NOW THAT MY TWO-AND-a-half year old daughter has outgrown her predilection towards throwing things at our living room television (think keys and golf balls, not stuffed animals), I decided my Christmas gift to the family (okay, to me) would be a new television.
I want my HDTV.
Last month though, CTAM Canada published a piece of research which said, in essence, that Canadian consumers are not getting enough information on how to get the best high definition experience and too often are leaving the stores without a digital cable or satellite receiver, which is the best way (and…
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TIMMINS-JAMES BAY MP Charlie Angus didn’t even flinch when I said he seemed to be the self-appointed rabble-rouser on the Standing Committee for Canadian Heritage.
Reading through the transcripts of some of the meetings reveals Mr. Angus as one of the committee members who consistently pushes his fellow members – or whomever appears in front of the committee. Seems he likes that role.
Then last week, just before Christmas, his office released a missive where Angus critiqued the three "worst performing ministers" in the Conservative cabinet: Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, Defense Minister Gordon O’Connor and Heritage and Status of…
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VANCOUVER and TORONTO – John Bitove, the founder CEO of Canadian Satellite Radio (XM Canada), has applied to the CRTC for a new, national, over-the-air high definition television network.
The application itself was not released and has not yet been made public by the Commission so details are light.
According to the press release, "HDTV Networks Inc. is poised to deliver programming dedicated to the high-definition (HD) format to viewers in Canada’s eight largest English television markets; Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
"Canadians are drastically falling behind in HDTV technology and it is critical that…
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WINNIPEG – Drew Craig wants back into Canadian media.
The former CEO of Craig Media has applied to the CRTC for a relay distribution undertaking license for his company, Only Imagine.
According to the application, the company would act as a middle man, selling the two minutes per hour of advertising time made available on American cable channels such as CNN and A&E to national advertisers in Canada.
Fifty percent of the revenues from such a venture would go to create a new Canadian programming fund, writes Craig. The application estimates that the company would contribute $170 million to…
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TORONTO – Classic movies from Astral Media’s Mpix and Mescape will now be available to distributors through Mpix OnDemand, the company announced today.
Mpix OnDemand will mark the second SVOD service for The Movie Network, which has been offering The Movie Network OnDemand since June 2004.
"The success of The Movie Network OnDemand clearly indicates that we have entered an on-demand world where consumers want and expect choice and convenience when it comes to their television viewing," said Domenic Vivolo, senior vice-president marketing and sales, Astral Television Networks, in a release. "Mpix OnDemand complements our existing SVOD service by…
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REGINA – For the first time, a telco TV provider is getting as local as the local cable community channel.
SaskTel Wednesday announced the launch of Max Local On Demand, a unique new service featuring original local community programming, all on demand, something no other Canadian service provider currently offers.
SaskTel, as is its condition of license, has created an Independent Programming Committee (IPC) with representatives from each of the nine districts in which Max serves (Estevan, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Weyburn and Yorkton) to advise programmers of the new service.
“SaskTel Max…
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CALGARY – Could it be any other way for Shaw?
The company has long been a proponent of deregulation on the broadcast and cable side of its businesses, so it would have been disingenuous for the company to come down on the side of those who want to maintain regulation in Canadian telecom.
On Tuesday, the day after Industry Minister Maxime Bernier’s well-publicized announcement which will see the feds override a CRTC decision and move towards deregulation of the local phone space, the western cableco said it "had reviewed Minister Bernier’s decision to vary the CRTC’s decision on local…
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SOME THOUGHTS ON the TV Policy Review hearings that one day, could grow up to be full-sized columns. ********** ONE OF THE MOST interesting questions at the hearing came late in the day on Monday, December 4th, when Media Awareness Network faced the five-person panel.
MNet, as it calls itself, is a non-profit organization with the laudable goal of boosting media literacy among children. The group promotes media and Internet education through its online programs and resources, working with a number of organizations in Canada and elsewhere. Its sponsors include Bell, Shaw, CTV, CHUM, Rogers, Telus and CanWest Global….
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GATINEAU – Despite much experimentation and breathless reportage on the future of electronic media, Canadians still get their entertainment via traditional means, the CRTC said today.
The Commission released a 181-page report today, requested by Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda in June on the future environment facing the Canadian broadcasting system.
The report finds that any negative impact on the broadcasting system from shifting media consumption patterns has been marginal to date, according to the Commission release. This observation is based on the fact that Canadians still consume the vast majority of programming through regulated Canadian broadcasting undertakings.
"However,…
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OTTAWA – It was a quick decision issued by the Federal Court of Canada late today that will save Canadian private broadcasters hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters just a few weeks ago presented its case to the court that the $700 million or so paid over the past decade was an illegal tax. The court agreed.
"This is a monumental victory for Canada’s broadcasters, who have been forced for too long to pay an unfair and unjustified tax,” said Glenn O’Farrell, president and CEO of the CAB. “These fees have drained more than three-quarters…
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