Commission favoured Bell
MONTREAL – Quebecor has filed for leave to appeal a “baffling” CRTC decision that ruled against its French-language sports service TVA Sports in a carriage dispute with Bell.
The company said Friday that it is asking the Federal Court of Appeal for a review of the Commission’s January 17th decision in the final offer arbitration process between the two companies that selected Bell’s per-subscriber wholesale rates for the distribution of TVA Sports in the francophone market, defined as the province of Quebec.
“Quebecor fails to understand the CRTC's position in this case”, reads the company’s statement. “TVA Group's…
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TORONTO – Global News is cutting close to 80 positions across the country, many of them tied to TV production, as part of its "transformation into a sustainable, digital-first organization".
A story on the Global News website said that the company will add 50 new positions in “the growth area of digital news”, mostly journalists who will file for new, local versions of the Globalnews.ca website in Ottawa, Kitchener, Guelph and Barrie in Ontario.
Global already has 18 websites across Canada that it says were born from the company’s traditional television and news-talk radio stations.
“With digital platforms, our audience no longer…
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And why CPE should be reduced for traditional media companies
GATINEAU – Saying online content platforms have radically altered the Canadian broadcasting system is as undeniable as it is now cliché. Netflix itself, has an estimated six million subscribers in Canada, an amount greater than half of all cable TV subscriptions here.
With Amazon Prime growing and the arrival of other online services in the future (BritBox arrived this week and CBS All Access is coming), the Canadian system needs to evolve with this new reality in mind, several have told the CRTC…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has given Bell Media the go-ahead to proceed with its $17 million purchase of four FM radio stations in Ontario from Larche Communications Inc.
The deal, first announced last August, encompasses the assets of English-language commercial radio stations 104.1 The Dock (CICZ-FM) Midland, 92.3 The Dock (CJOS-FM) Owen Sound, KICX Country 106 (CICX-FM) Orillia, and KICX Country 91.7 (CICS-FM) Sudbury.
Noting Bell Media’s proposed tangible benefits package of $1.02 million (representing 6% of the value of the transaction) and the broadcaster’s stated commitment to continue to serve the markets with local programming that meets the needs and interests of the communities,…
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THE HEADLINE WAS a typical one: “Thousands slam Bell coalition’s website blocking proposal,” said the Globe and Mail two weeks ago.
That number (4,700-plus comments from Canadians to the CRTC over the Part I proceeding begun thanks to the FairPlay Canada coalition proposal), should not matter. At all. It will of course, especially to skittish politicians, but it shouldn’t. A large count of submissions to the CRTC on this or any topic shows people are engaged, which is a good thing, but that doesn’t make them correct.
It’s the subject and the substance the arguments which are…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC this week told consumer group Public interest Advocacy Centre that there are already ample ways for customers to lodge complaints over what they feel are unfair telco sales practices and that no new public hearing is needed.
After some 2017 CBC.ca stories levelled accusations of potentially unfair, high-pressure sales tactics against Bell Canada (the CBC in January then did a similar story about Rogers Communications), PIAC last month called on the CRTC to launch a formal inquiry into the matter.
Both Bell and Rogers have vehemently denied the claims which were made by…
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Part III in our series on rewriting the Broadcasting and Telecom Acts
THERE IS NO QUESTION the emergence of Netflix as a major competitor for eyeballs in Canada has created significant disruption to the domestic broadcast landscape.
With its more than six million subscribers and first place ranking in prime time viewing among 25-to-54 year olds (more here), it’s hard to argue against including the over-the-top (OTT) broadcaster and distributor under the current broadcast regulations.
That disruption is likely to continue as Amazon Prime bolsters its content offerings, the new CBS All Access service launches in Canada in…
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3e Partie dans notre série sur la révision des Lois sur la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications
NUL DOUTE l’arrivée de Netflix comme principal concurrent dans la course aux téléspectateurs au Canada a créé une perturbation majeure dans le paysage audiovisuel canadien.
Avec plus de 6 millions d’abonnés au Canada et la première place qu’il occupe auprès des 25-34 ans aux heures de grande écoute (voir ICI), il est difficile d’argumenter contre l’inclusion de ces services de programmation et de distribution par contournement sous la réglementation actuelle en radiodiffusion.
Cette perturbation va sans doute s’accentuer alors que Amazon Prime augmente son offre…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has sided with Bell Media in a complaint made over the broadcaster’s alleged refusal to provide its TV services for distribution.
As Cartt.ca previously reported, upstart Internet and phone service provider Ebox complained last September that Bell Media was giving its related BDUs and other BDUs an undue preference by providing services such as TSN and RDS while refusing to provide them to Ebox.
But the Commission dismissed the complaint Monday, saying that the evidence on the public record for this proceeding suggests that Bell Media is willing to offer its programming services to Ebox.
“Notwithstanding certain…
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The big four have not become the content exporters they were supposed to
LAST WEEK, I RESPONDED to a Scotiabank report which said the success of Netflix in gaining subscribers, along with Google and Facebook’s dominance of the Canadian advertising market, meant a merger of Bell and Corus was a logical market response to ensure we remain competitive.
I question the strategy of further vertical integration in light of its obvious failure. My core argument is VI has failed because it did not properly take into account the competitive advantages of the vertically integrated companies. As their…
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