No set rates means decision will require a lot of work and time to implement, CEO says
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – Last week, when renewing independent broadcaster OUTtv’s licence for a five-year term, the CRTC also granted the service dedicated to the LGBTQ2 community, “must-offer” status for three and a half years in the English-language market starting next March.
Noting that with the decision the CRTC has recognized the distinctiveness and vulnerability of the LGBTQ2 community, OUTtv CEO Brad Danks said in an interview with Cartt.ca the decision was also an indication the Commission recognizes that without regulatory support, OUTtv…
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OTTAWA – Federal minister of diversity Ahmed Hussen announced today in a statement posted on Twitter the government has cut the funding it awarded to the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) to develop an anti-racism strategy for Canadian broadcasting after concerns were raised about a consultant on the project.
The project, which was awarded $133,822 by the federal government, has also now been suspended, according to the statement.
In April, CMAC launched a series of consultations as part of the project, which aim “to develop and disseminate an Anti-Racism Strategy that will reduce barriers to participation in media and broadcasting…
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GATINEAU — Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced today 29 organizations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick will receive $11.2 million in Creative Export Canada program funding.
This program supports Canadian organizations for projects that generate export revenues and feature Canadian creative content, a press release explains.
The mission of the program “is to increase the visibility of Canadian creative works on the international market and help increase the profitability of exports from Canada’s creative industries,” the release says.
The organizations receiving funding under the fifth intake of the Creative Export Canada program include several television and film production companies….
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s renewal of the CBC/SRC’s licences on June 22, was met with dissenting voices within the Commission where the decision was approved by three commissioners over two dissents, as well as outside voices who have issues with some segments of the decision.
Several groups have now filed petitions to Cabinet to have the decision set aside or referred back to the CRTC, including Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), FRIENDS, l’Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA),…
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CEO says they are “more determined and motivated than ever” to expand across Canada
MONTREAL – Quebecor Inc. today announced its second quarter 2022 financial results, which states revenue for the quarter was $1.1 billion – a decreased of $16 million compared to Q2 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA was reported to be $491.4 million, a $10 million decrease compared to the same quarter of 2021, according to a press release.
In its telecommunications segment, Quebecor reported $912.6 million in revenue for Q2 2022 (a decrease from $928.4 million in the same quarter of 2021) while adjusted EBITDA was $487.5 million (up from $481.5…
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Calls for minister to ban ads on the public broadcaster
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a letter obtained by Cartt.ca, Québecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau brings falling advertising revenues to the attention of the Minister of Canadian Heritage while criticizing the recent renewal of the national public broadcaster’s licences by the CRTC.
“In the face of technological globalization of non-Canadian companies that rely on advertising (FAANG, and soon Netflix and Disney+), which is the only source of revenue for traditional television, the CRTC has decided to maintain the CBC’s power to continue to use it,” Péladeau mentions in his letter…
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MONTRÉAL – Bell is mourning the loss of former Bell Canada CEO and Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) founder Jean de Grandpré (above) who passed away last weekend. He was 100 years old.
“Mr. de Grandpré was instrumental in transforming the telecommunications industry in Canada, and an important leader in the business community,” a Bell press release issued today says.
de Grandpré joined Bell in 1966 as general counsel, became CEO and chair of the board in 1976, and played a key role in creating BCE in 1983. de Grandpré “guided Bell through a transformative period in its history that included the…
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TORONTO — Blue Ant Media announced today its Makeful channel will broadcast the Canadian premiere of a new reality series, The Prince’s Master Crafters: The Next Generation, which features Prince Charles (above, centre) as a judge.
Debuting Aug. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful, the seven-episode series hosted by comedian and artist Jim Moir (above, left) spotlights “Britain’s rich heritage of traditional crafts,” explains a press release.
The series “follows six amateur craftspeople as they learn Heritage Crafts skills crucial to the preservation of landmark buildings, taking on a variety of crafting challenges to supercharge their abilities before creating a…
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MONTREAL – TVA Group, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, announced yesterday its financial results for the second quarter of 2022, which show revenues decreased by $12 million year-over-year to $147.5 million.
TVA also reported consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $3.2 million, a $10.7 million unfavourable variance compared to Q2 2021.
In its broadcasting segment, TVA reported $149,000 in negative adjusted EBITDA. This is “a $6,433,000 unfavourable variance resulting largely from the decreased profitability of TVA Network, which continued its strategy of increasing investment in content, partially offset by the improved profitability of “TVA Sports,” which had to absorb significant content cost in…
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Expert group concludes work with little attention given to website blocking proposal
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – The work of the government’s Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety, which was appointed in March to provide advice on the government’s proposed approach to dealing with harmful content online, has come to an end with the summary of its final session being posted online last week, but the government will continue seeking input on the matter from Canadians and stakeholders throughout the summer.
“I thank the expert advisory group for their work,” said Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez in a statement emailed to Cartt.ca….
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