MONTREAL – Cogeco Communications is selling its business information and communications technology services subsidiary Cogeco Peer 1 Inc. to investment firm Digital Colony for $720 million.
Cogeco Peer 1’s portfolio includes over 3,300 route kilometers of owned, dense metro fiber in greater Toronto and Montreal, as well as several data centers across North America and Europe. Wednesday’s announcement said that the company will remain headquartered in Toronto and adopt a new brand.
Cogeco Communications said that it will retain “significant” fibre capacity in Toronto and Montreal under the deal, adding that it has signed a commercial agreement with Digital Colony “aimed…
Continue Reading
QUEBEC CITY — Leclerc Communication tried out its best logical gymnastics on Wednesday as it appeared before a CRTC hearing to justify its requests related to the proposed $19-million acquisition of CHOI-FM (Radio X) in Quebec City and CHLX-FM (91,9 Sports) in Montreal from RNC Media.
Besides the ownership transaction itself, Leclerc is asking for an exception to the common ownership policy to acquire Quebec City's most popular commercial radio station and keep its two others, and is seeking to change CHLX's format from sports talk to music.
(Ed note: For what it’s worth, other radio station owners have argued the…
Continue Reading
STOCKHOLM – Ericsson has closed the sale of the majority stake of its MediaKind business to private equity firm One Equity Partners, a year after it first announced the sale.
One Equity Partners is now the majority owner, with Ericsson holding 49% of the shares after the transaction on January 31, 2019.
In Canada, Bell Canada (Fibe TV), Telus (Optik), SaskTel (maxTV) all use the technology for their TV services, and Cogeco Connexion will also soon offer it to its cable customers.
“In partnering with One Equity Partners, MediaKind is established as a leading independent video technology company with strong and committed…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CTAM Canada unveiled its new board and committee members last week at its annual President’s Reception in Toronto.
A volunteer driven chapter of CTAM, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, CTAM Canada has over 500 members across Canada and abroad, representing content providers, cable and telecommunications distributors as well as technology and service companies.
CTAM Canada's new and returning members for 2019 are:
President– Julie Kumaria (Hollywood Suite)
Vice President– Michelle Vaters (Corus Entertainment)
Treasurer– Don McDonald (Super Channel)
Secretary– Kayleigh Hennessey (Rogers Communications)
Sponsorship Co-Chair– Norm Lem…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Sportsman Channel Canada has replaced World Fishing Network on TV lineups in Canada.
Sportsman Channel Canada, like its U.S. cousins Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network, will feature “the most trustworthy and reputable Canadian experts in the outdoor industry” through programming that includes entertaining and educational hunting, fishing and shooting programs, according to the news release.
The channel is a partnership with Canada's Outdoor Group Media and Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks.
“The launch of Sportsman Channel Canada will undoubtedly prove to be a viewer favorite throughout Canada,” said Outdoor Group Media president Mark Yelic, in the release. “We…
Continue Reading
WE DON’T YET KNOW what public process the expert panel reviewing Canada’s Broadcasting, Telecom and Radiocommunication Acts, headed by Janet Yale, will follow as this year unfolds.
So, when the deadline for written submissions to the Broadcast and Telecom Legislative Review (BTLR) panel came on Friday, January 11, we asked various companies and groups for their submissions. Most gladly sent them. Some sent excerpts. Others decided to keep them private for now, since the panel itself has not yet told us, or anyone, definitively, what the plan is for making them public.
Because of the volume, we have decided to begin…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Cogeco Communications credited its purchase of U.S. cableco MetroCast for a 15.1% increase in revenues for its first quarter of fiscal 2019 ended November 30, 2018.
Profit for the period dipped 3.1% to $79.1 million, of which $26.2 million was attributable to owners of the Corporation, resulting mainly from increases in depreciation and amortization, financial expense and integration, and restructuring and acquisition costs, that were partly offset by the improvement of adjusted EBITDA and a decrease in income taxes.
Revenue reached $674.0 million, up from $585.7 million in the same period last year, driven by growth of 16.3% in its…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL — Cogeco says its customer service problems are finally over.
After a customer management system upgrade went awry in 2018, causing frustration for its Canadian cable and broadband clients, the company says the problems have been resolved, and up to 600 additional short-term staff have completed their work and left the company, at a cost of about $11 million. Its 22 customer management systems have been successfully replaced by one.
"It's behind us," president and CEO Philippe Jetté told journalists on Friday before Cogeco's annual shareholders' meeting in Montreal, his first since taking over from longtime CEO Louis Audet (at…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The season three premiere of HBO drama True Detective will debut during Crave’s first-ever free preview this weekend, parent Bell Media said Tuesday.
Three of Crave’s linear channels – Crave 1, HBO 1, HBO 2 – are being unlocked from Friday, January 11 (11 AM ET/MT) to Monday, January 14 (11 AM ET/MT), allowing audiences to sample over 15 Hollywood hit movies uncut and commercial-free, top HBO content, and a selection of Showtime hits.
The free preview is available via participating television providers across Canada including Bell, Bell Aliant, BellMTS, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, Shaw, Shaw Direct, and Telus, among…
Continue Reading
TWO YEARS AGO, on December 21, 2016, the CRTC acknowledged the increasing importance of Internet services to Canadians in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2016-496, in which the Commission defined fixed and mobile wireless broadband Internet access services as basic telecommunications services.
The Commission also established several new expectations for ISPs to address consumer complaints related to bill shock and contract clarity.
As a result, all ISPs that provide retail fixed broadband Internet services to individual and small business customers now must ensure their contracts and related documents clearly explain, in plain language (i) the services included in the contract (ii) any limits…
Continue Reading
