PERHAPS WE’RE DIGGING too hard but we wonder if, in approving the sale of Leafs TV, Gol TV and NBA TV on Thursday, the CRTC is sending a message to Bell Canada that its stated benefits package for the purchase of Astral Media won’t make it out of next month’s hearing intact.
The Commission took a vigorous look at the valuation the new owners of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (Bell Canada, Rogers Media and existing minority shareholder Lawrence Tanenbaum) put on the regulated broadcast assets of the company which also owns The Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto…
Continue Reading
WHILE WE HAVE NO inside information to give you, we have covered enough CRTC hearings featuring the current crop of Bell executives and regulatory folks to guess at what the thrust of their presentation will be when they face the panel of CRTC commissioners in Montreal come September 10th.
They are probably going to ask what all the fuss is about. The media industry has consolidated at a rapid pace with the likes of Bell, Rogers, Shaw, and Quebecor owning significant carrier as well as media assets. With one more company, Astral Media, assimilated into Bell…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has green-lit the sale of sports channels owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) to a company co-owned by Rogers and BCE, effectively closing the $1.32 billion transaction that will see the two communication companies take a majority stake in the sports and entertainment giant.
While the transaction involved several sports-related properties including the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, the CRTC's review was limited to the five television services owned by MLSE – Leafs TV, Gol TV and NBA TV Canada, as well as un-launched services Mainstream Sports and Live Music Channel.
"When deciding…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA and MONTREAL – How can you compete with free?
That’s one of the questions that Eric Boyko, president and CEO of Montreal-based Stingray Digital Group, is asking after the CRTC rejected his company’s complaint Tuesday against CBC’s six month old digital music service CBCMusic.ca.
Stingray filed a Part 1 application with the Commission in April alleging undue preference by the national broadcaster’s ad-supported service, citing its dependence on government funding that is not available to private enterprises and its reliance on preferential copyright licence fees. Stingray is a private, subscription-based, multi-platform music service provider that owns digital music…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will deliver a keynote address to kick off this year’s International Institute of Communications (IIC) Canada 2012 conference.
Under the theme ‘Innovation, Investment and Infrastructure’, the event is scheduled for the Ottawa Convention Centre on October 29 – 30 and will feature dynamic speakers and informative panel discussions to engage communication business leaders and policy makers in topics affecting the Canadian communications sector from an international perspective.
Conference delegates will also have the option of participating in a symposium presented by Telefilm Canada, the CRTC, and the Canada Media Fund on the promotion of Canadian…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Michel Morin wrapped up his five year term as CRTC Commissioner this week with an extensive note to Commission staff highlighting his many accomplishments and contributions to the Regulator, as well as to the broadcasting and telecom system.
Morin, a former Radio-Canada broadcaster who holds the distinction of penning the longest minority opinion written to date (over 50 pages), and who often proved himself quite the contrarion when on a hearing panel, wrote that he believes that he was successful in being true to the following four main principles:
– The importance of adapting the regulatory framework to take better account of consumer…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Bell Canada’s proposed acquisition of Astral Media will not benefit consumers, and will most likely lead to higher prices for television service subscriptions, say four Canadian consumer and public interest groups in comments filed with the CRTC.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), who also acts as counsel for Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC), Canada Without Poverty (CWP), and Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization of British Columbia (COSCO) submitted a joint filing listing several concerns about the deal.
Those issues include the impact of the proposed transaction on the diversity of voices in the Canadian broadcasting system; increasing levels…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has green-lit BCE’s proposal to establish a Broadcasting Accessibility Fund to support initiatives that improve access to the Canadian broadcasting system by persons with disabilities.
The $5.7 million fund was proposed by BCE last year as part of its purchase of CTVglobemedia. After soliciting public opinion, the Commission said Tuesday that the fund will support accessibility projects that are supplementary to the CRTC’s existing regulatory obligations for the broadcasting industry, and could include accessibility initiatives for online and mobile programming services. In addition, the fund must provide services and publish documents (such as application forms, policies, and annual reports)…
Continue Reading
WHITEHORSE – Northwestel competitors Ice Wireless and Iristel have upped the ante in their opposition to the incumbent’s proposal to tie its infrastructure upgrade to benefits stemming from Bell’s pending acquisition of Astral Media.
Earlier this week, the wireless upstarts denounced Northwestel's attempt to direct $40 million from its parent company Bell Canada to build infrastructure, and encouraged the CRTC to reject the proposal. But on Thursday, Ice and Iristel said that if that proposal is approved, the funds should be made available to all telcos building infrastructure and innovation in Canada’s North.
"If this $40 million public benefits is allowed,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – It’s not just about choice, it’s about how that choice is defined.
According to the Canadian Independent Distributors Group (CIDG), which lost its final offer arbitration dispute against Bell Media just over a week ago, the CRTC appeared to agree with the communication giant’s definition of choice which, simply put, is the more television channels that Canadian viewers can buy, the better.
But is choice about volume, or is it the ability to pick only the channels that viewers actually want to watch?
According to the CIDG, made up of Cogeco, MTS and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), their consumers…
Continue Reading
