CALGARY – Shaw Communications has closed its acquisition of Mountain Cablevision from the Boris Family who has owned Mountain Cablevision for the past 50 years.
The transaction was subject to approval of the CRTC which was granted on October 22, 2009.
The purchase price was approximately $300 million, $120 million of which was paid through the issuance of 6.14 million class B non-voting participating shares of Shaw, with the balance paid in cash.
www.shaw.ca
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WINNIPEG – MTS Allstream has lent its voice to the fee-for-carriage debate, urging its customers to “speak out” to the CRTC against proposals by broadcasters which it says could add at least six dollars to monthly service bills.
"It is not fair to expect customers to start having to pay for something that has been available free for decades, particularly in light of the fact that we are already mandated to provide the signals as part of our basic packages”, said CCO Chris Peirce, in a statement. “We encourage customers to make sure their own voices are part of the…
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MONTREAL – Following the lead of its peers, Cogeco Cable’s Canadian operations continued to grow during the recession, the company reported today. The company continues to struggle in Portugal, although it is reporting some positive indications there.
Fourth quarter 2009 consolidated revenue increased by 8% to reach $307.8 million, when compared to the corresponding period of the prior year. Driven by increased revenue-generating units combined with rate increases and the financial results generated by the acquisition of Cogeco Data Services in the last quarter of fiscal 2008, fourth-quarter Canadian operations revenue went up by $34.8 million, or 15.8%.
However, the company’s…
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By Michael Janigan, PIAC
THE CURRENT SPECTACLE of Canada’s television networks engaged in a pie-throwing contest with the cable and satellite industry seems as confusing to the viewer as an episode of “Lost”.
For one thing, the mantle of “consumer champion” sits uneasily on the shoulders of the distributors – the cable and satellite companies, whose own offerings are crammed with services owned by them that hoover up ever-increasing subscriber fees. In turn, some Canadians are startled to learn that there still is significant local broadcasting, after over two decades of damaging cuts to such programming.
The facts are that the…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has added the channel Russia Today to the list of eligible satellite services.
Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. applied to the Commission in July to add the non-Canadian, English-language satellite news service to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis.
The channel is described as a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week English-language international news and information service targeted to an international audience.
www.crtc.gc.cawww.ethnicchannels.com
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications and Bragg Communications are in discussions on potential system swaps, Cartt.ca has learned.
A source with direct knowledge of the talks said late Wednesday on condition of anonymity that the two companies are negotiating a deal in which the primary assets exchanged would be Bragg’s Delta Cable and Coast Cable systems in southern B.C. (and potentially some of EastLink’s other operations in Western Canada, too) in exchange for Rogers’ systems in St. John’s, Corner Brook and Gander, Nfld.
The deal would certainly make sense for Bragg’s EastLink cableco since it owns many small systems throughout Newfoundland &…
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TORONTO – The Ontario Association of Broadcasters annual general meeting and awards luncheon honoured former Global Television and Rogers Radio, president and CEO, Jim Sward.
The Ontario Association of Broadcasters’ Community Service Awards are presented annually to member stations for their outstanding contributions of airtime and staffing to worthwhile organizations in their respective communities, says the OAB release.
The gathering Wednesday at Toronto’s Boulevard Club featured a longer networking reception and a new feature, a panel discussion, where industry leaders discussed the impact of new technology on radio revenue, according to the OAB press release.
Laura Gaggi, president of Gaggi Media moderated…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has amended its new media exemption order, and revoked the mobile TV exemption in the process.
After calling for comments back in June, the Commission decided Thursday to expand its definition of ‘new media broadcasting undertaking’ to encompass all Internet-based and mobile point-to-point broadcasting services.
The amendment, designed to “provide regulatory clarity”, blends the existing definitions of new media broadcasting undertaking and mobile television broadcasting undertaking, causing the Commission to revoke the original mobile television exemption order set out in 2007.
The CRTC also introduced an undue preference prohibition on new media broadcasting undertakings, and…
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CALGARY – Stable growth across its key metrics helped Shaw close out its 2009 fiscal year on solid ground.
Consolidated service revenue for the year ended August 31, 2009 grew 9% over last year to reach $3.39 billion, while service operating income before amortization also improved by 9% to top $1.54 billion.
Basic cable subscribers grew 29,467 to 2.29 million, and digital penetration grew from 40% in 2008 to 57% as Shaw reached 1.29 million digital customers. The company also reported 1.67 million Internet customers and 830,000 digital phone lines. DTH customers for Shaw Direct topped 900,000.
Cable service revenue was up 11%…
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TORONTO – The Radio-Television News Directors Association has waded in to the debate on local television.
Saying that it is “impossible for RTNDA Canada to remain silent in the face of growing concerns about the future of broadcast journalism in this country”, the organization issued a statement Thursday urging “all stakeholders to recognize the importance of local television.”
“RTNDA members believe local news is critically important to Canadians”, the statement read. “Local news has intrinsic value beyond what it may generate in terms of revenue. Local news is about telling Canadians what is going on in their community. While there are…
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