OTTAWA-GATINEAU – OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC was awarded Public Service Awards of Excellence Tuesday at Rideau Hall for its work in the areas of Official Languages, Employment Equity and Diversity, and Policy.
The Public Service Award of Excellence recognizes employees who have demonstrated excellence in achieving results for Canadians and who reflect the priorities of the public service, while demonstrating key leadership competencies.
CRTC employees received the Official Languages Award for the high degree to which the use of English and French was promoted in all aspects of the CBC/Radio-Canada licence renewal proceeding. Throughout the proceeding, the CRTC instituted measures…
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GATINEAU – Of all the interveners appearing so far at the CRTC’s TV Policy Review, the CBC’s might be the most contentious – and its executives endured a good grilling by the commissioners Friday morning on the fifth day of the Commission’s TV Policy Review.
The Crown Corp, which has had a rough past 24 months as most know, has come to the CRTC asking for a number of new things, but three aspects are drawing the most attention. It wants: to be able to shut off its transmitters and charge subscription TV providers a wholesale fee; for the Commission…
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GATINEAU – The funding of big budget Canadian programming as well as the role of the U.S. TV channels in the broadcasting system were put under the microscope during the fourth day of the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV policy hearing.
Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Cogeco Cable warned of significant negative consequences to the Canadian system if the commission removed US 4+1s (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX + PBS) from basic cable packages. The CRTC’s proposal was certainly a bone of contention for Rogers with the company saying it would face the wrath of subscribers if these channels were removed from…
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GATINEAU – Late Wednesday evening, after the TV lights had long been turned off and almost everyone else had gone home, Corus Entertainment stated its belief that despite the myriad changes happening in the global media market, the CRTC shouldn’t really do too much to upset the Canadian apple cart.
However, if the Commission does move on a smaller, mandated basic package, which is one of the many proposals under review, Corus asked that new regs be sure to include kids programming in the lineup. Corus is a big kids content producer, of course, but the company didn’t ask that…
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GATINEAU – The implications of imposing old-style TV regulations on new age digital media providers was front and centre during the first day of the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV policy hearing today. While Google Canada suggested that other countries could follow Canada’s lead if the commission forced traditional TV regulations on digital providers, the Ontario government argued that greater regulation of online providers is critical to the long-term health of the broadcasting system and the production industry it feeds.
Kevin Finnerty, assistant deputy minister of tourism, culture and sport for the Ontario government, spoke Monday afternoon about the need for…
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OTTAWA – As the CRTC kicked off its Let’s Talk TV hearing Monday morning, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (FCB) was quick to assert that the proposed changes to the broadcasting regulations would be “bad” for both consumers and broadcasters.
The self-proclaimed independent watchdog of Canadian programming cited the results of a recent Nanos Research survey, that it commissioned along with ACTRA and Unifor, that found that more than half (54%) of the 1,000 respondents think it is unlikely that unbundling TV programming packages in favour of pick and pay will result in lower TV subscription costs. The survey also found…
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TORONTO – More than CAD $119 million has been pledged so far in connection with Friday’s Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) fundraising telecast in Canada and the U.S., organizers said Sunday.
The $30 million pledged in Canada will be used by Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada), and in some cases, by collaborating organizations to support joint research efforts utilizing the SU2C model and scientific oversight. Funds pledged by the Canadian public during the telecast will stay in Canada to support the creation of collaborative research teams, known as Dream Teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted…
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OTTAWA – As the Internet helps to build engagement with television viewers, Anglophones are increasingly watching TV and using the Internet at the same time, according to two new reports from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
The first report, Multitasking – TV and the Internet, investigates the relationship between television and the Internet and how Canadians are increasingly using them simultaneously.
Highlights from the report include:
– Two-thirds of Anglophones multitask online while they watch TV, more than two and a half times the rate from nearly a decade ago;
– Heavy multitaskers spend more time than average with both TV…
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TORONTO – Even more Hollywood stars have pledged to take part in the Canadian-inclusive Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) special this Friday, which will air simultaneously across all four of Canada's major English-language network broadcasters.
CBC, City, CTV and Global, along with AMI, CHCH, CHEK, Fight Network, Gusto TV, Hollywood Suite, and TLN will join ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and dozens of U.S. cable channels simultaneously airing a star-studded special from Hollywood, and for the first time, Toronto. The live, one-hour fundraising event, which draws on the entertainment community to rally the public around ending cancer's reign as a leading…
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TORONTO – Sportsnet has finalized a three-year broadcast rights agreement with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, becoming the official English-language regional television rights holder. Bell Media-owned RDS holds the team's French-language TV rights.
The new agreement, which begins this season and runs through 2016/17, includes 42 regional games. Sportsnet East will be home to 39 regional Habs games, with three additional regional games airing on City Montreal. When combined with the national package of 40 Canadiens games, the NHL on Sportsnet will air all 82 regular season games across nine channels including CBC, City, Sportsnet (East, Ontario, West, and Pacific), Sportsnet…
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