TORONTO – Canadian consumers who are hoping that U.S. telecom Verizon’s entry in Canada will lead to more competitive pricing for phone plans will probably be disappointed.
In interviews Wednesday with the CBC and CityNews Toronto, Cartt.ca’s own Greg O’Brien said Verizon would not likely introduce lower rates for Canadian customers when it doesn’t do the same for its customers south of the border.
"Verizon is a premium carrier in the United States, they're not a low-cost carrier. They're not like Target or Walmart, you know, in the retail space, they're more like Nordstrom,"…
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MONTREAL – Thanks to an “unprecedented” number of domestic and international broadcast partners, Just For Laughs Television announced Wednesday that it will produce more than 40 hours of original programming from this year’s recently-wrapped Just For Laughs Festival.
JFL Television has announced partnerships with The Comedy Network, CBC, HBO, Corus, Citytv, Comedy Central UK, Australia’s Seven Network, and others to broadcast some of the performances from the 31st annual comedy festival.
This year’s domestic productions include:
The Comedy Network: The Just For Laughs: All Access series returns for another season with 13 one-hour specials, and 26 half-hour episodes, featuring comedians Sarah…
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OTTAWA – Streaming video isn’t just for PCs anymore and Netflix attracts TV lovers not cord cutters. The findings come from two new reports from Media Technology Monitor.
Streaming Video continues to grow in popularity with seemingly endless choices for all varieties of entertainment, says MTM. The fact that you can watch anytime, anywhere from any device has made streaming video one of the top internet activities among Canadians. The MTM says it draws on this popularity to outline the trends of streaming video and TV while examining the overall impact on traditional TV viewing.
Key…
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OTTAWA – The CBC has refused to air an advertisement produced by watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting which challenges the government’s takeover of the national public broadcaster, saying it could imply endorsement of the group’s campaign.
A 60-second version of the ad, released by Friends at a news conference Monday morning, features an actor as a CBC reporter questioning Prime Minister Stephen Harper (or an actor playing the PM) why he hasn't delivered on his promises of accountability and transparency. After listing about a dozen transgressions that start with the robocalls, G20 abuses, and end…
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MONTREAL – Bell announced Friday it is further expanding its Mobile TV line-up with the addition of City and Sportsnet channels.
“Thanks to successful relationships with Canada’s top content providers, Bell provides access to the widest variety of live and on-demand TV programming delivered directly to superphones, smartphones and tablets,” said Wade Oosterman, Bell’s chief brand officer and president of Bell Mobility and residential services, in a release
New Bell Mobile TV programming includes Toronto Blue Jays Baseball, 2 Broke Girls, and the new fall 2013 comedy series, Mom. Sportsnet ONE is available live nationally…
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TORONTO – Here’s some news that might help cool you down if you’re in the midst of southern Ontario’s heat wave this week: CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada announced late Friday that its 2013-14 NHL season will kick off on October 1.
HNIC returns for the 2013-14 NHL season with a full slate of games, kicking off with NHL Face-Off from Montreal on October 1 as the Canadiens host their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. In all, CBC’s schedule includes 94 games featuring 33 all-Canadian match-ups, 16 Original Six games and four installments of the “Battle of Alberta” between the Calgary…
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TORONTO – The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced a tentative agreement Thursday for terms and conditions governing English-language screenwriting for CBC television, radio, and digital platforms.
When ratified, it will be the first time CBC broadcasting agreements have been renewed with the WGC since 2000.
Set to take effect September 1, the new agreement will set the terms of engagement until August 31, 2016. In recognition of the 13 years between agreements, the new deal includes a one-time rates adjustment, an increase in CBC’s contribution to the writers’ insurance plans…
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WINNIPEG – Frantic Films announced a first look deal Tuesday with senior entertainment executive, Pamela Thomas, to help expand its expertise in comedy programming.
Thomas is a comedy veteran who has worked as a producer on Saturday Night Live and Kids In The Hall. She has worked with talent that includes Will Ferrell, Chris Farley and Maya Rudolph. Her work for channels including NBC, HBO, VH1, Showtime, CBC, The Comedy Network and Lifetime includes both scripted and reality programs as well as three Emmy nominated web series.
NUNAVIK, QUEBEC – Retired broadcasting executive Bill Roberts begins his epic 250-km wilderness trek for literacy today, as he starts his climb up Mount Caubvick to raise awareness for Frontier College and its mission to improve literacy rates across Canada.
Situated on the border between Labrador and Quebec and an impressive 1,652 metres in height, Mount Caubvick (or Mont D’Iberville as it’s known in Quebec) is the tallest peak in mainland Eastern Canada; but it’s not the tallest peak Roberts has ever climbed. The avid mountaineer has already reached…
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OTTAWA – The talk of Ottawa this summer is the impending shuffle of the federal cabinet. With the resignation of a number of ministers, the latest of which is public safety minister Vic Toews on Monday, everyone with a political interest who work in telecom and TV in Ottawa and beyond is guessing who might be going where.
Of course, the fates of the ministers who oversee the cable, radio, television and telecom industries, Heritage Minister James Moore and Industry Minister Christian Paradis, are also being bandied about as two men about to face new port…
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