Clause-by-clause to start Nov. 18
OTTAWA – The heritage committee today heard from its final witnesses on Bill C-18, the Online News Act, who talked about getting the bill to better address the needs of Indigenous and ethnic media, the possibility of launching a fund instead and about the inclusion of broadcasters.
Jean LaRose (above), president and CEO of Dadan Sivunivut – which was created by APTN in 2019 and oversees APTN’s non-television activities including First People’s Radio – said they support the bill but told the committee it “needs to better reflect the unique place of indigenous news organizations…
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By Connie Thiessen
TORONTO – Together, Warner Media and Netflix shot more television in Canada than all Canadian networks combined, according to the first-ever DGC Director Statistics Report, released by the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) this week.
The report is a comprehensive look at the engagement of Canadian directors by both Canadian and international producers, studios and networks during 2021, breaking down stats by region, gender, production type and those commissioning film & television production.
It found that 75% of all episodic work in Canada is from U.S.-based studios and networks, with Canadian broadcasters making up just 25% of TV shot across the country.
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By Howard Law
IF JOURNALISTS IN politics are the friends of news media, perhaps it needs new friends.
At the Commons Heritage Committee, former CTV reporter and Conservative MP Kevin Waugh continues to thunder that major TV networks Bell CTV, Rogers City-TV and CBC should be excluded from the “FaceGoogle” Bill C-18.
This Monday at the Senate committee studying the Online Streaming Act Bill C-11, former Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons and former CBC TV correspondent Julie Miville-Dechêne suggested Unifor’s recommendation for better cable and streamer funding of local news was unnecessary because TV companies are set to cash in under…
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OTTAWA – Almost all newcomers to Canada own a smartphone, according to the latest data to be released by the CBC’s Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
MTM’s second annual newcomers study, which had 4,000 respondents, “focuses on the media behaviours as well as the leisure and settlement activities of those who have arrived in Canada in the last 5 years,” says an email today announcing the new data and a free infographic providing a look at MTM’s findings.
The study also found 60% of newcomers get a cell phone after arriving in Canada. “Flanker brands such as Fido, Virgin and Freedom are…
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By Connie Thiessen
CBC NEWS HAS announced the closure of the public broadcaster’s China bureau, citing its inability to secure visas for its journalists from the Chinese government to work as permanent correspondents.
Brodie Fenlon, CBC News’ editor-in-chief and executive director of programs and standards, outlined the broadcaster’s ongoing efforts to facilitate coverage abroad in a blog post published Wednesday.
CBC has had a China bureau for 40 years, however its last Beijing correspondent, Saša Petricic, returned to Canada as the pandemic took hold. Its journalists have only returned for the 2022 Winter Olympics, under heavily restricted conditions.
While efforts have been made since 2020…
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OTTAWA – During another meeting of the heritage committee yesterday on Bill C-18, the Online News Act, witnesses indicated there are better ways to address the country’s journalism crisis and argued the bill will not help small news organizations.
Philip Palmer, president of the Internet Society Canada chapter told the committee a broader levy applied to social media platforms and search engines and an independent body to allocate funding would be a better approach to the problems facing Canadian news organizations than Bill C-18, which he said, “threatens the efficiency of news retrieval on the Internet and the ability of…
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VANCOUVER – Telus International today announced it is acquiring full-service digital product provider WillowTree for a total enterprise value of US$1.23 billion, inclusive of US$210 million of assumed debt.
WillowTree, which focuses on end-user experience, was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. It operates 13 global studios.
“The company’s more than 1,000 digital strategists, designers, engineers and project managers partner with iconic brands on mission critical, large-scale initiatives, delivering world-class digital products that bridge the highest quality customer experiences with measurable performance,” a press release says.
“WillowTree’s client roster includes Fortune 500 companies across key verticals including telecommunications and…
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Internet, cable/TV subscriptions are lesser priorities
TORONTO — More than 80% of newcomers sign up for a wireless account within a month of arriving in Canada, according to consumer research firm Solutions Research Group’s (SRG) Newcomers to Canada 2022 study, released today.
Getting a wireless account is as much of a priority for newcomers as opening a bank account and finding a place to live, according to the study, which was based on interviews conducted in late spring/early summer 2022 with 970 newcomers and 531 Canadian “general population” respondents.
In comparison, 65% of newcomers to Canada signed up with an Internet provider…
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Are we getting closer?
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – This morning the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM) heard from Abacus Data, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), David Bussières, a singer and producer, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) and the Canada Media Fund (CMF).
Abacus
David Coletto, CEO of the polling firm Abacus, was taken to task by some when Abacus published a survey done for Google on Bill C-18 but was left alone when it appeared he would not talk about the results, which are proprietary.
SOCAN and David Bussières
They were clear: this bill has…
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By Connie Thiessen
LEGENDAY BROADCASTER DAVID SUZUKI has announced he’ll retire from CBC’s The Nature of Things next spring after 43 years as host of the longest-running television science program.
Suzuki, 86, announced his pending retirement Sunday night during an interview with Ian Hanomansing on The National.
“I have been fortunate to have been endowed with good health which has enabled me to remain the host of the series long after my ‘best before date’,” said Suzuki. “Aging is a natural biological process that creates opportunity for fresher, more imaginative input from younger people and for years, I have warned that to ensure the continuation of The Nature of…
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