MONTREAL and DARTMOUTH, N.S. – Stingray Digital Group, until now known mostly as a global, multiplatform provider of music channels to subscription TV companies and their customers, has made a significant move into a more traditional music format: broadcast radio.
The company announced today after the close of trading it has acquired Newfoundland Capital Corporation (NCC, or as it’s more commonly referred in the radio business, Newcap), one of Canada’s largest radio broadcasters with 101 licences (82 FM and 19 AM) across the country in a deal valued at $506 million.
According to Stingray, this move will significantly strengthen its position…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC announced two numbered companies operating as 514-BILLETS, whose main business is concert and sporting event ticket resale, agreed to resolve their alleged violations of Canada's anti-spam legislation for $100,000.
An investigation launched by the CRTC's chief compliance and enforcement officer alleged that the companies failed to comply with various requirements of the legislation between July 2014 and January 2016, reads the Commission’s release. “During this period, the company allegedly sent text messages without the recipient's consent, without information identifying the person who sent the messages, and without information enabling the recipient to readily contact the…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor Media’s TVA Group today announced an agreement to buy the Serdy Media and Serdy Video group of companies for $24 million.
The acquisition, which requires CRTC approval of its broadcasting assets, would see TVA add the Évasion (french language travel and adventure) and Zeste (food and cooking) specialty channels. According to CRTC filings, Evasion had 1.8 million subscribers as of August 31 2016 (latest figures available), $12.4 million in revenue and $2.3 million in pre-tax profit. As a category B Zeste does not have to file subscriber or profitability numbers but did report revenue of $6.6 million…
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QUISPAMSIS, N.B. – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance announced Monday voting is now open for the 2018 edition of Tuned-in Canada: the CCSA Awards. (And, FYI, the CCSA officially becomes the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance on Tuesday. More on that later.)
The awards are a nation-wide, annual competition highlighting the excellent work performed by independent, local providers of internet, television and telephone services across Canada.
Canadians are invited to visit Tuned-in Canada 2018 to cast a vote for nominees in the following five categories:
1. Best content: community channel programming
2. Best people: on-camera community channel…
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GATINEAU – Wireless and broadcasting service providers will conduct a nationwide public alerting test next week during Emergency Preparedness Week, which is from May 6 to 12, the CRTC announced today.
(UPDATE: The Commission announced on May 4 that testing will be completed in Ontario and Quebec on Monday, May 7 at 9:55 AM in Quebec and 1:55 PM in Ontario.)
This means every compatible mobile device connected to an LTE (long-term evolution) network in the targeted provinces and territory will receive the test alert, which will also be distributed on television and radio in the same regions.
Since April 6, 2018,…
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WHILE IT WORKS ON the report requested by the federal government on future programming distribution models, on Monday, the CRTC will hold a hearing on the renewals of four speciality channels that benefit from the traditional way of doing things: mandatory distribution.
Pelmorex (The Weather Network and MétéoMédia), TV5/Unis (TV5 programming focused on the international Francophonie; and Unis programming focused on official language minority communities), APTN , and the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) – although CPAC's file is considered complete and…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains launched Canada’s new intellectual property (IP) strategy last week.
“Intellectual property is a key component of an innovation economy,” reads the press release. “It helps Canadian innovators reach commercial success, further discovery and create middle-class jobs by protecting their ideas and ensuring they reap the full rewards of their inventions and creations.”
(Ed note: We bet the FairPlay Canada coalition is analyzing this announcement closely.)
Canada’s IP Strategy will help Canadian entrepreneurs better understand and protect intellectual property and also get better access to shared intellectual property,…
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THE CRTC WILL SOON make a decision on Bell’s bid to get its hands on Séries+ and Historia again.
Bell had been forced to sell off the two specialty channels in 2013 when it took over Astral. It’s high time for the CRTC to start promoting innovation instead of shoring up Bell’s dominance.
Does the CRTC realize that its decisions are helping to increase TV ownership concentration and giving Bell enormous bargaining power, enabling it to crush the competition by snapping up the most coveted content in both languages? The CRTC is also allowing channels that were…
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Bell and Telus propose 500MB for $30; Rogers 400MB for $25
GATINEAU – Rogers, Bell and Telus have given the CRTC what it asked for – new data only wireless plans meant to fill a gap the Regulator sees in the market.
A multifaceted wireless decision last month included decreases in wholesale wireless rates, a “no” to Wi-Fi first models, and an early review of the wholesale wireless framework that will again reconsider MVNO rules. However, as part of that, the Commission directed the big three to immediately come up new data-only wireless plans which: must not…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Inc. is buying 10 regional radio stations in Quebec and Ontario for $18.5 million from RNC Média.
Cogeco Media already owns and operates 13 radio stations, including talk network stations 98.5 FM in Montreal, 106.9 FM in Mauricie, 107.7 FM in Estrie and 104.7 FM in Outaouais; Rhythm FM network stations 105.7 in Montreal, 100.1 in Mauricie and 93.7 in Estrie, CIME 103.9 in the Laurentians, 96.9 CKOI, The Beat 92.5 and Radio Circulation 730 AM in Montreal, as well as FM93 and M102.9 in Quebec City.
The new stations are located in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (Planète 104.5 in…
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