CALGARY – The rumour mill had been spinning wildly over the past couple of days in Hamilton about the impending sale of Mountain Cablevision, but the buyer, announced this morning to be Shaw Communications, is a bit of a surprise.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario Mountain has approximately 41,000 cable customers and has been very successful adding services, too, with 28,000 Internet subscribers and 27,000 telephone customers.
The purchase price was not announced, but a cable company in the lucrative southern Ontario market with this many revenue generating units, expect the price to be north of about $300 million, sources have told…
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TORONTO – In a note to clients, BMO Nesbitt Burns media and cable analyst Tim Casey notes the Shaw Communications purchase price of Mountain Cablevision may be as high as $300 million (a whopping $7,300 per sub).
While saying the impact of the purchase is “slightly negative” for Shaw, Casey notes that industry contacts “have speculated a price in the $300mm range, implying roughly 12x EBITDA,” he wrote.
“The transaction is a surprise given Shaw’s Ontario assets are in Sault Ste. Marie, Kenora and Thunder Bay. We expect operating synergies will be limited.
“Given Shaw’s industry-leading track record regarding capital allocation, we…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable has launched a new high-speed Internet package (HSI) in Ontario that will allow customers to achieve a download speed of 50 Mpbs, 1.5 Mbps upstream, and a monthly capacity of 150 GB download.
Called the ‘HSI Ultimate’ package, the service comes with Cogeco’s "full range of security services” and includes the modem rental. It is initially available to customers in Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton, ON, but will “progressively be available” in all areas served by Cogeco in Quebec and Ontario in the coming years, the press release said.
"This new Internet package shows our constant concern to…
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GATINEAU – According to the Campaign for Democratic Media, the CRTC’s hearing into network traffic management is about nothing less than “who will determine the way we use the Internet,” David Fewer, acting director of CIPPIC told commissioners Thursday morning.
Leaving network management practices up to the discretion of the networks owners can only invite disaster and make Canada “a backwater of online innovation,” he added. “The Canadian Internet is not simply the private property of Canadian ISPs.” (CIPPIC is the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic and a member of the CDM.)
While that may be true…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable has added eight new high definition channels to its Quebec programming line-up, bringing its HD channel total to 32.
Télé-Québec HD, Canal Évasion HD, TV5 HD, PBS HD, Mystère HD, The Score HD, National Geographic HD and Discovery HD are available immediately in most Québec regions where Cogeco provides digital and HD television, the press release said.
“Cogeco Cable is committed to enriching our customers’ television viewing experience”, said Ron Perrotta, VP of marketing and strategic planning, in the release. “Adding these eight HD channels to our Québec HD offering allows our customers to discover theoutstanding…
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GATINEAU – In back-to-back presentations this morning, the CRTC heard from two of Canada’s largest ISPs, Telus and Cogeco Cable, one of which uses no Internet traffic management techniques (yet) and one which uses them all the time.
Each want the same thing, however: to be left alone to manage their networks how they see fit.
Telus, the big western-based telco, uses no traffic management technology right now on either its retail consumers or wholesale business clients, said senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs Michael Hennessy. But it wants the freedom to be able to deploy them, if needed, in…
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MONTREAL – While growth in the television and radio divisions powered Cogeco’s Canadian operations, its Portuguese subsidiary Cabovisão pulled down the company’s third quarter financial results.
For the quarter ended May 31, 3009, consolidated revenue increased by 11.4% to $316.3 million, and consolidated operating income from continuing operations before amortization grew by 10.4% to reach $129.4 million.
But after taking in to account various losses at Cabovisão, the company reported a consolidated net loss of $93.8 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2009, compared to net income of $15.5 million in the prior year.
“We have recently realigned our short…
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TORONTO, MONTREAL and OTTAWA – Three of Canada’s largest BDUs were quick to express their mutual disappointment with Monday’s CRTC decision, and hinted that it will be the consumer who will be hit the hardest.
Rogers said that the introduction of the “major new consumer TV taxes” should have Canadian consumers “very worried”, and vice-chair Phil Lind predicted that the new fees could cost its customers an additional $50 – $100 per year depending on their cable package.
“Today’s CRTC announcement says that, not withstanding earlier rulings by the CRTC and notwithstanding the lack of support by the Canadian…
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GATINEAU – Earlier this week, the CBC attempted to give the CRTC a little advice before the Regulator releases its public notice announcing the September hearing into an overhaul of the regulation of the TV business in Canada this coming Monday.
As reported by Cartt.ca, this past Monday the CBC offered up a proposed new distribution order which would govern new fee-for-carriage negotiations between broadcasters and cable and satellite companies (actually, the broadcasters are trying to “re-brand” the fee-for-carriage battle to one entitled value for signal, but we digress…)
Together, Shaw Communications, Telus, Rogers Communications, Cogeco and Bell…
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MONTREAL – Tony Ciciretto has been hired as president of Cogeco Data Services, the company announced today.
Prior to joining Cogeco Data Services, Ciciretto was president of the TVN Group, a private investment firm he co-founded in 2008. From 2003 to 2007, he held a leadership role at Rogers Communications as vice-president, Rogers Business Solutions. Prior to that, he worked at Bell Canada for 15 years in various increasingly senior roles culminating with the position of senior vice president, business sales and operations at Bell Nexxia in 2003.
In partnership with the management team, Ciciretto will be responsible for…
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