Corus Entertainment announced last Friday it has completed an agreement to amend and restate its credit agreement dated Oct. 24, 2024, extending the maturity date to March 20, 2027.
The credit facility has been amended to, among other things, increase the maximum amount Corus may request as an advance on a revolving basis to $75 million, remove certain requirements to use excess cash to repay the outstanding amounts on such advances, and fix the interest rate per annum equal to the two-year Canada interest rate determined on March 17, 2025, plus 4.75 per cent, explained a March…
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The CRTC’s triad of “The Path Forward” broadcasting public hearings on defining Canadian content, creating a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system, and supporting Canadian and indigenous audio content are all being postponed as a result of the April 28 federal election that was called Sunday by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The three hearings were originally scheduled to begin March 31, May 12 and June 18, respectively.
With the federal election now underway, the CRTC said Monday it is postponing the hearings while the federal public service operates under the “ Continue Reading
By Moyra Rodger, CEO of Magnify Digital, a boutique digital agency specializing in online marketing strategy, advertising, and training for the screen media industry
A new wave of Canadian patriotism is emerging in response to U.S. tariffs, making this the perfect moment to focus on what truly matters—our stories. More than ever, Canadian content must reach audiences at home and abroad.
Securing the future of Canadian content means moving beyond a system that prioritizes production and treats audience engagement as an afterthought. Both legacy and digital-first producers need a unified approach to capturing and sustaining audience attention. If we fail to…
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Bell announced Thursday it has rolled out its 8 Gbps internet tier for business customers in certain areas of Ontario and Quebec.
The symmetrical download and upload speeds are available in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and surrounding suburbs, London, Guelph, Kitchener and Georgetown, as well as in Montreal, Laval and the Greater Montreal Area, Quebec City, and Levis.
“This significant speed increase offers businesses enhanced connectivity capabilities, supporting various business needs and applications,” the telco said in a press release.
The announcement follows the launch of the speed tier for residential customers in the two provinces…
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The CRTC has informed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) via a letter that the commission will not rescind and reissue its Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2025-52 on modernizing its policies for radio and audio streaming in Canada.
Earlier this month, the CAB had asked the CRTC to start over on the consultation, saying the commission’s preliminary views expressed in its call for comments effectively affirmed a regulatory status quo, including maintaining existing music quotas on commercial radio stations, while also increasing their obligations with respect to emerging and indigenous…
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The CRTC has written a letter to SaskTel president and CEO Charlene Gavel asking for help in finding a solution to the problem of the telecom’s set-top boxes allegedly not being accessible to those of its maxTV customers who are blind or partially sighted.
The commission received a complaint from a blind SaskTel customer who said the company’s set-top boxes are not accessible because they are not compatible with screen-reading technology. Based on the information filed with the commission, it appears “that SaskTel has no plans to provide a set-top box that is accessible to those customers…
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Rogers says the complaint is ‘completely without merit’
By Ahmad Hathout
A national news channel is alleging Rogers is unjustly keeping it from distribution to a broader cable audience, but the cable giant is calling the complaint meritless.
The News Forum, which was granted mandatory distribution on cable in 2022, alleges that, unlike its competitors, it has been denied equal access by being excluded from Rogers’s legacy or grandfathered cable packages.
Before it received mandatory distribution under the Broadcasting Act’s 9.1(1)(h) rule, the independent news service negotiated its current distribution agreement with Rogers as an exempt undertaking the year before. But while it…
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A group of 11 organizations supporting community radio and television production in Canada has asked the CRTC to streamline its broadcasting consultation processes to enable participants to devote more time to the issues raised in those proceedings.
Three streamlining measures proposed by the group include: an e-mail subscription list enabling participants and parties interested in CRTC broadcasting proceedings to receive automatic notifications when the public record changes in a given proceeding; zip files collating interventions/comments and replies in proceedings when 10 or more comments or replies are filed; and earlier notification of invitations to appear at CRTC hearings, so that…
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The CRTC on Friday rejected a WildBrain application alleging Bell is disadvantaging its children’s programming to the benefit of Corus in the English-language markets.
Both Bell and Corus rejected the notion that there was any preferential treatment that disadvantaged WildBrain, as it sought to negotiate carriage with the large broadcaster.
That’s despite the commission finding that WildBrain and Corus have similar services, an important component to establish in an undue preference complaint. As a result of this determination, the commission said it found no need to get into whether there was any undue preference or disadvantage.
The commission urged…
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Nearly half of focus group respondents said a program’s country of origin didn’t matter
By Ahmad Hathout
The majority of Canadians can identify Canadian programming when looking for something to watch on cable, satellite or online streaming services, a new survey-based report commissioned by the CRTC found, while a larger majority chooses to watch content based on entertainment value and quality.
The “Perceptions of Canadian Programming and News” study, delivered last month by Ottawa-based Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc., found 60 per cent of surveyed Canadians said they could identify Canadian programming, 25 per cent said they could not, and 16 per cent…
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