TORONTO – Ongoing subscriber growth at SiriusXM Canada helped to buoy third quarter revenues and profits.
For the period ended May 31, 2016, revenue increased 3.5% to $86.02 million, reflecting growth in its self-paying subscriber base partly offset by a decrease in Self-Pay ARPU, which dipped 1.2% to $12.71.
Net income and comprehensive income of $7.22 million was down 9.3% from $7.96 million year-over-year, mainly due to higher operating expenses and depreciation and amortization, partly offset by revenue improvements.
Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter grew 3% to $20.8 million from $20.2 million in Q3 FY2015. The improvement was primarily due to revenue…
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Canadian TV industry doesn’t reflect that our values are unique
IN 1983, DORIS ROBERTS and James Coco appeared in an episode of the freshman season of the ground breaking medical drama St. Elsewhere. The episode, “Coco and Arnie,” would eventually net both actors Emmy Awards for their portrayals of an aging homeless couple. But the impact went far beyond the red carpet. Coco and Arnie caused shockwaves, sparked conversations, and helped to launch a shift in how people thought about the problem of homelessness.
It’s no surprise that TV influences social policy. It comes into our homes, and is watched –…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has ruled that Videotron’s proposed rate increase for carriage of French-language sports services RDS and RDS2 is “more reasonable” than that proposed by the channels’ parent Bell Media.
Once their own negotiations stalled, Videotron and Bell Media asked the Commission in April to initiate a final offer arbitration process on the per-subscriber wholesale rate to be paid by Videotron to Bell for distribution of the two services in a linear programming package.
After hearing final offers from both companies, the CRTC said Tuesday that Videotron’s offer is “the better offer”, after taking into account the relevant factors…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canada’s television service providers saw their overall revenues dip 0.1% in 2015 amidst a continuing erosion of subscribers, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released Tuesday.
Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings – Statistical and Financial Summaries 2011-2015 said that combined revenues remained steady at $8.9 billion, while subscribers fell from 11.4 million in 2014 to 11.2 million for the year ended August 31, 2015. Total expenses increased by 1.3% to $7.2 billion, and as a result, the sector's operating margin decreased to its lowest level in five years, but remained healthy at 19%.
Despite these…
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OTTAWA – The Ontario towns of Aurora and Georgina may soon each have a new radio station after the CRTC issued a call for comments on market capacity and on the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications to serve the two areas.
The Commission said Monday that it issued the call after receiving an application from Bhupinder Bola, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, to serve Aurora, plus an application from Renfrew-based My Broadcasting Corporation to serve the Georgina market.
Interventions are due by August 10 and the deadline to file replies is August 22, 2016. …
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OTTAWA – Quebec’s new web-blocking legislation is not only unconstitutional, it directly conflicts with the Telecommunications Act, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).
In a Part 1 application to the CRTC dated July 8, 2016, the consumer organization said that Bill 74, which requires Quebec-based Internet service providers to block certain gambling websites, “frustrates the Canadian telecommunications policy objectives expressed in s. 7 of the Telecommunications Act. Bill 74 also presents a compliance challenge to ISPs operating in Québec. Finally, Bill 74 threatens constitutionally-protected free speech.”
PIAC is calling on the CRTC to declare Bill 74 unconstitutional, ultra vires (beyond…
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OTTAWA – Customers of Ice Wireless and its affiliate Sugar Mobile may continue to roam on Rogers’ national mobile network, at least in the short term.
The CRTC has granted Ice Wireless’ request for interim relief while considering its request for final relief by preventing Rogers from prohibiting customers of Ice Wireless or Sugar Mobile from roaming on its mobile network.
A letter from secretary general Danielle May-Cuconato addressed to Ice Wireless president & CEO Samer Bishay and Rogers’ SVP regulatory David Watt said that the Commission has determined that the application, filed in February 2016, has met its…
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Chair, Minister, respond, too
GATINEAU – After former Ontario CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan filed a new judicial review application last week which alleges institutional bigotry and many other workplace issues within the Commission as part of the reasons why his firing should be reversed, those directly affected by his statements have responded.
In his legal documents filed with the Federal Court last week, which we reported on here, Shoan filed a copy of a letter he sent to Heritage Minister Melanie Joly on June 14th (before his appointment was rescinded). That letter detailed a number of offensive statements which Shoan…
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a.k.a. net neutrality…
GATINEAU – There is pretty broad consensus among many of the interveners in the CRTC’s differential pricing consultation that the practice can have a positive impact on the ISP business, content providers and consumers.
First round comments to the Commission’s Examination of differential pricing practices related to Internet data plans (2016-192) revealed though that it’s not a cut and dried issue. For instance, Bell Canada argued that zero-rating and sponsored data pricing mechanisms – two differential pricing practices or DPPs – are common in the communications world.
The company pointed to toll free calling and time of use…
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Says commissioner Vennard conducted herself inappropriately, too
TORONTO – In a judicial review application filed with the Federal Court on Tuesday, former Ontario regional CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan alleges institutional bigotry within the Commission as part of the justifications why his firing should be reversed.
Documents filed by Shoan also say a serious complaint against another commissioner, Alberta and NWT commissioner Linda Vennard, was swept aside and that shows an unfair inconsistency in how staff complaints about the two commissioners have been treated.
He also seeks an immediate stay of the Order-in-Council which rescinded his appointment, so he can return to his…
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