Says the company is in no hurry to sell spectrum outside of Quebec
MONTREAL – Quebecor turned in a good fiscal 2016 on Wednesday as revenues and income climbed on wireless additions and better than expected cable subscriber results.
2016 revenues were $4.02 billion, up 3.2% from 2015 and adjusted operating income was up 3.7% to $1.49 billion. Net income attributable to shareholders was $194.7 million, an increase of $42.9 million over 2015. Adjusted income from continuing operating activities was $305.5 million an increase of 27.3%.
Vidéotron significantly increased its revenues from mobile telephony (by $106.7 million or 26.4%), Internet access ($58…
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OTTAWA – While Canadian viewers continue to cut their TV cords, they still remain a small fraction of the total TV market, says new research released Wednesday.
Ottawa-based research and consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services said that the big, publicly traded traditional TV service providers – Rogers, Shaw/Shaw Direct, BCE, Videotron, Cogeco, Telus, and MTS, combined lost 202,000 TV subscribers in their respective 2016/2017 fiscal years, up from 160,000 lost in their 2015/2016 fiscal years.
But the report found a shift in trends, noting that the cable companies lost fewer subscribers and that the IPTV providers saw subscriber growth slow significantly.
“The…
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TORONTO – Just in time for March Break, Bell Media’s pop-culture channel Much will kick off a national free preview from March 7 until April 4.
Home to comedy classics South Park, The Simpsons, and American Dad, Much will also serve up new British comedy Brotherhood, genre-busting prank show Fameless, plus the debut of Conan O’Brien’s new Conan Without Borders: Made In Mexico special (pictured).
Much’s freeview is available through television service providers including Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Westman Communications Group and Tbaytel.
www.Much.com
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TORONTO – Digital radio streaming app Radioplayer Canada launched Wednesday, billed as a partnership between the country’s private radio broadcasters, CBC/Radio-Canada, and campus and community stations.
The free Radioplayer Canada app gives radio listeners access to nearly every style of music, news, talk, and entertainment content, in both official languages, on any connected device, at any time of day, from anywhere, reads the news release.
Listeners may access live and catch-up radio broadcasts across the country through Radioplayer Canada's browser-player, and on connected devices through the iOS or Android app, including integrations with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Chromecast, and smartwatches.
CBC/Radio-Canada confirmed…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Connexion has acquired Quebec cableco Briand et Moreau Câble Inc., the company said Wednesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in Grande-Rivière on the Gaspé Peninsula, Briand et Moreau Câble offers TV and Internet services to approximately 2,500 residents in the region.
"Extending our network and allowing more consumers to benefit from better connectivity is one of our key business priorities," said Cogeco Connexion president Ken Smithard, in the news release. "We are pleased to count the residents of Grande-Rivière among our clients, and to offer them flexible and efficient services delivering a peerless entertainment…
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SO MANY OF US who are worried about the coming consequences of the “post-truth” age, whether we’re journalists or not, wonder aloud why people don’t trust the hardworking, mainstream media, and are genuinely puzzled when citizens can no longer identify the truth.
What happened this week when it came to the reporting of the ratings for the Super Bowl in Canada revealed there are reasons behind this confusion and mistrust. Slipshod journalism and a rush to be first has left everyone confused how many Canadians watched the game – and on what channels – since the CRTC removed Bell’s simultaneous…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Connexion has beefed up its Internet security offering with a new option that extends protection to customers' mobile devices, regardless of their mobility provider.
High-speed Internet customers already benefit from the enhanced security offering at no additional cost, reads the company’s news release. For $5.99 per month, they may also opt for the Cogeco Security Go package, with coverage that extends to an unlimited number of devices including all of their mobile devices.
Powered by F-Secure, Cogeco Security and Cogeco Security Go provides protection against viruses, spyware, phishing emails and other online threats; offers parental control; online browsing…
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TORONTO – Cogeco Peer 1 has named Cynthia Jordan-Ford to the role of vice-president and general manager, U.S. and Latin America.
Jordan-Ford (pictured) brings over 25 years of experience in IT sales and service leadership to the role, having held positions with Xerox, Sprint, AT&T, Savvis (CenturyLink), and Virtustream.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, she will be responsible for the tactical and strategic direction of the organization in the United States and Latin American regions, overseeing operations and driving revenue growth.
"We have appointed Cynthia to this role to inspire new levels of innovation and performance and strengthen regional collaboration”, said president Philippe…
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OTTAWA – Five of Canada’s biggest TV service providers and two set-top box manufacturers have signed a voluntary agreement to improve the energy efficiency of set-top boxes.
According to a Canadian GreenTech report, the agreement was signed by Bell Canada, Cogeco Communications, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, Videotron, ARRIS and EchoStar Technologies.
The Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement for Set-Top Boxes (CEEVA), along with complementary measures such as the Energy Star program, is expected to reduce the total annual energy consumption of Canadian set-top boxes from 3.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2016 to 2.7 TWh in 2021. The energy expected to be saved…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Inc. is actively looking at more acquisitions in cable companies in the United States, but has ruled out acquisitions in the data services sector over the next year after a 2016 in which “our results have been disappointing” at subsidiary Peer 1, president Louis Audet said on Thursday at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Montreal.
The company’s year-end financial results were mostly positive, with earnings increasing and a higher dividend to shareholders, both from Cogeco Inc. and subsidiary Cogeco Communications Inc. But a $450-million writedown at Peer 1 technically put the company in the red…
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