THE SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION industry likes to say that outright cord-cutting (defined as when a consumer abandons a TV subscription altogether) is still a pretty small phenomenon.
So far, overall, that remains technically true. The latest numbers show about two percent of Canadian households with a TV subscription have chosen to cut the cord and stop subscribing to traditional TV. Generally, it’s been a story of “flat is the new up”, while inside of the likes of Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Bell and others, hardworking employees are doing their best to swallow hard every day and manage substantial…
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MARKDALE – Eastlink announced this week the purchase of Markdale Communications, located in the village of Markdale, Ont.
The company provides TV and broadband to about 1,500 customers in the Markdale, Flesherton, southern Beaver Valley region in Ontario. It was owned by tech supplier Capella Telecommunications. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Markdale Communications has strong history of serving its customers well since 1980 with a similar philosophy and approach to the customer experience as Eastlink,” says Lee Bragg, CEO Eastlink, in a press release. “Adding Markdale to the Eastlink family further strengthens our commitment to this region. Eastlink owns several…
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TORONTO – ZoomerMedia's OneTV is getting fit for spring with a fresh tagline and a new original new fitness series.
Anjelica’s Dance Workout, which will debut April 3 and air daily at 8:00 AM ET and 7:00 PM ET, is a new 30-minute exercise show that incorporates Flamenco, Bellydance, Brazilian, Irish, and contemporary world dance into an easy-to-follow and fun cardio routine for all ages, shapes, and sizes. Executive produced by ZoomerMedia founder Moses Znaimer, the show stars Toronto-based dancer, actor and comedienne Anjelica Scannura (pictured below). Click here for a promo.
While OneTV’s genre remains the same, the new…
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TORONTO – Canadian sports fans now have an all-access pass to beIN Sports during a free preview on now through April 19.
The freeview will serve up exclusive access to coverage of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match featuring Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid on April 12 at 2:45 PM ET, soccer action from LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1, and international MotoGP Grand Prix races from Qatar and Argentina.
“From top European soccer to thrilling motorcycle racing, this is an extraordinary opportunity for Canadians to experience a jam-packed month of international sports coverage and to discover all the excitement that beIN…
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MONTREAL and WINNIPEG – Former Eastlink and Bell Aliant exec Dan McKeen will lead the new Bell MTS, the company said Friday as BCE officially completed its acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services.
After receiving all final approvals last month, the $3.9 billion deal sees Bell gain approximately 710,000 wireless, Internet and IPTV customers in Manitoba, a 5% lift in its total broadband service subscribers. The merged company also has over 470,000 total Bell and MTS wireless subscribers in the province.
Bell MTS reiterated its pledge to roll out a five-year, $1 billion broadband network expansion plan for Manitoba's cities, traffic corridors, rural…
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TORONTO – Anthem-owned GameTV is bringing its game shows, reality series, movies and sports to Eastlink customers in HD.
To coincide with the HD launch, new programming coming arriving this month includes a new season of Storage Hunters, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, Showdown Of The Unbeatables, and movies Wall Street, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Predators, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and A-Team.
“Since our acquisition of GameTV last year, we immediately prioritized HD carriage to thrive in an evolving media landscape,” said GameTV president Anthony Cicione, in the news release. “We will be rolling…
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TORONTO – Just in time for March Break, Bell Media’s pop-culture channel Much will kick off a national free preview from March 7 until April 4.
Home to comedy classics South Park, The Simpsons, and American Dad, Much will also serve up new British comedy Brotherhood, genre-busting prank show Fameless, plus the debut of Conan O’Brien’s new Conan Without Borders: Made In Mexico special (pictured).
Much’s freeview is available through television service providers including Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Westman Communications Group and Tbaytel.
www.Much.com
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GATINEAU – With bill shock, data overages and problematic trial periods still issues, consumer groups told the CRTC, as it kicked off its review of the Wireless Code of Conduct on Monday, that the code needs tightening.
Speaking on behalf of a number of organizations, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) reminded commissioners the Canadian wireless market is concentrated among a few providers and even with the provisions of the wireless code, it’s still too difficult for consumers to switch providers if they wish.
“Because we have three providers with well over 90% in almost all markets, a few with four…
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TORONTO — Bloomberg TV Canada’s first year of operation has been one of growth and expansion, with distribution and advertising levels increasing monthly, the first of several news bureaus across the country coming online, and an “A-list” of newsmakers having appeared on the channel.
Despite not having carriage on Bell TV nor Bell Fibe, Bloomberg TV Canada executives say it has achieved distribution parity with its main business channel competitor, Bell-owned Business News Network (BNN). “We’re very happy, 12 months in, with the progress that we’ve made and the expansion that we’ve seen,” said Chris Fuoco, vice-president of sales and…
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TORONTO – Hollywood Suite is marking its 5th birthday with a five-week national free preview promising more than 500 movies.
Just in time for the holidays, viewers can enjoy the gift of the best movies from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, uncut and commercial-free, on four HDTV channels and On Demand. December titles include the director’s cut of Bad Santa, plus films like 12 Years a Slave, Titanic, The Expendables, The Interview, Raising Arizona, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Fatal Attraction, American Beauty, Jerry Maguire, and Moneyball.
The freeview is available now through January 5, 2107…
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