Rogers lower capital spending for “foreseeable future”
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers expects its sports and media business to exceed $25 billion following the purchase of the remaining 25 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which it targets for closing later this year.
The call and put options for the purchase and sale, respectively, are coming due in July for Rogers to nab Kilmer Sports’s equity in the empire that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts, and Toronto Football Club. (Rogers became a 75-per-cent owner when it purchased Bell’s 37.5 per cent stake in the…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
For the second time in as many weeks, the CRTC has increased the carriage rate for channels considered of exceptional importance.
Operated by not-for-profit TV5 Quebec Canada, TV5/Unis TV, which reflect the international Francophone and Canadian Francophone markets, respectively, will get an additional two cents for a carry rate of 30 cents per subscriber, per month. The rate will remain effective until the next licence renewal date in August.
The regulator justified its decision by noting TV5 has been running deficits since the 2022-2023 broadcast year and has since exhausted all of its financial reserves, thanks in part to…
Continue Reading
Twelve roles impacted by the cancellations, CEO says
By Linda Stuart
The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) announced Tuesday it is ending production of its two nightly political news programs — PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel — as the not-for-profit media organization is faced with “accelerating revenue decline and continued uncertainty in the broadcasting landscape,” it said.
The announcement comes after the CRTC last week approved a three-cent increase in the price broadcasters must pay to carry the CPAC service.
“The CRTC’s recent approval of a 3-cent rate increase, set to take effect this September, is helpful in the short-term…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
Evanov Radio Group is divesting another station, announcing Monday that Torres Media intends to acquire CHSV-FM Hudson/Saint-Lazare, Que., pending CRTC approval.
Currently branded as Lite 106.7 – Montreal’s Favourites, Evanov launched the station in 2015 with a Soft Adult Contemporary format.
“Transferring our only English-language commercial station in Quebec to another independent broadcaster is the right outcome for the station and the community it serves,” Evanov Communications President Paul Evanov said in an announcement. “Torres Media’s deep roots in Canadian independent radio and focus on local content is a natural fit, and we are confident the station will thrive under their stewardship.”
CHSV-FM would become Torres Media’s sixth radio station and second…
Continue Reading
Heritage committee recommends copyright protections for content scooped up by bots
By Ahmad Hathout
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) inquired about what an “opt-out” mechanism would look like for AI-generated news summaries on platforms such as Google, according to a document obtained by Cartt, before the standing committee on Canadian Heritage recommended copyright protections for news content scooped up by bots.
The department, which has been touting Canada’s commitment to AI research and development, had prepared a note ahead of a meeting last fall with News Media Canada, the association for Canadian media that has been sounding the…
Continue Reading
Canada’s film and television production industry generated $10.17 billion in production volume in the 2024-25 fiscal year, a 4.6-per-cent increase year over year, according to the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)’s annual economic report, Profile 2025, released Monday.
The sector also contributed $11.72 billion to Canada’s GDP, and created 181,360 jobs across Canadian television and theatrical feature film production, broadcaster in-house production, and foreign location and service (FLS) production during the fiscal year, according to the report, which covers the period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
The report showed…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell is challenging a decision by the CRTC that ruled the telco was not in the right to disconnect service to Iristel for failing to pay late charges on top of amounts owed to it.
While the CRTC ruled in December that Iristel was required to pay the amounts it owed to Bell, it also said that the telco could not disconnect services when Iristel failed to pony up late payment charges (LPC) because those are non-tariffed amounts.
Bell, which said the regulator didn’t spend time explaining that decision, claims this is a grave error because…
Continue Reading
APTN announced Tuesday its spring programming lineup includes an expanded slate of original indigenous-language content and youth-focused programming, which it calls “an investment in the next generation and the future of Indigenous storytelling”.
Reaffirming its commitment to revitalizing and preserving indigenous languages, APTN this spring is debuting new shows featuring the Cree, Dakota and Innu languages.
Premiering May 4 on the APTN Languages channel, Rabbit Soup features Davey Gott and his mom, Melva, chatting in Cree and embarking on a series of hilarious adventures around the world, without ever leaving their couch.
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) has been approved Monday for a three-cent increase in the price broadcasters must pay to carry the service, despite the CRTC suspending that application months earlier until after it implemented changes to the regulatory system.
Broadcasters will now pay 16 cents per subscriber, per month to carry the channel, which is required of them under the Broadcasting Act’s 9.1(1)(h) rule. The new rate, which is what the not-for-profit asked for, will take effect on September 1, which is the start of the new broadcasting year.
“The Commission is of the…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Effective next year, the CRTC is mandating additional notifications to customers that it says will prevent bill shock and improve the wireless and internet codes.
The CRTC is requiring service providers to send their customers a hyperlink to a list of plans available for purchase 90 days before the expiration of customer contracts; will require that they notify customers – both on their monthly bills and directly – 90 days before the end date of a time-limited discount or promotion that lasts longer than three months; and require that they notify international travelers when they reach $50 in…
Continue Reading
