By Greg O’Brien
GATINEAU – If you’re looking for drama, day one of the CRTC’s wireless policy review hearing was not for you.
That’s not to say it was boring, however. During the morning session, we got an engaged CRTC chair Ian Scott taking a deep, detailed dive into the Competition Bureau’s evidence as well as its idea for mandating a tempered vision for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Canada.
The Bureau is not for broadly mandating an MVNO structure where any company that comes along wanting to sign up wireless subs using a CRTC-decree as the crowbar can get into…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) has filed a counter submission to the Governor-in-Council (a.k.a. federal cabinet) over petitions sent by the big incumbent carriers who are protesting the CRTC’s decision to lower wholesale prices for internet.
Last August, the CRTC lowered the final prices the incumbents – Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Videotron, Cogeco, and Eastlink – can charge resellers, and made those rates retroactive to 2016, when interim rates were set. The incumbents protested to the Federal Court, the cabinet and the CRTC. The court granted the leave to appeal and has yet to…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
