TORONTO — Canada’s major media companies are presenting a united front as they prepare to combat piracy of their TV content.
A special panel discussion at last week's CTAM Canada Broadcaster Forum provided a comprehensive overview of the impact of piracy on the broadcasting industry as legal experts from Bell, Rogers and Quebecor talk about their biggest concerns as they all believe illegal streaming of pirated TV content is on the rise in Canada. The panel participants also spoke about potential future strategies and recent victories in their fight against the companies who sell internet-connected set-top boxes which make pirated content so…
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RANDY LENNOX IS beloved in the music business. Leading Universal Music Canada for close to 20 years, he was instrumental in finding and developing Canadian talent and growing the Canadian music industry into an acknowledged international force.
The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Justin Beiber, Shania Twain, Drake, Hedley, The Tragically Hip are all artists Lennox signed or helped build up. He probably could have remained at Universal until he was old and grey, if he wanted. Earlier this year the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) awarded Lennox (pictured*) the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for his longstanding…
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WINNIPEG – First Peoples Radio Inc. (FPR) said that it is “back on track” to launch Type B Native FM radio stations in Toronto and Ottawa by next summer.
A non-profit corporation established by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), FPR was awarded the two broadcasting licences by the CRTC in June as part of the Aboriginal radio licences decision, but that decision was then challenged by Aboriginal broadcaster Wawatay Native Communications Society, as Cartt.ca reported.
FPR will operate a station in Ottawa at 95.7 FM and in Toronto at 106.5 FM which are aiming to launch by June 2018. FPR added that…
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TORONTO – Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) has unveiled the five winners of its annual Crystal Awards, honouring outstanding women and the men who champion women working in the Canadian screen-based media industry.
Since 1988, more than 130 industry leaders have been honored by WIFT-T for their excellence in creativity, innovation, and leadership in film, television and digital media. The 2017 winners are:
– Creative Excellence Award: Mary Harron, director/writer/executive producer;
– Mentorship Award: Karen Walton (pictured), writer/executive producer & president, inkling entertainment inc. & founder/admin, inkcanada;
– Outstanding Achievement in Business Award: Mary Bredin, EVP of content & strategy,…
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Will aid 2018 mobile wireless rollout in the province
WOODSTOCK, N.B. and BRANDON, Man. – There were a fair number of eyebrows raised across the Canadian telecom industry when Xplornet Communications was announced as the third player brought in to satisfy Competition Bureau worries over the Bell Canada purchase of MTS.
The company has long been a successful satellite and fixed wireless broadband supplier, but has never offered mobile wireless – or even indicated publicly a desire to move into that market.
In its initial deal announced in 2016, Bell only announced a spin-off of customers and retail locations to Telus to…
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U.S. cable comes to the defence
WASHINGTON – Every now and then the spectre of Canadian TV distributors having to pay retransmission fees for their carriage of American off-air TV channels rears its head. Now, thanks to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it’s rising to the fore once again.
Heading into the negotiations, the National Association of Broadcasters (the American broadcasters’ very effective lobby group) made it clear to U.S. trade representatives that they want this new line of revenue from carriers to the north and the south, along with two other key demands.
“While technologies and the…
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OTTAWA – The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) has announced plans to further develop a nationwide blockchain ecosystem.
In collaboration with ColliderX, the Blockchain Association of Canada, the Blockchain Research Institute, and Blockchain Canada, ICTC said that the new blockchain ecosystem will commence activities January 1, 2018 and facilitate collaboration on intellectual property, investment, knowledge-sharing, education, and trade plus will support appropriate regulatory activities.
Through this initiative, ICTC estimates that Canada’s blockchain market will reach $2.5B (CAD) and create approximately 107,700 jobs by 2024.
Like the first generation of the Internet before it, ICTC says that the second generation based on blockchain…
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MONTREAL – Bell has teamed up with cloud delivery platform Akamai to offer Canadian businesses more options for web security and performance.
By joining forces, Bell and Akamai are positioned to identify security threats, proactively prevent attacks, and optimize the performance and availability of network and web services for businesses, reads the news release.
“Bell delivers the integrated solutions Canadian businesses need to increase productivity, maximize service differentiation and minimize risk in today's challenging operating environment," said Giovanni Sansalone, VP of product management for Bell Business Markets, in the release. "Adding the services of an industry leader like Akamai to…
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OTTAWA – A letter signed by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, ISED Minister Navdeep Bains and Finance Minister Bill Morneau confirms there will be no tax applied to Canadian ISPs in order to support Canadian content and journalism.
The October 16th letter – sent in response to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage report entitled “Disruption: Change and Churning in Canada's Media Landscape” – actually seems to kibosh a lot of the committee’s wish list.
(Ed note: The letter reads more like a detailed defense of the current Liberal policies , prior announcements [Creative Canada – within which echoes of…
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GATINEAU – It looks as though a portion of a CRTC decision that flew under the radar for many people has wrecked what was an excellent promotional outlet for Canadian specialty services and charities.
In decision CRTC 2015-86, part of the Let’s Talk TV process, the Commission surprised the industry by tightening the rules surrounding how the two minutes of local advertising time made available each hour by U.S. channels such as CNN, A&E, Golf Channel and TLC could be used.
Dubbed “local avail” time, American cablecos and other pay TV carriers have turned the sales of…
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