CRTC says it improved pace of cost decisions and will announce ‘further improvements in the upcoming weeks’
By Linda Stuart and Ahmad Hathout
Monica Auer, the executive director of the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC), has asked to meet CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides to discuss concerns about the commission’s decisions regarding reimbursing public- and consumer-interest groups for costs associated with participating in telecom proceedings.
According to an Oct. 5 letter sent to Eatrides and shared with Cartt, FRPC data show 12 public-interest organizations that have made detailed submissions in 19 of the CRTC telecom consultations held…
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Serial Maven Studios, a Toronto-based independent production company and global distributor, announced Monday it is bringing more than 600 hours of new programming to MIPCOM 2026, being held next week in Cannes.
The additional content doubles Serial Maven’s international offering, which now totals more than 1,200 hours of premium programming from global producers and networks, according to a press release.
Spanning investigative documentaries, true crime, specialist factual, factual entertainment, scripted and lifestyle, the new content includes programming from a number of Canadian producers, including Peacock Alley Entertainment, Primitive Entertainment, Colbyvision, Curiosity Films, Cantina Media, A Média…
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By Howard Law, author of MediaPolicy.ca, and Canada vs. California: How Ottawa took on Netflix and the streaming giants (Lorimer, 2024)
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently granted the New York Times an hour-long interview about where he is taking Canada.
Canadian journalists, who would have loved that kind of access to the prime minister, were irked. What ever happened to Canadians telling Canadian stories?
But to heck with cultural irony. There’s an American audience to be educated about Canada.
An interesting item that emerged from the Times coverage was Carney’s candour about Canada’s warming relationship with the European Union. According…
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CBC, CTV, Global collectively capture $8M of departmental ad spending
By Linda Stuart
The federal government spent nearly $60 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year across its departments on government ads, with the lion’s share appearing to go toward ad placements on digital platforms, documents tabled last week in Parliament show.
The government’s total ad spend was revealed in a Sept. 21 response to a question from NDP MP Don Davies regarding annual expenditures on government advertising. The MP for Vancouver Kingsway asked for ad expenditures for the last five fiscal years, broken down by campaign, department…
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The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced Monday the appointment of Jordan Evans, founder of S&R Management and co-founder of Golden Child Recordings, to its board of directors.
Evans is a Toronto-based record producer, songwriter and music executive, who has produced and written for artists including Jay-Z, Eminem, Drake, John Legend and H.E.R., and currently manages Canadian R&B artist Daniel Caesar alongside longtime music partner Matthew Burnett.
“Jordan has built an incredible career working across every facet of the music industry as a producer, songwriter, manager and executive,” Allan Reid, president and CEO…
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CBC/Radio-Canada announced Monday its historic Hockey Night in Canada program will return for its 90th season this fall in partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
The first women’s hockey game to be featured on the iconic Saturday night broadcast will be the PWHL’s Canadian primetime season opener on Saturday, Dec. 5, featuring the reigning Walter Cup champion Montréal Victoire facing off against expansion team PWHL Hamilton.
In addition, as part of the partnership, Radio-Canada has acquired exclusive radio broadcast rights for all Montréal Victoire games in Canada during the 2026-27 season.
“Our partnership with the…
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Says closure of federal Office of Consumer Affairs will exacerbate financial challenges
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has publicly apologized to its former executive director and general counsel, Geoff White, for comments PIAC made to the CBC following a March 2026 Marketplace special, “What’s Wrong with your Rights?”, and a related online article.
In Marketplace’s one-hour season finale, White took part in a debate on the state of consumer protection in Canada, saying: “The baseline rules to protect consumers are weak. The institutions overseeing their development are hounded constantly by lobbyists and…
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By Connie Thiessen
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is launching his own production company alongside his former chief of staff, Katie Telford.
Unveiled at the Toronto International Film Festival, the pair described their new venture “Hope & Hard Work” in an announcement as a “multidisciplinary media and entertainment enterprise dedicated to developing and producing engaging stories across film, television, audio and live experiences.”
The prodco’s initial slate includes an adaptation of Closer by Sea from Canadian television writer, author and producer Perry Chafe, known for co-creating Republic of Doyle and Saint-Pierre.
Trudeau and Telford will also serve as executive producers on television series, Detective…
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Blue Ant announced Thursday that all five seasons of its hit comedy series Kim’s Convenience has been sold to and is now streaming on NBCUniversal’s Peacock service in the United States.
“The deal builds on the company’s multifaceted relationship with Peacock, which has included original productions, the launch of the Love Nature streaming channel and acquisitions of Blue Ant-distributed programming, while expanding the partnership further into premium scripted content,” a press release said. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.
Kim’s Convenience follows the misadventures of a Korean-Canadian family running a convenience store in Toronto. It was produced by Thunderbird Entertainment, now part…
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Rogers announced Wednesday it is adding exclusive Sportsnet+ content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages at no additional cost, including more than 150 NHL games.
This includes Monday Night Hockey, which starting with the 2026-27 NHL season is exclusive to Sportsnet+, as well as more than 100 additional matchups and other exclusive sports content.
Starting Sept. 29, Rogers is adding three new digital channels with the exclusive content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages that have Sportsnet. Customers do not need to take any action and can use their voice remote to find NHL games, Rogers said in a press release.
“Rogers…
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