LAS VEGAS – With the digital, global, avalanche of content ever growing and never slowing, discoverability will be the number one challenge in the video industry’s future, according to panellists on a forward-looking TV panel at the National Association of Broadcasters conference here in Las Vegas.
Entitled “TV 2020 in the networked society” the panellists noted the deluge of content consumers face now (let alone in five years) and the crippling inability of user interfaces so far to properly sort and organize content in a way that is satisfying to consumers seeking good content and producers who want those viewers…
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OTTAWA – Making sure to set aside cash for TV broadcasters from the auction of 600 MHz wireless spectrum just might drive the prices to be paid for that spectrum too high for some to participate.
Arguments from the integrated wireless/broadcasting companies that they should get a portion of the proceeds from an auction of the 600 MHz band to pay for the transition to new over the air (OTA) frequencies should be dismissed, argues Wind Mobile.
The company notes that setting aside money from a 600 MHz auction could result in higher spectrum licence costs because the integrated…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) is seeking leave to appeal to quash a recent CRTC decision that did away with the Terms of Trade agreement the organization fought so hard for. The group has filed the leave application with the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA).
The March 12 portion of the Let’s Talk TV decision (Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-86) made a number of significant changes to the Canadian broadcasting system, many of which were discussed at length during the two week public hearing. Terms of Trade was not one of them and the Commission’s decision…
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LAS VEGAS – With revenues in the traditional subscription TV business trundling along at 1-2% growth – even though subscribers are not cutting or trimming their subscriptions in real numbers yet – expect all the big media companies to jump into the over-the-top pool, if they haven’t already. The potential global growth is too big to ignore.
That was part of the message this morning during a National Association of Broadcasters Super Session panel diving into the burgeoning business that is OTT video.
While the number of people who say they want to cut or trim their subscription TV bill still…
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OTTAWA – Bell Mobility is officially appealing a CRTC decision banning it from providing mobile video applications that are exempt from counting toward customers’ cap on their wireless data plans.
After receiving leave to appeal earlier this month, Bell filed notice with the Federal Court of Appeal late Friday asking it to set aside CRTC Broadcasting and Telecom Decision 2015-26.
According to Bell’s appeal, the CRTC made errors in law and jurisdiction by ignoring Section 4 of the Telecommunications Act (which says the Act doesn’t apply to broadcasting undertakings), and by finding that Bell was giving itself…
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TORONTO – Guy Laurence insists he’s merely in the foothills of a long climb, pulling along with him the Rogers Communications brand.
He’s surely been active in his 15 months as Rogers CEO (Can it only be 15 months? So much has been done.) Since the announcement back in September 2013 that he would be the new CEO (Laurence officially started December 2 that year), Rogers purchased the national NHL rights in a $5.2 billion, 12-year deal; spent another $3.3 billion on wireless spectrum; unveiled a new Rogers 3.0 plan that is driving the restructuring of the…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Concurrent with its review of basic telecommunications services, the CRTC also published an inquiry report on satellite services in Canada plus called for a review of Telesat’s “market dominance”.
Conducted by Commissioner Candice Molnar, the report found that satellite dependent communities, located in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon, as well as remote areas of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, continue to rely almost exclusively on Telesat's satellite network for services including as voice, wireless, and Internet. Ottawa-based Telesat Canada is the main satellite operator in Canada providing fixed satellite services (FSS) to broadcasting, telecommunications, corporate,…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC kicked off a major proceeding Thursday designed to review basic telecommunications services in Canada.
The first phase of the proceeding will see the Commission solicit information from Canadians to better understand their current telecommunications services and determine which areas are not being adequately served or not being served at all. Noting that its current policy dictates that Canadians in all regions have access to a low-speed Internet connection, the Commission said that it must review its policies on basic telecommunications services “in order to be in step with the future and the changing needs of Canadians”.
Canadians…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada and BCE president and CEO George Cope announced this afternoon that Kevin Crull is no longer president of Bell Media, effective today.
"Kevin Crull departs Bell with our thanks for his contributions to our customers and shareholders," said Cope, in a press release sent out just after 4 p.m. ET. "Kevin has been a significant part of Bell's strategic transformation as he expanded Bell Media's leadership with major new investments in Canadian content, the successful integration of Astral and competitive innovations like CraveTV."
"However, the independence of Bell Media's news operations is of paramount importance to our…
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LET'S START WITH TWO MAIN themes: first, a description of how new technologies may continue to impact the media; and, second, a discussion of whether the CBC is the best mechanism to deliver a public subsidy to support public service broadcasting.
It's not my intention to question the rationale for public service broadcasting, but I believe that any discussion of the CBC should deal with more than short- or medium-term issues. If we ignore the longer-term structural questions, we run the risk of prescribing short-term solutions that might prove to be unsustainable. So let's jump forward 10 years to get…
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