GATINEAU – Canadian specialty, pay, PPV and VOD television services generated revenues of $3.97 billion in 2012, an increase of 5.9% over the $3.75 billion earned the previous year, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial report for this sector released today.
National advertising revenues for this group increased for a third consecutive year to $1.23 billion, although its 2.4% growth is significantly less than the 10.1% increase from the previous year. In addition, subscriber revenues exceeded $2.6 billion.
Revenues for these television services have climbed by 35.4% over the past five years to reach…
Continue Reading
LAS VEGAS – It’s a big, big show and we can’t see or hear everything, nor turn everything into a full-sized story, so what you’ll see below is the good stuff we shook out of our notebook on the day before the 2013 NAB Show closes.
******************** AS BIG AS THE NAB Show and the broadcasting industry is in the United States, investment banker Josh Stinehour of Silverwood Partners put the industry in a bit better perspective during a session on the strategy and valuation of the media business by comparing it to another huge Las Vegas show held just…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Astral Media’s financial results for Q2 2013, released today, indicate the company saw a 2% increase in revenues, as well as continued growth in net earnings, EBITDA, and cash flow from operations.
In the second quarter, consolidated net earnings totalled $41.2 million, an 8% increase over the $38.2 million recorded last year for the same period. That amount does not include any transaction costs related to the Bell-Astral merger, which remains subject to CRTC approval.
EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, grew 5% to $69.4 million from $66.0 million for the same period…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Cable companies reported a modest growth in revenues and subscribers in 2012, while satellite companies recorded a decline in these categories, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released today.
Combined revenues for both cable and satellite companies increased by 4.2% from $13.5 billion in 2011 to $14.1 billion in 2012. Similarly, the total number of subscribers (which includes customers subscribed to IPTV services such as Bell’s Fibe TV or Telus’ Optik TV), rose by 1% from 11.4 million to 11.5 million. (We checked with the CRTC and the only…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – There's no Say No To Bell campaign this time around, but most of Bell's major competitors have again told the CRTC they are strongly against the takeover of Astral Media by BCE, even with the new promises to divest English-language TV assets.
Quebecor, Rogers and Telus all said they were against the deal in submissions sent to the Commission on Friday, the deadline for interventions in the new application for change of ownership.
Quebecor Media, which owns the Vidéotron cable provider and broadcaster TVA, "asks the Commission to categorically refuse the approval of the revised application," saying it would…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable is urging the CRTC to reject BCE’s $3.38 billion bid to purchase Astral Media, and is asking to appear at the Commission’s public hearing scheduled to begin on May 6, 2013 in Montreal.
In a press release issued today, the company cited concerns over competition and TV and radio ownership concentration, the same concerns it raised in its submission filed last October with the Commission. Cogeco says approval of the Bell-Astral deal would “give BCE unprecedented market power that could not be constrained through regulatory safeguards, whether administered by…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Five Canadian consumer and public interest groups say that Bell and Astral’s new proposed merger is not in the public interest and should be denied.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), who also acts as counsel for the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC), Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization of British Columbia (COSCO), National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation (NPSCF) and Option consommateurs (OC) filed comments with the CRTC on Friday opposing the proposed acquisition of Astral Media Inc. by Bell Canada, a division of BCE Inc.
“Increased media concentration into the hands of…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Blue Ant Media announced today it will launch the Cottage Life specialty TV channel this fall. The new HD channel is an extension of Cottage Life Magazine, which Blue Ant took over last November when it acquired the magazine’s parent company, Cottage Life Media Inc.
The new Cottage Life television channel will feature new programming focusing on DIY, food, makeovers and outdoor themes that celebrate the people, places and activities closest to the heart of Canada, says the company. “Cottage Life has always been a trusted source for engaging weekend living…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – In a decision released today, the CRTC approved three of the four changes requested by Shaw Media in its application to amend certain aspects of the tangible benefits package related to the transfer of control of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Inc.’s broadcasting companies.
The Commission approved Shaw’s proposals to reallocate the $14 million of the tangible benefits package devoted to news and public affairs so that it would spend $6 million on a current affairs show and $8 million on the expansion of international news bureaus. It also approved the reallocation of $2.4 million…
Continue Reading
TUESDAY’S ARTICLE ON PACKAGING flexibility, the cost of sports, and the evolving demands of consumers unfortunately misinforms and misleads readers by providing a narrow view of a complex ecosystem. Several important facts are worth pointing out. (Note, for simplicity I’ll use “cable” to represent all cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors, except where specified).
FACT: Content costs are indeed increasing.
Creating and acquiring content is frustratingly immune to productivity and efficiency improvements demonstrated in industries like computers and technology. Creating content is entirely a people business. The cost goes up every year. And sports content costs are increasing the fastest. But…
Continue Reading
