
Six years after first filing suit alleging BCE Inc. infringed on its patent...
1 in 7 Canadians have cut the cord
Media | 09/27/2019 3:52 pm EDT
According to a report out this week from Media Technology Monitor (MTM), one out of every seven Canadians has gotten rid of their paid traditional TV subscriptions. According to an MTM spokesperson, the one in seven figure --...
Bell and Stingray partner on targeted ads for radio, audio streaming
Media | 09/26/2019 5:05 pm EDT
BCE Inc. and Stingray Group Inc. have launched a targeted advertising platform that allows ads to be placed on their radio stations, audio streaming apps and podcasts. The companies said in a press release Thursday that the platform, called Audio360, “enables advertisers to target customized audio messages by grouping consumers according to "Passion Segments" based on shared personas and purchase intention data.” Those segments include categories such as “millennial moms,” “tech...
DHX rebranding as WildBrain
Media | 09/23/2019 4:22 pm EDT
Three weeks after announcing a new CEO with a background in developing family-based entertainment products, DHX Media Ltd. announced Monday -- alongside its 2019 fourth quarter results -- that it would rebrand as WildBrain and reorganize itself around family-entertainment. On August 30, the...
CRTC tells Federal Court TVA info request akin to ‘fishing’
Media | 09/18/2019 5:01 pm EDT
The CRTC is objecting to a document-collection request Quebecor Inc. is...
Creative groups lobbying for tax credits on content development
Media | 09/03/2019 5:44 pm EDT
Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal is lobbying both the Alberta and Ontario...
Eric Ellenbogen in as DHX CEO
Media | 08/30/2019 2:54 pm EDT
DHX Media Ltd. announced Thursday night that Michael Donovan would step down as CEO of the Halifax-based...
Telecoms discussing CRTC wholesale rate appeal: Videotron chief
Media | 08/28/2019 4:23 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is in talks with other telecom companies about...
Corus separately lobbied gov’t on journalism tax credits
Media | 08/28/2019 3:31 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. registered to lobby the government to promote the eligibility of broadcasters for a new journalism tax initiative announced by the federal government late last year. The...
Helix will keep cord-cutters in Videotron ‘ecosystem,’ CEO says
Media | 08/27/2019 5:52 pm EDT
MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron unveiled its new Helix platform...
Heritage reaffirms CRTC decision on OMNI
Media | 08/21/2019 2:27 pm EDT
Canadian Heritage will leave in place a CRTC decision that gave Rogers Communications Inc. the sole license to have its ethnic channel OMNI required on basic TV packages. An order-in-council, dated August 17, said Heritage is...
Disney’s streaming service coming in November
Media | 08/19/2019 4:58 pm EDT
Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it would be launching its Disney+ streaming service in Canada on November 12, entering what is an increasingly crowded marketplace for consumers.
The long-awaited service will be priced at $8.99 per month, or $89.99 per year,...
Feds putting $14.6 million toward French-language network
Media | 08/12/2019 4:41 pm EDT
The federal government last week announced that it would pour $14.6 million...
CRTC commissioning report about market impact of online BDUs
Media | 08/09/2019 6:40 pm EDT
The CRTC wants to know more about the potential for the Canadian...
Bell allowed to shut down 28 broadcasting towers
Media | 07/31/2019 6:44 pm EDT
Just as it allowed Corus Entertainment Inc. to do last month, the CRTC has given approval to BCE Inc. to...
Internet code will indirectly tackle poor sales practices, CRTC chairman says
telecom | 07/31/2019 11:01 am EDT
CRTC chairman Ian Scott said the new internet code will address many of the...
CRTC commissioning research on global public broadcasters
Media | 07/29/2019 12:54 pm EDT
Ahead of its renewal of CBC/Radio-Canada’s broadcasting licences, the CRTC wants to learn more about what other public broadcasters around the world are doing.
According to a tender notice published Monday, the CRTC “has a requirement to understand the evolution of...
Péladeau asks Quebec to block Bell’s V network buy
Media | 07/25/2019 2:19 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau is vowing to oppose BCE Inc.’s acquisition of a French-language...
Bell to buy French-language conventional TV network
Media | 07/24/2019 3:10 pm EDT
BCE Inc. will purchase Groupe V Media Inc.’s conventional TV network V, Bell said in a press release Wednesday. The deal, which must still be approved by the CRTC, also includes “related digital assets including the...
‘Unlimited’ plans leading to 50% more data use, Rogers says
telecom | 07/23/2019 5:26 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc.’s CEO Joe Natale said there has been a 50 per...
Broadcasters suing pirate ‘IPTV’ provider
Media | 07/22/2019 4:33 pm EDT
Three of the nation’s largest broadcasters are suing the owners of a service that is allegedly selling...
StatCan data shows higher telecom spending than CRTC pricing numbers
Media | 07/12/2019 5:25 pm EDT
The average Canadian household spent $233 a month on communication services in 2017, a $10.17 or 4.6 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Canada released late last...
IPTV coming by December, Cogeco says
Media | 07/11/2019 4:21 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. will launch its new IPTV service in its entire Canadian footprint by the end of the calendar...
Broadcast news tax credit exclusion means cuts ‘inevitable’: CAB
Media | 07/02/2019 5:27 pm EDT
The independence of the panel that will determine which print news...
Novus files another Part 1 for condo access in B.C.
telecom | 06/27/2019 2:48 pm EDT
Vancouver-based Novus Entertainment Inc. has once again sought help from the CRTC to install transmission facilities and ancillary telecommunications equipment in a multi-dwelling unit development in the Greater Vancouver area. ...
Media groups vow to fight CRTC’s OMNI decision
Media | 06/25/2019 7:35 pm EDT
Two media groups have filed formal petitions to the Governor in Council, asking the government to reverse a CRTC decision that gave Rogers Communications Inc. a second term to have its OMNI channel as required broadcasting on basic TV.
The decision from May rejected...
Junk food bill S-228 left to die on order paper
Media | 06/24/2019 5:25 pm EDT
A bill aimed at improving children’s health by limiting the advertising of unhealthy foods to them,...
CRTC launches review of Indigenous broadcasting policy
Media | 06/20/2019 5:01 pm EDT
The CRTC has begun the process of replacing its three-decade-old Indigenous broadcasting policy. “Since then, the broadcasting environment in Canada has experienced significant changes,” the...
Court will hear Quebecor appeal in TVA Sports signal case
Media | 06/19/2019 4:48 pm EDT
The Federal Court of Appeal has granted Quebecor Inc.’s application to challenge the CRTC’s ruling that it must continue to provide its TVA Sports signal to BCE Inc. customers following a tiff...
CRTC allows Corus to close down 44 TV rebroadcasting towers
Media | 06/13/2019 4:48 pm EDT
The CRTC has approved a request from Corus Entertainment Inc. to shutter 44 of its television transmitting towers that serve rural customers. The original application from November said that the...
No broadcaster compensation for 600 MHz move, ISED confirms
Media | 05/28/2019 1:48 pm EDT
Broadcasters have lobbied the government for years to reimburse them for having to switch channels when the 600 MHz spectrum is repurposed for mobile wireless use, but all such requests have so-far been rebuffed, The Wire Report has learned.
In 2016, Innovation Canada...
CRTC sticks with OMNI for multi-ethnic must-carry spot
Media | 05/23/2019 6:12 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc.'s OMNI will continue to benefit from the sole...
Shaw selling Corus shares worth $548M
Media | 05/15/2019 1:34 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. is getting rid of $548 million in shares in Corus Entertainment Inc.
The...
Canadians want more money for CBC, don’t trust OTTs to support CanCon: Poll
Media | 05/13/2019 5:18 pm EDT
Almost 60 per cent of Canadians have “low trust and confidence” in Netflix Inc. to “protect Canadian culture and identity on television”; half of Canadians don't trust cable companies to do...
NDP calls for OTT sales tax, end of ad tax exemption
Media | 05/13/2019 2:25 pm EDT
MONTREAL — The NDP’s platform for this year’s federal election will include requiring foreign...
GoT glitches show challenge in streaming high-viewership events
Media | 05/10/2019 6:23 pm EDT
When the Game of Thrones series premiere aired in 2011, streaming services...
Fizz still ‘minimal’ part of wireless for Videotron: CEO
Media | 05/09/2019 6:49 pm EDT
The new Fizz flanker brand launched by Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is still...
Bell-branded wireless hits sub-1% churn, continuing industry trend
Media | 05/02/2019 5:46 pm EDT
The expected focus by the country’s largest wireless service providers...
OTT subs set to overtake traditional TV by 2020: report
Media | 04/23/2019 4:53 pm EDT
The number of Canadians who opt for over-the-top services is set to surpass the number of Canadians who subscribe to traditional television providers next year, according to a report released...
Bell calls for revocation of TVA Sports licence at tense CRTC hearing
Media | 04/17/2019 5:44 pm EDT
Gatineau, Que. — Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau was unrepentant as he justified his decision to pull the TVA Sports signal from BCE Inc. TV subscribers Wednesday,...
CRTC orders Quebecor to hearing next week over TVA Sports signal
Media | 04/11/2019 4:07 pm EDT
The CRTC has told Quebecor Inc. executives to appear at a hearing in Gatineau Wednesday to explain why it defied the regulator and pulled the signal to its TVA Sports channel from BCE Inc. TV...
Quebecor walks the talk, pulls TVA Sports signal from Bell
Media | 04/10/2019 7:07 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. has stopped broadcasting its TVA Sports signal following...
Cogeco offering no details on MVNO strategy
telecom | 04/10/2019 4:14 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. has long been a vocal proponent of mandated mobile virtual operators in Canada, so it’s no...
Freedom says ads intended to ‘stir the market,’ induce churn
telecom | 04/09/2019 6:51 pm EDT
An ad launched over the weekend depicting a fictitious version of the big...
Labour lawyer Marie Kelly new ACTRA exec director
Media | 04/08/2019 6:45 pm EDT
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) said it has a new national executive director in Marie Kelly, effective on Monday. Kelly, a labour lawyer by trade, will replace the retiring Stephen Waddell, who will stay on in an advisory role until fall 2020. “Recognizing Marie’s long-standing career and vast leadership expertise in the labour movement, our union will continue to set the standards for collective bargaining in the arts, to be a leading voice for Canadian culture and to fight for the rights of professional performers,” ACTRA national president...
Péladeau willing to pull TVA Sports signal in fight with Bell
Media | 04/08/2019 6:03 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Quebecor Inc. president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau said...
Corus’ turnaround partly propelled by ads returning to linear
Media | 04/05/2019 6:36 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. said it will see TV ad growth in the third quarter...
Complaints to CCTS increase again, TV issues up 500%
Media | 04/02/2019 6:00 am EDT
Complaints about TV service to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS)...
Defendant in pre-loaded set-top box case settles for $5M
Media | 03/28/2019 5:37 pm EDT
One of the defendants in a long-running lawsuit against companies selling pre-loaded set-top boxes will pay three Canadian telecoms $5 million to settle the case, according to a March 20 consent...
CRTC asks whether streaming spending should count toward CPE
Media | 03/28/2019 5:16 pm EDT
The CRTC wants to update both its Canadian Programming Expenditure policy and its annual broadcasting survey to reflect the growth of streaming and other digital options and is asking for input on how...
Bell asks to shut down 28 rebroadcasting transmitters
telecom | 03/26/2019 6:15 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s media division is asking the CRTC to allow it to shutter 28 of its rebroadcasting...
Content exporters ask consulting panel for CMF envelope they can access, match
Media | 03/12/2019 7:07 pm EDT
A trade association for Canadian-based television and content distribution...
Quebecor asks CRTC to make Bell include TVA Sports in its Bon TV package
Media | 03/11/2019 2:39 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. has filed a complaint with the CRTC against BCE Inc., alleging undue preference against its sports channel because it’s been excluded from a popular Bell TV package in Quebec....
Few internet giants weighed in to BTLR, submission list shows
telecom | 03/08/2019 4:13 pm EST
The panel in charge of reviewing the broadcasting and telecom acts received comments from a number of non-industry parties, such as provincial governments and police services, while some of the biggest online companies in the world, including Amazon.com Inc., did not submit...
CRTC approves Corus sale of TNI stake
Media | 03/07/2019 5:49 pm EST
The CRTC has approved the sale of Corus Entertainment Inc.’s stake in Telelatino Network Inc.,...
Telecom act should equalize prices across Canada: NWT gov’t
telecom | 03/06/2019 5:45 pm EST
The government of Northwest Territories says the Telecommunications Act should aim to ensure telecom services of the same quality and at the same prices are available across the country. In its...
Shaw Rocket Fund wants CBC to broaden children’s programming
Media | 03/01/2019 4:54 pm EST
The Shaw Rocket Fund wants CBC/Radio-Canada to expand its focus on children’s content to reflect a broader age range and is asking for new communications legislation to ensure it has the funding...
OTT video revenues comparable to conventional TV in 2017: CMR
telecom | 02/27/2019 7:23 pm EST
Internet-based video services generated enough revenue in Canada in 2017 to rival the total revenues of private and CBC conventional television stations combined, according to the CRTC’s...
CACTUS asks BTLR for $150M community TV framework
Media | 02/22/2019 12:53 pm EST
A group representing the Canadian community TV sector is asking the panel reviewing the broadcasting and telecom acts to beef up focus on community TV at the CRTC and Canadian Heritage and create a new secretariat and ombudsperson’s office, along with a new funding...
Corus shuffles executive VP roster
Media | 02/21/2019 5:41 pm EST
Corus Entertainment Inc. has promoted Troy Reeb and Colin Bohm to its executive vice-president ranks,...
CRTC asking for public input on ISP code
telecom | 02/21/2019 5:01 pm EST
The day after it released its report on misleading sales practices, the CRTC is asking for Canadians to...
Press council warns BTLR of ‘gap’ in complaints process for broadcasters
Media | 02/15/2019 4:16 pm EST
The National NewsMedia Council wrote to the expert panel reviewing...
Don’t mandate text message warning for emergency alerts: telecoms
telecom | 02/08/2019 3:29 pm EST
The majority of Canadian wireless providers who weighed in on a proposal to...
‘Milestone’ digital content meeting to take place next week: Heritage
Media | 02/01/2019 5:39 pm EST
The federal government is organizing a working meeting next week in Ottawa...
TekSavvy launches IPTV service
Media | 02/01/2019 5:11 pm EST
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is now offering IPTV in Chatham, Ont., and the service will become available in...
CBC president likens Netflix to colonialism
Media | 01/31/2019 4:27 pm EST
OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada’s president Catherine Tait compared Netflix Inc.’s worldwide presence to...
MPs demand removal of Lac Mégantic images from Netflix
Media | 01/30/2019 3:14 pm EST
The House of Commons unanimously passed a motion Tuesday condemning Netflix...
CRTC says no Telus licence amendment over community TV
Media | 01/28/2019 5:54 pm EST
The CRTC has denied a requested licence amendment by Telus Corp., citing concerns over its community TV operations.
Telus had asked the regulator to remove six licence areas from its broadcast distribution undertaking licences, since the licence areas serve fewer than...