By Ahmad Hathout
The combination of Cogeco’s Canadian and American operations is already yielding cost-saving results, the telecom’s executives said Friday, which includes an artificial intelligence chatbot that is managing some of the telecom’s customer service interactions.
“The results are above our expectations so far,” Frederic Perron, the telecom’s president and CEO, said of the chatbot called Charlie on the company’s fiscal third-quarter conference call. “In less than one month, Charlie has successfully handled tens of thousands of customer interactions, many of which did not require a transfer to a human.
“Charlie will continue to evolve and will be deployed in Canada…
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CBC and Lionsgate announced Tuesday principal photography has started on the fourth season of hit original comedy series Son of a Critch in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The new season of 13 half-hour episodes will premiere in winter 2025 on CBC Gem and CBC TV in Canada. Lionsgate handles worldwide distribution rights outside of Canada.
Based on comedian Mark Critch’s award-winning memoir of the same name, Son of a Critch is a comedic and heartfelt window into the life of now 14-year-old Mark, coming of age in St. John’s. Critch portrays his own father, Mike, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly…
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The Canada Media Fund (CMF) last week announced a new chair and the appointment of a new director to its board.
Michael Schmalz has been elected as chair of the board, succeeding outgoing chair Alain Cousineau, who left the board of directors after an 11-year tenure.
Appointed as a CMF board director by the Department of Canadian Heritage in 2017, Schmalz resides in London, Ont., is fully bilingual, and brings more than 17 years of experience in the digital media industry, with a focus on gaming innovation.
René Guimond has been appointed…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers and TekSavvy have come to an agreement to avert an impending disconnection of wholesale customers at two Toronto buildings.
Earlier this week, TekSavvy requested that the CRTC suspend a Part 1 application it filed late last month asking the regulator to intervene in a case where its customers at two buildings on Sherbourne Street were at risk of disconnection as Rogers transitions to pure fibre connections.
The CRTC sent a letter dated Wednesday to both telecoms outlining that TekSavvy sent a letter on June 11 saying that an agreement had been reached between the two companies “to…
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By Howard Law, author of Canada vs. California, and MediaPolicy.ca
Last week the CRTC released its anticipated “Phase One” ruling on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11. The headline was the $200 million price tag put on Canadian content contributions assessed by the commission on large foreign online audio and audio-visual streamers operating in Canada.
Following the commission’s decision, many industry players and public policy commentators were quick to declare victory or disaster, something we can expect in a regulatory drama that never quits.
This drama is chronicled in my book, Canada vs California: How…
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Foreign streamers say base contribution will make collaborations more difficult
By Ahmad Hathout
Foreign and standalone online streamers that make $25 million or more will be required to contribute five per cent of their previous year’s Canadian revenues into the system, an amount the CRTC said Tuesday would draw $200 million per year into supporting Canadian content.
The regulator said it is prioritizing certain categories of content to the receive funds, including the expensive-to-produce local news on radio and television, and content catering to French-language, indigenous and minority communities.
Of the five per cent, two per cent will go toward the Canada Media…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is asking Rogers to maintian TekSavvy’s ability to service its customers at two Toronto buildings until it can make a determination on an application by the wholesaler that warns the cable giant’s move to pure fibre would leave competitors behind.
The request came two days after TekSavvy complained that Rogers’s transition from hybrid fibre-coax facilities to pure fibre would mean it would lose 29 existing and possibly more future subscribers at the 191 and 201 Sherbourne Street buildings.
The regulator said in a Friday letter shared with Cartt that it is “concerned that customers…
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Disconnections are expected June 4, TekSavvy said
By Ahmad Hathout
TekSavvy is again asking the CRTC to intervene in a case where its internet customers are at risk of losing service because the cable network from which it leases capacity is being migrated to pure fibre.
In a Part 1 application dated Wednesday that has yet to be posted at the time of this story’s publishing, Teksavvy said 29 customers at two buildings – 191 and 201 Sherbourne Street – in Toronto are at risk of disconnection because Rogers told the Chatham-based company that it is migrating those hybrid fibre-coax facilities to…
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Cogeco announced Wednesday a new organizational structure combining the commercial, operational and technical functions of its Canadian telecommunications business Cogeco Connexion and its U.S. telecom business Breezeline into a single North American organization.
Cogeco said in a press release the streamlined structure “will enable the creation of strong cross-border centers of expertise in key strategic areas such as digital, advanced analytics, and technology.” In addition, it “will also accelerate the deployment of top talent and best practices across the organization and will facilitate the harmonization of systems and platforms,” Cogeco said.
“We identified…
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Rogers is the leading fixed broadband provider in Canada for overall experience, according to a new report from U.K.-based mobile analytics firm Opensignal.
“Rogers, which now includes Shaw customers, is recognized for the best overall experience more frequently than any other provider in our report,” Opensignal says.
When compared to other national fixed broadband providers including Bell, Telus and Starlink, Rogers secured three outright national wins for consistent quality, download speed and video experience, according to the report. In addition, it achieved 21 wins (11 outright wins and 10 joint wins) across various…
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