MONTREAL — Stingray is adding to its TV channel offerings with the launch announced Tuesday of its Stingray Country music video channel, featuring new country, bro-country, ’90s country hits, pop country and more. Stingray says the channel is currently the only dedicated country music channel in Canada.
“We are thrilled to introduce our latest TV channel, Stingray Country, to Canadian country music fans,” said Mathieu Péloquin, senior vice-president of marketing and communications for Stingray, in the news release. “With a growing millennial fan base including both men and women, country music’s popularity is spreading across all regions of the…
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GATINEAU – One of the most important CRTC hearings in some time (perhaps the most hyped since Let’s Talk TV) begins Tuesday in Gatineau. Hundreds of thousands of words have been written about the upcoming hearing, including thousands by Cartt.ca breaking down the issues (please see our extensive coverage at the bottom of this piece), but it’s important to remember the Commission is interested in a number of specific questions.
Some things to remember. The CRTC already had the wireless carriers come up with low-cost data only plans. We wonder how those are selling? Wireless wholesale roaming is different than…
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Will the CRTC let Bell buy Groupe V Media?
By Denis Carmel
MONTREAL – Another chapter in the ongoing saga between Québecor and Bell took place on Wednesday when Bell appeared in front of the CRTC to seek permission to buy Groupe V Media (once known as TQS), a French conventional television network operating in the Quebec market.
The transaction has a price tag of $20 million. The sellers are Remstar (45.14%), Fiducie Seismikmax (9.86%), Caisse de Dépôt et de Placement du Québec (15%), Fonds de Solidarité des travailleurs du Québec (15%), and Investissement Québec (15%). Maxime Rémillard, through Remstar and…
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SAN FRANCISCO — Free, ad-supported video on demand service Tubi reported Tuesday its global monthly active users have grown to 25 million and in December alone its total view time (TVT) numbers rocketed to more than 163 million hours watched. That represents a year-over-year TVT increase of 160%, according to the news release.
Although the San Francisco-based company did not provide results by individual country, it reported Canada and Australia combined saw a 357% increase in TVT year-over-year. In the coming year, Tubi plans to launch in additional territories including Mexico and the U.K. The company recently announced a…
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TORONTO — Multicultural broadcaster Ethnic Channels Group (ECG) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with TV Asia that will see the channel launch simultaneously on five of Canada’s largest platforms.
Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, TV Asia is the first coast-to-coast American 24/7 information and entertainment cable TV channel specially produced and distributed for the South Asian community, says Wednesday’s news release. TV Asia has 38 bureaus in North America and provides a wide range of programming in the Hindi language. Content consists of dramas, music, movies, educational and original live programs.
“We are delighted with our Ethnical Channels Group…
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GATINEAU – On Friday, the CRTC’s Internet Code of conduct officially came into force, which is aimed at giving Canadians additional safeguards when dealing with their internet service providers.
The code sets out that ISPs must provide:
easier-to-understand contracts, documentation and policies surrounding service calls, outages, security deposits and disconnections
clearer information about prices, including for bundles, promotions and time-limited discounts
bill shock protection, through notifications when customers approach and reach their data-usage limits
information on the new rules permitting customers to cancel a contract within 45 days, without paying early cancellation fees, if the contract differs from the…
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MONTREAL – Another day, another Quebecor-Bell dispute.
While Bell Media announced today a new bi-lingual Crave service – which includes its French-language pay-TV channel Super Écran – Vidéotron is calling the move “another anticompetitive maneuver by Bell.”
The Quebecor-owned cable company said in a press release Tuesday afternoon it “has been forced to discontinue on-demand access to Super Écran content for its customers,” and that “as of today. Bell is also blocking access to its Super Écran Go app… for Videotron customers who subscribe to Super Écran.
“Videotron is disappointed that Bell is again using its market dominance to place its…
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MONTREAL — Cogeco announced Tuesday its majority shareholder, Gestion Audem Inc., has entered into an agreement to sell a block of subordinate voting shares on a private placement basis. Gestion Audem is the Audet family holding company, which owns majority control of Cogeco’s voting shares.
In connection with the sale of 288,183 subordinate voting shares, Gestion Audem will convert 210,643 multiple voting shares into subordinate voting shares, the news release says. The transaction does not alter the control of Cogeco since, upon completion of the transaction, Gestion Audem will retain control of Cogeco and ownership over 1,599,017 multiple voting…
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LONDON — Non-profit regional rural broadband project SWIFT (Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology) made a slew of announcements Monday that will see $19 million in provincial and federal funding invested to increase access to broadband services in several Southwestern Ontario communities.
SWIFT is making the investments through the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund (NBCF-SCF), a joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding program, and in partnership with its member municipalities.
Starting with its announcement for Wellington County, SWIFT has signed agreements with Cogeco Connexion, EH!tel Networks and North Frontenac Telephone Corporation (NFTC) to expand high-speed broadband infrastructure access to…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – When the Competition Bureau filed in November its intervention to the CRTC’s wireless policy review, it was expected that the reactions would be spirited, and they are.
First, some objected because the Bureau (and its specially commissioned Matrix Report) reached conclusions based on confidential information and asked that some information be shared. In that regard, Bell and Rogers got what they wanted while CNOC and Telus are still waiting for word from the Commission when it comes to that data. Telus has warned the Bureau’s intervention should be deleted from the record for…
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