THE SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION industry likes to say that outright cord-cutting (defined as when a consumer abandons a TV subscription altogether) is still a pretty small phenomenon.
So far, overall, that remains technically true. The latest numbers show about two percent of Canadian households with a TV subscription have chosen to cut the cord and stop subscribing to traditional TV. Generally, it’s been a story of “flat is the new up”, while inside of the likes of Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Bell and others, hardworking employees are doing their best to swallow hard every day and manage substantial…
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TORONTO – Twenty public schools that risked being left out of the Toronto District School Board’s plans to upgrade broadband connectivity are about to get a leap into the gigabit world thanks to a donation from Rogers Communications.
The cableco said Thursday that it has started a three-year pilot project to bring its Ignite Gigabit Internet service to the schools, which are among 32 now serviced only by Bell Canada’s legacy copper-wire ADSL service. That means all they could hope for was around 18 Mbps – good enough for text research but not for some graphic-intensive projects – and when…
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TORONTO – ZoomerMedia's OneTV is getting fit for spring with a fresh tagline and a new original new fitness series.
Anjelica’s Dance Workout, which will debut April 3 and air daily at 8:00 AM ET and 7:00 PM ET, is a new 30-minute exercise show that incorporates Flamenco, Bellydance, Brazilian, Irish, and contemporary world dance into an easy-to-follow and fun cardio routine for all ages, shapes, and sizes. Executive produced by ZoomerMedia founder Moses Znaimer, the show stars Toronto-based dancer, actor and comedienne Anjelica Scannura (pictured below). Click here for a promo.
While OneTV’s genre remains the same, the new…
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TORONTO – Canadian sports fans now have an all-access pass to beIN Sports during a free preview on now through April 19.
The freeview will serve up exclusive access to coverage of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match featuring Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid on April 12 at 2:45 PM ET, soccer action from LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1, and international MotoGP Grand Prix races from Qatar and Argentina.
“From top European soccer to thrilling motorcycle racing, this is an extraordinary opportunity for Canadians to experience a jam-packed month of international sports coverage and to discover all the excitement that beIN…
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GATINEAU – In honour of Canada’s 150 birthday, the CRTC unveiled the names of 23 trailblazers that have helped shape the Canadian communications system. Representing a broad cross section of Canadian society, they come from the broadcasting and telecommunications worlds as well as science and journalism.
Well-known personalities such as Ted Rogers, founder of Rogers Communications, Israel (Izzy) Asper, founder of CanWest Global and Harold Greenberg, one of the founders of Astral Media made the list.
Jeanne Sauvé, Canada’s first woman Governor General and one of the first women to make a career in television, was selected. Also making the list…
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Rogers Media, Bell Media, boost commerical wholesale rates
TORONTO – As of May 1st, TSN, RDS and Sportsnet will no longer be included in the basic TV packages of businesses which have a liquor licence (outside Quebec), Bell TV has told its business customers.
These channels will instead be offered separately in two premium sports packages at an additional cost determined by the business’ seating capacity, the company told customers. Without a business account number, we can’t see what the new costs are, but you can click here for the explanation.
UPDATE: Cartt.ca has learned that since this…
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Says the company is in no hurry to sell spectrum outside of Quebec
MONTREAL – Quebecor turned in a good fiscal 2016 on Wednesday as revenues and income climbed on wireless additions and better than expected cable subscriber results.
2016 revenues were $4.02 billion, up 3.2% from 2015 and adjusted operating income was up 3.7% to $1.49 billion. Net income attributable to shareholders was $194.7 million, an increase of $42.9 million over 2015. Adjusted income from continuing operating activities was $305.5 million an increase of 27.3%.
Vidéotron significantly increased its revenues from mobile telephony (by $106.7 million or 26.4%), Internet access ($58…
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OTTAWA – While Canadian viewers continue to cut their TV cords, they still remain a small fraction of the total TV market, says new research released Wednesday.
Ottawa-based research and consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services said that the big, publicly traded traditional TV service providers – Rogers, Shaw/Shaw Direct, BCE, Videotron, Cogeco, Telus, and MTS, combined lost 202,000 TV subscribers in their respective 2016/2017 fiscal years, up from 160,000 lost in their 2015/2016 fiscal years.
But the report found a shift in trends, noting that the cable companies lost fewer subscribers and that the IPTV providers saw subscriber growth slow significantly.
“The…
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TORONTO – Just in time for March Break, Bell Media’s pop-culture channel Much will kick off a national free preview from March 7 until April 4.
Home to comedy classics South Park, The Simpsons, and American Dad, Much will also serve up new British comedy Brotherhood, genre-busting prank show Fameless, plus the debut of Conan O’Brien’s new Conan Without Borders: Made In Mexico special (pictured).
Much’s freeview is available through television service providers including Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Westman Communications Group and Tbaytel.
www.Much.com
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TORONTO – Digital radio streaming app Radioplayer Canada launched Wednesday, billed as a partnership between the country’s private radio broadcasters, CBC/Radio-Canada, and campus and community stations.
The free Radioplayer Canada app gives radio listeners access to nearly every style of music, news, talk, and entertainment content, in both official languages, on any connected device, at any time of day, from anywhere, reads the news release.
Listeners may access live and catch-up radio broadcasts across the country through Radioplayer Canada's browser-player, and on connected devices through the iOS or Android app, including integrations with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Chromecast, and smartwatches.
CBC/Radio-Canada confirmed…
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