Nextologies is changing the economics of signal transport
SLAVA LEVIN WANTS to show me something.
We walk through his new building in Markham, past his master control which now offers 107 TV channels to Canadian distributors (making ECG the largest broadcaster in Canada, by number of channels), past one of his studios where a Canadian Filipino-language talk show is being shot, and through a tech-cluttered storage area to a set of tight, narrow stairs and then a ladder.
We’re now on the roof among 27 satellite dishes pointed out to the present and future of far lower-cost signal transport than the TV…
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OTTAWA – BCE, Rogers and Videotron have added 11 new defendants to their legal action against the sale of TV set top boxes pre-loaded with applications that they claim allows access to their copyrighted content.
The three big TV companies last month joined forces against named defendants iTVBox.net, My Electronics, Android Bros Inc., WatchNSaveNow Inc. and MtlFreeTV.com and won a temporary injunction to stop them from selling the loaded boxes until the matter is resolved. According to a CBC News report, 11 Android box dealers were added on June 20.
The Android boxes, ranging in price from $40 to $250, are…
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TORONTO – Veteran sports broadcaster Ron MacLean will replace George Stroumboulopoulos as the main host of Hockey Night in Canada starting next season, Sportsnet confirmed Monday.
Stroumboulopoulos, brought in two years ago when Rogers first announced its monster $5.2 billion, 12-year NHL deal, is leaving the company to explore new creative opportunities, reads the news release. MacLean will host the first game on Saturday nights and former HNIC reporter David Amber (pictured left, with MacLean) will host the second game of the weekly double-header.
MacLean will continue to host Coach’s Corner with Don Cherry in the first intermission of…
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TORONTO – CBC and Netflix are joining forces with Halfire Entertainment to adapt Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel Alias Grace into a new six-hour miniseries.
Inspired by the historical true story of convicted murderer Grace Marks and based on Atwood’s novel, the series is being written and produced by Sarah Polley (Looking for Alaska, Take this Waltz, Away from Her) and will be directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol). Production is scheduled to begin in Ontario this August.
Alias Grace will be broadcast in Canada on CBC and will stream globally on Netflix.
"We’re beyond thrilled to collaborate with this amazingly talented team of Canadian…
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TORONTO – CBC will air and live stream the final concert of the Tragically Hip’s farewell tour on August 20 from the band’s hometown in Kingston, Ontario.
The public broadcaster said Friday that the broadcast will begin at 8:30 ET and air live and commercial-free across CBC Television, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, CBC’s YouTube channels, and cbcmusic.ca. The 15-date sold out cross-Canada tour coincides with the release of the band’s 14th studio album, Man Machine Poem, and was announced after frontman Gord Downie (pictured, centre) revealed that he was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer.
“The Tragically Hip’s enigmatic…
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OTTAWA – While awareness of Ultra HD (4K) is growing among Canadians, only 4% of Canadians report owning a 4K TV set, according to new research from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Key topics this year, according to its free Top 5 Sneak Peek Report, include streaming music services, Ultra HD, online banking, ad blockers, and skinny basic TV packages.
MTM also released its Media Technology Adoption Spring 2016: Analysis of the English-language Market which is a summary of penetration trends for many of the technologies it measures. The report covers audio and…
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BANFF – Okay, how do you know you've got a great tax accountant? Well, it's obvious – she's got a loophole named after her!
Yup, the title "Digital Content Taxation: Levelling the Playing Field with Foreign Competition" didn't announce well as a barn-burning session. However, I wasn't expecting jokes about tax lawyers deducting ExLax as a moving expense either.
There was a principle involved.
Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (and former Premier of New Brunswick), has a bee in his bonnet: Foreign digital content providers are not required to register and collect Canadian GST/HST, and thus…
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TORONTO – CBC has committed to increase the number of women directing its scripted television series.
The public broadcaster said that women will make up half or more of all directors or directing 50% or more of all episodes on upcoming seasons of Murdoch Mysteries (Season 10, pictured), Heartland (Season 10), This Life (Season 2), Baroness Von Sketch Show (Season 1), and Workin’ Moms (Season 1).
The pledge comes as CBC and its production partners move to support the goal of Women in View’s 2X More initiative, which brings together media industry leaders in the hopes of doubling the number of women directing scripted media in Canada from the current 17% to 35%…
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BANFF – Inside the picturesque Banff Springs Hotel much is being said about monetization strategies for content development and distribution.
And in that context it's fun to recall that titles like Hell On Wheels, Passchendaele, The Revenant, Brokeback Mountain, Fargo, and The Bourne Legacy have all been shot in this fast-changing province of Alberta.
So what better venue?
For Julie Tremblay, president and CEO of Quebecor Media, the key is partnerships, vertically integrated companies, perhaps even more industry consolidation, and direct co-development and co-production with independent creators.
While those may be fighting words for some independent producers, she also admits to two constants:…
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TORONTO – RTDNA Canada, The Association of Electronic Journalists, has crowned the winners of its national and network awards which recognize the best in storytelling on all platforms.
The winners for RTDNA 2015 National Awards are:
Dave Rogers Award – Long Feature – Large Market – Radio
– CKNW Radio: Aging Alone
Dave Rogers Award – Long Feature – Small/Medium – Radio
– CBC Sudbury: Angels and Demons
Dave Rogers Award – Long Feature – Large Market – TV
– Global BC: Transforming Healthcare: St Paul’s Hospital
Dave Rogers Award – Long Feature – Small/Medium Market – TV
– CTV Vancouver Island: Benches
Dave Rogers Award – Short Feature…
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