Global studios and streamers have been the driving force behind the expansion of the Canadian audiovisual production sector, with global production fuelling employment at a rate three times higher than that of domestic production over the 2012-2022 period, according to a new report from KPMG commissioned by the Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA-Canada).
Using data from a May 2023 report from the Canadian Media Producers Association, the KPMG report notes foreign location and service (FLS) productions in 2022 accounted for more than half (57 per cent) of total film, television and streaming production…
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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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By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor is asking the CRTC to investigate whether Bell is giving itself an unfair advantage by allegedly adding more hurdles for internet service providers looking to access the telco’s last-mile fibre facilities.
The issue is related to what additional equipment Bell requires of third-party competitors to connect their customers to certain speeds on its fibre network, as according to its tariff pages for the interim access regime that went into effect May 7.
Quebecor, on behalf of Videotron, is alleging in its intervention to amended tariff pages filed by Bell that the latter is unnecessarily requiring optical network terminal…
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The CRTC announced Monday it has approved separate broadcasting licence applications for a French-language community FM radio station and a French-language commercial FM station in Joliette, Quebec.
In its March 2023 application, Radio Nord-Joli Inc. had said it wanted to operate a community FM station in Joliette to replace its existing French-language community station CFNJ-FM in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon (a town located roughly 35 kilometres north of Joliette). Radio Nord-Joli also requested to transfer its existing rebroadcasting transmitter in Saint-Zénon to the new licence and to revoke CFNJ-FM’s licence. The CRTC has approved these…
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Canadian Heritage has announced the appointment of Sylvain Lafrance as chairperson of Telefilm Canada. In addition, Deborah MacPherson and Claude Doucet have been appointed as members of Telefilm’s board of directors.
The five-year terms of all three appointees began May 9.
An expert in the fields of media management and communications, Lafrance worked at CBC/Radio-Canada for more than three decades. Before leaving the national public broadcaster in 2011, he held the position of executive vice president of French services, where he led the integration of the Crown corporation’s radio,…
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By Oliver Kane, a media consultant based in Toronto, who was a former Corus employee for a little more than eight years before leaving in September 2023
On May 6, the CRTC published an update on the phased implementation of bill C-11. While I can appreciate that, in their words, “the changes needed to implement the modernized Broadcasting Act are substantial and complex, with many interconnected issues to be addressed,” this glacial roll out is completely out of touch with the current challenges affecting the industry.
Phase 2 includes an update of no less than 10 consultations expected to take place…
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The percentage of telecom and TV service providers who are compliant with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) rules for providing information about the CCTS on their websites has increased over the last few years, according to the organization’s 2023 Compliance Report Cards, published early Thursday morning.
Internet, phone and licensed TV service providers in Canada are required by the CRTC to participate in the CCTS and its ombudsman complaint-resolution program.
In 2023, 35 per cent of 51 audited participating service providers (PSPs) were fully compliant with the requirements to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is asking the CRTC to allow it the flexibility to serve certain communities in western Canada with broader, but still locally relevant programming so that it doesn’t rely on repeat programming to meet its Canadian content obligations in the face of a tough financial environment.
The cable giant, which now has on its hands Shaw’s broadcasting assets, filed a Part 1 application made public this week asking for a modification to its condition of licence to be able to show what it calls Spotlight Channels based, not on a standalone basis but in four larger zones housing…
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Telus announced Wednesday it will invest more than $10 billion to expand and improve its network infrastructure and operations across Quebec over the next five years.
This follows similar Telus announcements on Monday about its planned investments in British Columbia and Alberta through 2028.
As part of its investment in Quebec, Telus said in a press release it is collaborating with the government of Quebec and the CRTC through two separate grant programs to expand its 5G network to isolated and rural communities and road sections in the regions of Eastern…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The city of Ottawa is arguing before the CRTC that Videotron is relying on the wrong agreement in its request for the regulator to force the city to reimburse the carrier for having to move its transmission lines for the construction of city projects.
Videotron filed a Part 1 application last month alleging the city has refused to compensate it $300,000 for the move to make way for projects at Montreal Road and Woodroffe Avenue because it was made at the request of its subsidiary Hydro Ottawa, which the telecom argued doesn’t make sense because…
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