TORONTO – Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc. (CNOC) is appealing two CRTC decisions around wholesale Internet rates plus wants greater transparency in the regulatory process going forward.
Referring to the Commission’s usage-based billing decision which adopted a capacity-based rate structure alongside the traditional flat rate model for wholesale Internet services, CNOC called the capacity-based rates approved for incumbents Bell, Cogeco, Rogers and Videotron “inflated”, which therefore makes it difficult for independent Internet service providers to compete.
“The rates struck under the two decisions were made by the CRTC using a considerable amount of information filed in confidence by incumbents that interested parties, such…
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OTTAWA – The biggest challenge the Canadian broadcasting industry is facing is a subset of distributors who are seeking lower rates for specialty services, Kevin Crull, president of Bell Media, told the Canadian Media Production Association’s annual Prime Time 2012 conference in Ottawa on Friday morning.
Crull spoke about this issue and other challenges Bell Media is facing in a interview style session with former CTV president, former head of CBC News and current professor, MBA program in arts and media administration, Schulich School of Business, Trina McQueen. Crull said this issue is more important than the group licensing regime…
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GATINEAU – Independent distributors Cogeco Cable, Telus, EastLink, MTS and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance still hate the terms of carriage offered to them by Bell Media for its specialty channels and so the parties will soon face mandatory mediation in front of a CRTC commissioner as the carriers continue to allege undue preference against Bell.
The carriers, together they are calling themselves the Canadian Independent Distributors Group (CIDG), all object to the carriage agreement put before them by Bell Media for all of the company’s specialty channels, as we have previously reported. Bell Media insists…
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GATINEAU – One thing the aggregate annual financial returns of Canadian broadcast and distribution companies showed is holding the rights to the Olympics, even a home one, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
(Last Friday, February 10th, the CRTC released the 2011 broadcast year aggregate annual returns of large distribution undertakings, multi-system operators and conventional television and radio ownership groups, a requirement under Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-560. The 2011 broadcast year ended on August 31st.)
The figures show that at Bell Media (which during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics was still CTVglobemedia) 2011 national ad…
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OTTAWA – As the CRTC prepares to review the relative success of the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), it has released new numbers for the 2010-2011 period, ending August 31st, which indicate Shaw Communications paid the most into the fund, followed by Bell Canada and Rogers Cable.
Shaw (cable and satellite) combined to pay almost $32 million (an earlier version of this story had an erroneous amount for Shaw), followed by Bell at $25.08 million and Rogers at $24.05 million. Quebecor (Videotron) contributed $13.6 million and Cogeco, $6.77 million.
Shaw, the LPIF’s largest contributor, received only $8.06 million in…
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TORONTO – Astral's The Movie Network is offering audiences the chance to sample some of its popular series for free via the on demand and on-line platforms of Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco and EastLink.
The offer, which will run from February 11 through February 26, will include HBO series like Luck, the new horseracing drama starring Dustin Hoffman; Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire; Showtime programming such as Dexter, Nurse Jackie, Californication, and House of Lies; Spartacus: Vengeance from Starz; and original series Call Me Fitz, Less Than Kind, Good Dog and Funny As Hell.
"We are thrilled to be working with…
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AS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, indeed as the whole media world, continues to change, Canadian cable companies and specialty channels are going to struggle to find growth, according to a report from BMO Capital Markets.
Telco IPTV services, such as Telus’ Optik and Bell’s Fibe along with the myriad online video options available to Canadians to view their favourite shows will keep pressure on Canadian cable companies and specialty channel owners. While about 62% of Canadian households subscribe to cable, as Telus and Bell’s IPTV options gain strength cable’s level of penetration will decline by a percent a year says the…
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TORONTO – Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) has unveiled their annual award winners for 2012.
Karen Sheriff, president and CEO at Bell Aliant, has been named the CWC Woman Of The Year. This award recognizes an outstanding woman who has made a significant contribution to the communications industry throughout her career, and who has contributed materially to the advancement of women within the industry.
In the category of CWC Employer Excellence Awards, IBM Canada Ltd. was named employer of the year, while Industry Canada has been recognized for sustainability in gender diversity.
The CWC Leadership Excellence Awards celebrate women of achievement who…
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CHATHAM, ON – TekSavvy is introducing unlimited off-peak hour bandwidth usage for its customers in an effort to offset increased costs for peak usage stemming from November’s CRTC decision on usage-based billing.
In a note to its residential Internet customers this week, the independent ISP advised of a rate increase in February of $3 to $4 per month, and of its plan to offer new 12, 16, and 25 Mbps high-speed DSL packages. Subscribers to its 300GB packages will also see a price increase, but the company noted that “the 300GB meter will not run between the hours of…
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MONTREAL – The Cogeco Fund has approved a three-year commitment to support the production of Canadian television drama series.
For the past 20 years, the Fund has financed the production of movies-of-the week, mini-series and pilots for drama series. This new commitment makes it the only private Fund in Canada to focus on drama production of all formats for all Canadian broadcasters.
“Evolving, adapting and responding to the needs of the industry, while also respecting the creative process and paying attention to the tastes of our audiences, represent a challenge that we proudly undertake year after year”, said the Fund’s chairman…
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