Proposes new agency to battle billion-dollar problem
OTTAWA – FairPlay Canada, a new coalition of Canadian artists, content creators, unions, guilds, producers, performers, broadcasters, distributors, and exhibitors is has filed an application with the CRTC urging the Regulator to have Canadian ISPs shut down access to websites which enable content piracy.
According to the coalition, the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Canadians who work in the creative sector (songwriters, set builders, TV writers, makeup artists, reporters, as well as cable technicians, engineers and customer service reps) are at risk as a result of increasing online piracy…
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TORONTO – Cogeco Peer 1 is adding Managed Microsoft Azure Services to its global cloud portfolio, allowing customers to select from a fully customizable list of Azure expertise and scalable services.
The company said that its range of Azure services now span the complete cloud platform, encompassing solution design/build, migration, ongoing management and connectivity. Each service can be accessed independently, bringing choice and flexibility to customers.
In addition to this customizable approach, ongoing management of Azure is on a consumption basis, so management fees flex as Azure usage changes, making it as efficient as possible for customers to unlock the full…
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TORONTO – Discovery Velocity has opened up for a month-long national free preview, on now through February 8.
Billed as Canada’s only home for factual turbo programming, Discovery Velocity will serve up live coverage of the most spectacular classic car auction event of the year, Barrett-Jackson Live (pictured, from January 16 – 21), alongside new series Texas Metal (January 12), and the return of Wheeler Dealers on January 22.
The freeview is available through television service providers including Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco Connexion, Eastlink, BellMTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Access…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco has published its fourth Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, highlighting its targets and commitments, as well as material issues linked to its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
The report, issued once every two years, is produced according to the international Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, Cogeco said. Achievements during the period covered by this report include the implementation of a supplier code of conduct and its progressive adoption, the reduction of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the integration of all business units under the CSR program with the most recent onboarding of Cogeco Media.
"Our CSR program…
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MONTREAL – Cogceco Communications credited growth in its Canadian broadband services for an uptick in revenues and profits for its first quarter of fiscal 2018 ended November 30, 2017.
Profit for the period was essentially flat at $76.5 million compared to $75.0 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2017, mainly as a result of the decreases in depreciation and amortization and in financial expense, mostly offset by a lower adjusted EBITDA and an increase in income taxes.
Revenue increased 0.8% to $553.6 million from $549.1 million year-over-year, mainly driven by the growth of 3.2% in the Canadian broadband services segment,…
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Radio, Peer 1, doing just fine; wireless still a maybe
MONTREAL – Louis Audet doesn’t like to discuss politics, no matter how many times he’s asked to by journalists, but Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been good for the Cogeco CEO’s business.
The corporate tax cut passed by the U.S. government recently will result in an estimated $89 million in reduced income taxes to be paid by its growing U.S. subsidiary Atlantic Broadband. And the company expects to pay only minimal U.S. taxes (about $10 million total) until 2025, Audet said.
Chief Financial Officer Patrice Ouimet said the $89-million savings…
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MONTREAL and QUINCY, MA – Cogeco Communications subsidiary Atlantic Broadband has wrapped up its acquisition of the MetroCast cable systems, expanding its operations across 11 states on the U.S. east coast.
The US$1.4 billion deal was first announced in July 2017. At that time, the company said that MetroCast's networks passed close to 236,000 homes and businesses in New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia and served approximately 120,000 Internet, 76,000 video and 37,000 telephony customers.
As of now, MetroCast will maintain its existing brand name and will continue to offer its current TV, Internet and phone services to business and…
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MONTREAL — “I’ve gotten such great press lately,” Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly joked to break the ice in a speech Friday to Montreal’s board of trade. But despite mounting pressure, especially in Quebec, to impose sales taxes on foreign over-the-top services like Netflix, Joly had no new announcements to make, sticking to repeating the promises made in the Creative Canada plan released in September.
“I hear you,” she told the crowd present, including board president Michel Leblanc, who said during his introduction that he expected Joly to explain the government’s position on this issue. She repeated several times that she’s…
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TORONTO – Radioplayer Canada, the radio streaming app that features more than 500 Canadian radio stations (most of the big and small chains, except Bell Media and Evanov, who joined iHeartRadio), announced this week its streaming service is available with Amazon Echo, powered by Alexa.
Amazon Echo users may now simply ask Alexa to play their favourite radio station on Radioplayer Canada, once the skill is enabled by the listener.
"This integration with Amazon Alexa is great for Canadian radio," said Julie Adam, senior vice president, Rogers Radio, and board chair of Radioplayer Canada. "The integration echoes the mission of…
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MONTREAL – Over 100 Quebec business, culture and other leaders have put their names to a new push in the province urging all levels of government to make sure foreign companies selling goods and services digitally in Canada are subject to the same taxes as Canadian companies.
The group, hashtagged #100voix, have put their names behind this declaration: "We cannot allow foreign giants to avoid the taxes that all local businesses must charge. This injustice must be corrected. It penalizes our businesses, our artists and our workers. We have a shared duty to protect Québec and Canadian culture."
Business leaders such…
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