OTTAWA – The CRTC has approved a trio of new specialty channels, including a five-year license for Shaw Television to operate Shaw Media Sports, a national, English-language service that has been licensed as a Category C service.
Shaw is the latest media company to apply and receive permission to operate a sports channel, since the CRTC opened up competition in the mainstream sports segment. Rogers, CBC and MLSE have previously applied to the regulator and been approved to launch their respective sports channels, but one wonders what big name sports rights are left for another new sports channel to acquire.
Category…
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TORONTO – Trevor J. Walton has been appointed executive director, commissioned and scripted programming, for CBC English Services, effective immediately, the company announced today.
"His breadth of experience, in Canada, the United States and the U.K., covers a wide range of production, international co-production and talent and creative development, including multi-platform environments. This is an excellent fit with our current strategic plan, Everyone, Every Way, which is all about delivering great Canadian content across all of our platforms," says Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president, CBC English Services.
Walton began his career in England, and worked most recently as head of co-productions for…
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GATINEAU – Back in June of 2007 when CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein was just about five months on the job, the Commission denied CTVglobemedia’s request to keep the Citytv stations as part of the company’s purchase of CHUM Limited.
Since CTVgm (now Bell Media) already owned CFTO-TV in Toronto along with existing stations competing in Citytv’s other markets, the Regulator held firm to its one broadcast station per market policy of the same language, disallowing that portion of the sale. Weeks later, Rogers Communications stepped forward to buy the Citytv stations.
When it issued its decision then, the…
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TORONTO – The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has unveiled the nominations for the 26th annual Gemini Awards, with Canadian premium pay channels HBO Canada, The Movie Network and Movie Central dominating the annual prizes for the best in Canadian television.
The HBO Canada series Call Me Fitz was the most-nominated show in the comedy category followed by TMN/Movie Central’s Living in Your Car which grabbed 10 nominations. The CTV/CBS series Flashpoint, whose future in the U.S. remains uncertain, lead the drama nominations. Flashpoint faces off against The Borgias, Endgame, Skins and The Tudors. Call Me Fitz was…
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TORONTO – A cut in funding to the CBC could have a significant impact on its five-year plan and damage the economic spinoffs that the national broadcaster provides, according to the Canadian Media Guild (CMG).
The CMG, which represents about 6,000 media workers including 4,500 at the CBC, was responding to comments made by Heritage Minister James Moore on the CBC radio show Q earlier this month. Minister Moore said that CBC must be “part of the strategic review and find 5%” of its funding to offer up as a cut in 2012. He also said that the government is…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – More and more Canadians are subscribing to broadband Internet and wireless services, while TV and radio are still the most popular devices for accessing content, according to the CRTC’s latest Communications Monitoring Report.
The report, released Thursday, provides an annual overview of the Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting industries. By the end of 2010, approximately 9 million Canadian households subscribed to broadband Internet services, an increase of 9.2% over 2009, and the number of Canadians subscribing to wireless services grew by 8.5% to 25.8 million.
“It is encouraging to see Canadians taking up broadband Internet and wireless services…
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CANCON’S RULES AND regulations are much like a series of bandages slapped onto the television industry – one here to cover a scrape, another there as salve on a slash. It’s almost impossible to rip any away from this complex patchwork without damaging a broadcast arm or independent production limb.
The tales of woe – accompanied by an orchestra of tiny violins – come from both the broadcast and the creative side of the industry, and the TV doctors have differing opinions on which medicine is the cure for our ailing Cancon system. So what’s the spoonful of sugar…
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VANCOUVER – Longtime television host Elwy Yost died at his home in West Vancouver on Thursday. He was 86.
Yost, pictured, was best known as the witty host of programs such as the CBC’s Passport to Adventure movie show from 1965-1967, and TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies from 1974-1999. He also made one of the first independent movies in Canada called In Between, published four books, and helmed a special features unit that produced the TV series Magic Shadows, Rough Cuts, Talking Film and The Moviemakers.
“Those who…
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TORONTO – Wind Mobile is encouraging customers to take control of their wireless spend through its new prepaid service called Pay Your Way.
Offering a $0.25 per minute flat-rate across Canada and the U.S., the service also provides free incoming text, Facebook, call control features like caller ID and missed call alerts, plus free CBC News and weather updates on Wind’s mobile portal. Pay Your Way customers may also extend their service life and reactivate or rollover unused credit up to 365 days with a single top-up.
In other company news, Wind is gearing up to launch in Kitchener-Waterloo area of…
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THE YEAR 1972 saw the beginning of the Watergate scandal and the M.A.S.H. television series. It was also the year that the balm of simultaneous substitution (simsub) was handed to Canadian broadcasters.
Simsub, where the Canadian feed including ads is substituted over the American channel’s signal, was designed to soothe broadcasters’ fears over bruised bank accounts caused by advertisers defecting to the U.S. with the advent of cable. Instead, this Band-Aid solution healed one hurt but caused another. Peel it back and there’s a sore festering over Canadian content.
(Ed note: An earlier version of this story contained an inaccurate description of…
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