X1-powered, voice-controlled
CALGARY – Shaw Communications upped the ante in Canada’s television and broadband market Wednesday, launching a new voice-controlled platform it has dubbed BlueSky TV.
Using Comcast’s X1 platform, Shaw BlueSky TV includes a remote that follows viewers’ voice prompts to access content, whether live, recorded on their DVR, available on-demand or offered through an over-the-top service. Customers may also use the voice remote to search for content by actor, genre, or a famous movie quote, or may ask "what's trending?" to activate its database of popular selections and what's trending on social media.
Comcast's intuitive, user-friendly platform is quickly Continue Reading
As for TV ads? Flat is the new up
TORONTO – The ways in which humans interact with technology will be significantly altered in 2017 and beyond, as mobile devices will be able to perform machine learning tasks even without connectivity.
Within the next 12 months, according to Deloitte’s 2017 Canadian Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions, over 3 million smartphones in Canada, or over a third of phones sold in the year, will have machine learning capabilities within the device. Over time, these capabilities are also likely to be found in tens of millions (or more) of drones, tablets, cars,…
Continue Reading
QUISPAMSIS, NB – Canadian Cable Systems Alliance has named industry veteran Jay Thomson as its new CEO, effective February 1, 2017.
Thomson (pictured) is currently broadcasting policy & regulatory affairs VP for the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA). He was also previously president of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP), plus held senior regulatory and policy positions with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), Telus Communications and the now defunct Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA).
After beginning his career in the communications industry as a lawyer and policy analyst at the CRTC, Thomson has gained deep expertise in strategic policy…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Prime Time in Ottawa is serving up an opportunity for attendees to dine with featured industry executives.
The ‘Breakfast With’ feature allows registered conference delegates to reserve their spot at the breakfast table with one of:
– David Miller, President, A71 Productions;
– Janet Brown, EVP, Gunpowder and Sky Distribution;
– Nina Sudra, General Manager, VICE Canada;
– Sally Catto, General Manager, Programming, CBC English Television;
– Marc Hustvedt, Producer / Founder & CEO, SUPERGRAVITY Pictures;
– Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Original Co-Productions, Syfy, USA & Chiller;
– Mark Slone, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Distribution, Entertainment One Films Canada;
– Meghan Hooper-White, VP, Acquisitions, Lifetime…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Award-winning actor, writer and singer Theresa Tova has been elected as the new president of ACTRA Toronto, succeeding David Sparrow. The president sits for a two-year term.
A member for over 30 years, Tova (pictured) has been active in the union since 1992, when she began her long-time work of protecting children in the entertainment industry. She was ACTRA Toronto's first Child Advocate, and under her dedicated stewardship, Ontario passed the Protecting Child Performers Act, which came into force last year.
Tova has held the post of ACTRA Toronto vice-president, internal for 10 years and is also currently serving…
Continue Reading
NFL "confident" that Feds will act "reasonably and responsibly"
TORONTO – Bell Media and the NFL filed their latest notices of appeal Wednesday, seeking once again to quash the CRTC’s controversial decision banning simultaneous substitution of the broadcast of the Super Bowl.
In a notice dated December 28, 2016, Bell Media asked the Federal Court of Appeal to set aside the CRTC’s distribution order that bans simultaneous substitution (simsub) for the event, starting with Super Bowl 51 on February 5, 2017.
Simsub occurs when a BDU temporarily replaces the signal of one TV channel with that of another channel showing the same program at the…
Continue Reading
GATINEU – The CRTC today declared that broadband access is now considered a basic telecommunications service for all Canadians, that it is setting new speed targets while also creating a new fund that will invest up to $750 million over and above existing government programs.
Further to its legislative mandate, the Commission has set the following targets for the basic telecommunications services that Canadians need to participate in the digital economy:
speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download/10 Mbps upload for fixed broadband Internet access services. In 2015, 82% of Canadians already had access to speeds of 50 Mbps download/10…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Videotron has added music streaming service SoundCloud to its controversial Unlimited Music service.
The company said Wednesday that the service has more than 175 million unique listeners each month and that its subscription service SoundCloud Go, which recently launched in Canada, gives listeners access to a diverse music catalogue featuring music from the biggest artists to the freshest, raw talent. The move brings Unlimited Music’s catalogue to a total of 18 music streaming platforms.
Unlimited Music, which allows Videotron Mobile customers to stream music using popular music apps without using up any of their data plan, prompted the CRTC’s…
Continue Reading
Carriers shouldn’t be forced to hold customer data
OTTAWA – Communications service providers shouldn’t be forced to hold onto subscriber metadata for police access for lengthy periods of time, Rogers Communications has told the federal government.
The company made that submission last week to Public Safety Canada’s public consultation on creating a new national security framework, which is looking at a number of issues sensitive to police including mandatory rules for data retention and installing interception gear to help investigations, help with unscrambling encrypted communications and giving police more power to access basic subscriber information.
Also meeting the December 15th deadline…
Continue Reading
EDMONTON – Super Channel has promoted Don McDonald to COO as part of a number of new staff appointments announced this week.
Reporting to CEO Charles Allard, McDonald (pictured) will lead the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of the company while continuing to oversee the company’s corporate finance and accounting functions. He was previously executive director of finance and administration.
McDonald takes over from former president and COO Malcolm Knox, who, along with former programming VP Sandy Perkins, left the company in in September as a result of the restructuring, a company spokesperson told Cartt.ca. Technical operations director Andrew Selwood is…
Continue Reading
