TORONTO – International news channel Al Jazeera English has launched on Shaw Cable and officially opened its Canadian news bureau.
Available to Shaw’s digital TV subscribers on channel 175, the network will be available on a free preview through August 31, 2010. It also available on Bell TV, Rogers and Videotron.
"We are pleased to continue our expansion throughout Canada and bring AJE’s groundbreaking news and programming to Shaw customers”, said Tony Burman, the managing director of AJE, in a statement. “Since launching in Canada in May, AJE has provided a much-needed alternative perspective to global events. There…
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TORONTO – Just days into the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, CBC’s extensive coverage has pulled in record numbers.
Close to 1 million viewers watched host nation South Africa take on Mexico in the opening match of the tournament last Friday, while on Saturday, the England / USA match attracted an average audience of 2.275 million viewers to CBC Television, the highest average audience for a preliminary round FIFA World Cup broadcast in Canadian history.
Five of the first eight live matches on CBC Television topped 1 million viewers, in some cases tripling average audiences for preliminary round matches…
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BANFF – Our reporter in Banff, Norma Reveler, spent last night at the opening night event hosted by the CBC. Below is some of her photographic evidence.
Robert Montgomery, head of Achilles Media, owners of the Banff World Television Festival, and Kerry Stauffe, Banff Centre.
Jean-Marie Michael, Cappa Presse (France) and Tony Whalen, Shore Rocel Pictures.
Lise Mahal, Directors…
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TORONTO – Quebecor will transform Sun TV into a new “hard news/straight talk” English specialty channel called Sun TV News for television audiences tired of “being exposed to dry news”, said Quebecor president and CEO of Pierre Karl Péladeau in Toronto on Tuesday morning.
In his widely anticipated announcement, Péladeau said that the new channel will be loosely based on the company’s French-language all-news specialty service LCN, which saw its ratings more than triple when it moved toward that formula three years ago. Sun TV News will replace the company’s struggling, Toronto-based over-the-air Sun TV station.
"Far too many Canadians are tuning out completely or…
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BANFF – The Canadian Film and Television Production Association announced today it is now the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA).
The change was made “to better reflect the multi-screen world and the future of our industry,” according to the press release.
“The global shift towards digital technology and new forms of distribution means we have to change with the times,” said Norm Bolen, president and CEO. “The new name embraces the opportunities for our members to create new partnerships and expand into the international market place.”
The new name also adheres to a tradition within the organization to update itself as technology…
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BANFF – CBC TV has greenlit a $9 million movie of the week about cowboy Sam Steele that is currently at the script stage.
Tentatively called The Life of Sam Steele, executive producer Chris Knight said that he was eager to get ahead with the story of “an iconic Canadian,” who was once a Mountie on the Prairies and farther North.
The cast is not complete, but Knight is hoping that Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland will take the lead.
The film will shoot in Alberta, which is putting in some of the money, as is the Canadian Media Fund, tax credits,…
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SEATTLE, WA – CanWest Global and the CBC have signed on with Comcast subsidiary thePlatform to manage their on-line video efforts.
In a recent blog post, thePlatform said that it will provide CanWest with a scalable on-line video solution for its television and newspaper assets, including 18 specialty channels and the GlobalTV network, and CBC with an on-demand video and audio portal for broadcast TV, film clips, and webisodes from numerous Canadian and global content producers.
Other Canadian clients include Rogers for its Rogers On Demand Online initiative, and Corus Entertainment for its Treehouse TV, YTV and W Network entertainment portals.
White-label video management and…
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EVEN THE NON-SPORTS fan will know there’s a bit of a soccer tournament about to begin in South Africa this weekend. And yesterday was press release day on the TV front.
In Canada, the CBC is leading the coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with broadcast across multiple platforms, a World Cup CBC mobile app – and the third place and final games are to be available in 3D for the dozens (?) of fans who have new 3DTVs.
After CBC sent out it’s announcement, so did Shaw Cable, Telus, Shaw Direct, Cogeco, Rogers…
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WITH THE GENRE protection afforded existing specialty news channels having been set aside by the CRTC last summer, it was only a matter of time until a company put together a proposal for a new national news service to compete with the likes of CBC Newsworld, CTV News Channel and others.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail and from Canadian Press, Quebecor Media is getting behind the former communications chief for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Kory Teneycke, with an impending application to the CRTC for a license to operate a new, national news channel.
The report said the channel…
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OTTAWA – CBC/Radio-Canada says that it’s found a way to save money and cut its carbon footprint at the same time.
The pub ‘caster is accelerating the replacement of incandescent TV production lighting with the more efficient and flexible LED (Light Emitting Diode) in its various studios. LED lighting has been widely accepted by the entertainment industry for lighting effects and set lighting, mainly because of its flexibility. The light source reduces power consumption, has a longer bulb life and a single light source can generate a variety of colours
“This is innovation at its best,” said president and CEO Hubert…
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