IF EVERYONE PLAYS their expected part, Canadians may end up clamouring for the new SunTV News channel that its owner, Quebecor Media, envisions.
The launch strategy, it appears, is so far playing out brilliantly. After a couple of weeks of leaks (“It’ll be like Fox News, but in Canada!” “They’re going to spend $100 million!” “They’ve asked the CRTC for permission! “We’ve hired some reporters!”) which were linked and retweeted everywhere across the country – and especially in Ottawa – newspaper, TV and radio reporters, camera folks, online newsers (including yours truly) and bloggers crowded…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
TORONTO–The coming wave of next-generation broadband networks need to be faster, more personalized, and more available to Canadian consumers and businesses of all stripes.
Speaking at the Canadian Telecom Summit here on Monday, senior executives from six smaller service providers said the next-gen networks must meet market demands for higher speeds, more symmetrical bandwidth, more competition, and greater choice of access providers. They also called for steady, consistent regulatory policies to encourage substantial private investment in upgraded networks.
Bryan Boyd, president and CEO of TeraGo Networks, stressed that high-speed broadband service must be extended to all sections of the country,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO and OTTAWA – Reaction to this week’s new draft copyright legislation was swift and predictably varied.
A coalition of Canada’s telecommunications, retail, Internet and technology companies and organizations, known as the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright, largely supported the bill. But some parts of the legislation unfairly restrict consumer freedom and need to be revised before being passed by Parliament, such as the inability to circumvent digital locks for private use, the organization said in a statement.
The group includes the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable, Rogers, Telus, Google, the CCSA and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, among others.
The…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – CRTC commissioners were given a lesson in basic cable architecture on Wednesday as Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Videotron and EastLink faced the panel considering CRTC 2009-261, the wholesale high-speed access services proceeding.
The overall message appeared to be a detailed reminder to the Regulator from cable that “we’re different. Cable is a shared network that can’t be unbundled.”
Some have asked, for example, that a single 6 MHz channel (the space in which one analog TV channel is transmitted but which can be crammed full of digital and IP data and is by MSOs) be set aside for wholesale access by…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable has brought its new, faster high speed Internet service to the Trois-Rivieres area of Quebec.
Business customers who currently subscribe to the company’s ‘Business HSI Enterprise’ service will be upgraded to the ‘Ultimate 50’ package at no extra cost, while residential customers in the region may now choose either the ‘Ultimate 30’ or ‘Ultimate 50’ package.
Powered by DOCSIS 3.0 technology, a technology of data compression that allows a more efficient and economical use of bandwidth, the ‘Ultimate 30’ service offers speeds of up to 30 Mbps for downloads and up to 1.5 Mbps for uploads with…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable has added 26 new high definition channels to its Ontario HD line-up.
Effective immediately, Cogeco’s HD television customers may access History Television HD, MovieTime HD, CBS College Sports Network HD, TLC HD, KTLA HD, WPIX HD, and WSBK HD.
The cableco also revamped its ‘Super Sports Pack’ to include 23 distinct HD channels, each one dedicated to a specific sport, including NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL Center Ice, MLB Extra Innings, NBA, OHL, Nascar and U.S. College Basketball and Football.
“Our HD Television service continues to draw new subscribers every month, which confirms that customers appreciate the variety, quality…
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES – Since it went digital, the cable industry has been on a long, arduous search for a pair of improvements: a better remote control and an easier to use interactive program guide.
The on-screen grid guide and multi-buttoned remotes have gone about as far as they can in their ability to navigate the multichannel world. It’s a world not only with hundreds of linear TV channels but also thousands of video on demand titles (and in the case of Comcast, tens of thousands of titles).
Navigating through what’s on with a remote and the standard grid is not a customer-pleasing…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable rolled out a new high speed Internet package Tuesday for its business customers in the Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton areas of Ontario.
Powered by DOCSIS 3.0 technology, ‘Business Ultimate 50’ replaces the company’s ‘Enterprise’ packages, offering an unlimited bitcap and a faster download speed of up to 50 Mbps, and an upload speed of up to 2 Mbps.
Cogeco’s customers who currently subscribe to the Business HSI Enterprise service in those areas will be upgraded to the Ultimate 50 package at no extra cost. The package costs $189.95 per month with a three-year commitment, $199.95 per month with…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – When the Apple iPad finally does make it to Canada, Cogeco Data Services says it will be ready.
Starting May 10th, the company will offer users a new One Zone WiFi service designed specifically for the hot new device, similar to its iPod Touch plan that it launched last year.
The plan will provide users with unlimited access to Cogeco Data’s One Zone network for $5 per month. Its One Zone network stretches throughout Toronto’s downtown core – from Front Street in the south to just north of Bloor in the north and from Jarvis Street in the east to Spadina…
Continue Reading
