Search Results for: crtc

Radio / Television News

Score shareholders approve sale to Rogers

TORONTO – Score Media Inc. has announced that its shareholders have unanimously voted to approve Rogers Media’s $167 million takeover bid.   “We are delighted our shareholders share the view of the executive team and the board of directors that this agreement with Rogers Media is in the best interests of all parties. We now look forward to securing final approval from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and completing the Arrangement,” said John Levy, CEO of Score Media in a statement. Under the deal, shareholders of Score Media will receive, for each share… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CRTC calls Corus’ OWN and Rogers’ G4techTV on the carpet for December hearing

OTTAWA – The CRTC said Thursday that Corus Entertainment's OWN and G4techTV (co-owned by Rogers Communications with minority owner Comcast Corporation) specialty channels are not complying with their licenses and must tell the CRTC why those licenses shouldn't be revoked or suspended. The hearing is set for December 11 in Gatineau, Quebec. As analyzed by Cartt.ca in August, Corus had filed an application to change OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network which began life in 1999 as Canadian Learning Television) from a Category A service to a Category B service and to drop its educational… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CRTC reaches compromise on requirements for demarcation devices

OTTAWA – The CRTC has reversed its earlier requirement that all incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) that have transferred responsibility of their inside wire to their single-line residential and business customers ensure that a jack-ended demarcation device is installed free of charge. This past February the CRTC announced its intent to require phone companies to install a “jack-ended demarcation device” on the first diagnostic service call to a home that was not so equipped. The Commission believed that following this process “would result in a consistent practice among ILECs and more equitable treatment of customers who… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CRTC targets wireless contracts with public hearing to create national code of conduct

GATINEAU – They’re confused, angry and just won`t take it anymore. So, as first reported by Cartt.ca yesterday morning, the CRTC has taken the unprecedented action of calling on the public to help it create a comprehensive code of conduct for wireless service providers. Input will be accepted until November 20, 2012 and the public consultation process will begin on January 28, 2013, in Gatineau, Quebec. The Commission will also be announcing shortly details regarding an online consultation to further promote discussion among Canadians on the issues and questions raised by its proceeding. "Our… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Allarco Entertainment loses fight to stop Shaw’s Movie Club service

OTTAWA – Allarco Entertainment, owner of SuperChannel, has lost its bid to have Shaw Communications’ Movie Club and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central banned by the CRTC. At the heart of the complaint was a dispute over whether on-demand programming offered by Shaw Movie Club can be considered an on-demand extension of its linear service if it does not duplicate all of its linear programming. The CRTC decision is a welcome one for Shaw which launched its Movie Club service last year in direct response to the increasing competition from… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

BELL/ASTRAL COMMENT: Final thoughts and observations, still percolating… and one big wild card

MY FIRST MEETING WITH SHAW Communications president Peter Bissonnette in the winter of 1998 seems like a lifetime ago. It was in Richmond Hill, then the home base of Shaw’s substantial Ontario cable operations. I think it was February. This was before Bissonnette was even president of the company. Before Shaw and Rogers traded their Ontario and British Columbia cable systems to each other. Before Izzy Asper and JR Shaw split up WIC (Western International Communications). Before the Shaw family spun its media assets into Corus Entertainment. Before a Jean Monty-led BCE bought CTV the first time, claiming – a… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CBC/Radio-Canada: Fee for carriage pitch, CBC digital, slammed; citizens make themselves heard, too

GATINEAU – A monthly per subscriber compensation regime proposed by CBC/Radio-Canada is being panned by its private sector opponents while the corporation’s foray into the digital arena is also being questioned by interveners to its licence renewal. In its application, CBC said that it needs to be compensated for its signals because the broadcast distribution undertakings (cable, satellite and telco TV companies) are free riding and making money off the back of the corporation’s content. In essence, the public broadcaster is seeking a value for signal, or fee-for-carriage, regime. (The CRTC’s authority to implement such a model was Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

“X” no longer marks the spot: opt-out spam trickery to be banned

OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Spam, spam, spam, and deceptive toggling strategies used to be a wonderfully effective combination for businesses to flood unsuspecting consumers with their ads, but not anymore warns the CRTC. It issued two bulletins today (Guidelines on the interpretation of the Electronic Commerce Protection Regulations) and (Guidelines on the use of toggling to obtaining consent) that detail how the use of deceptive “toggling strategies” will be banned. Toggling strategies describe the deceptive practice of sending consumers a consent form that has a check-mark already ticked that confirms the recipient agrees to receive communications unless… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CRTC denies Rogers plan to simsub Citytv into Maritimes

OTTAWA – Rogers Communications bid to extend Citytv into the Maritimes through simultaneous substitution of the broadcast feeds from bordering U.S. stations has been denied by the CRTC. Bell Media, the CBC and several individuals argued that the proposal does not adhere to the simultaneous substitution policy, which grants simultaneous substitution privileges to only local and regional stations. The group also contended approval of the application would grant Rogers the benefits of having a local station in Atlantic Canada without investments in service to the region. The CBC added that Rogers had not substantiated its claim… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CBC/Radio-Canada: Revenue shortfall is “artificial,” so ads on radio plan gets a cool reception

GATINEAU – CBC/Radio-Canada is hearing static over plans for additional revenue generation on two of its radio properties. Interveners to the corporation’s licence renewal are telling the CRTC that it must deny a proposal from the public broadcaster to have national advertising on Radio 2 and Espace Musique. In its licence renewal application, CBC says that because it received fewer federal dollars under its Parliamentary appropriation it needs to bolster revenue on the radio side so it can maintain existing levels of service. Several interveners argue that’s simply not true with Corus Entertainment saying it’s “a self-made problem.” Corus and… Continue Reading