GATINEAU – Many of the 40 companies and individuals who filed interventions in response to the CRTC’s call for comments on the proposed $2.65 billion purchase of Shaw Media Inc. by Corus Entertainment say at the very least the CRTC should hold a public hearing on it – while some said that the sheer size of the deal and the increased concentration of media under one roof means the Commission must apply its tangible benefits policy, too.
The Commission’s tangible benefits policy usually calls for 10% of the value of any TV…
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TORONTO – Channel Zero’s new all-business channel Bloomberg TV Canada, today announced the launch of its latest Canadian program, Bloomberg North, a 30-minute show airing weeknights at 6pm and 9pm ET.
Starting this week, the show will deliver analysis on local and global business news to over six million Canadian households. The channel is available on nearly all carriers, except for Bell Canada’s Bell Fibe and Bell satellite TV.
Bloomberg North’s anchors (pictured) will be Amanda Lang, Pat Kiernan and Rudyard Griffiths, “will explore the top headlines driving business and speak with industry leaders and decision makers impacting the global economy….
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications said that it will close its acquisition of Mid-Bowline Group Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Wind Mobile on March 1st.
Shaw said that conditions to the transaction relating to the Competition Bureau and the Ministry of Innovation, Science & Economic Development (formerly Industry Canada) and approval by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice have been satisfied.
The $1.6 billion deal, announced last December, will see Shaw become the seventh Canadian communications carrier offering a quad-play of TV, Internet, home phone and wireless (in its larger Alberta and B.C. centres, that is).
www.shaw.ca
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association argued before the federal Finance Committee this week that increasing the accelerate capital cost allowance on certain classes of wireless equipment would result in a substantial jump in mobile infrastructure investment.
Kurt Eby, director of regulatory affairs and government relations at the CWTA, told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on February 16 that upping CCA to 50% “would return significant benefits to Canadians and the national economy.”
Specifically, annual telecommunications investment would increase by $122 million annually in the short term and if the tax change was permanent, the benefits would…
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OTTAWA – Ice Wireless and its affiliate Sugar Mobile are seeking the CRTC’s help to salvage both its roaming agreement with Rogers and what it says is “meaningful competition” for Canadian wireless consumers.
In a Part 1 application posted Tuesday, Ice Wireless says that Rogers wants to terminate the reciprocal roaming agreement and to disconnect Ice Wireless and Sugar Mobile from roaming on its network, despite negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Ice Wireless operates a mobile network that includes coverage in the three Canadian Territories and some communities in Northern Quebec. Sugar Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that…
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MONTREAL – Telus’ Optik TV customers now have free access to 10,000 music videos thanks to the launch of the Stingray Music Videos TV app.
Available to Telus Optik TV subscribers in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, the app also provides free access at the touch of a button to 225 compilations curated by Stingray’s music experts, including themed playlists, as well as music videos from today’s hottest artists like The Weeknd, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
The Stingray Music Videos TV app can be accessed in Western Canada from channel 559, and in Quebec by selecting the remote’s apps button and…
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THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DATA PRIVACY Day (which was January 28) is often seen as a day when individuals are reminded ways they should stay safe online. However, Canadian corporate privacy and security officers are likely also reflecting today on a number of recent court and regulatory moves that are affecting their responsibilities.
These include:
An Ontario judge last month expanding the scope of privacy protection under the common law by allowing a person to sue another for putting an explicit video of them on the Internet, an action one lawyer called "revenge porn”
Then, another Ontario judge Continue Reading
TORONTO – With less than six months to go before Rio 2016, CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions has named industry veteran Errol Da-Ré to its Olympic Games sales efforts as the head of the Olympic games sales team.
Da-Ré (pictured) was previously EVP/SVP of sales at Shaw Media, and also worked in sales at Alliance Atlantis, Canwest and CTV. In his new role, which took effect this week, he will work closely with interested corporate partners, negotiating and bringing on board sponsorship and participation sales opportunities for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of Rio 2016.
“We are extremely pleased to have Errol join our…
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TORONTO – Former Bell Media exec Nathalie Cook has been named president of the Toronto-based client services and content development company Cimoroni & Company (C&C).
Cook (pictured) was formerly VP of brand partnerships for Bell Media and VP sales and brand partnerships for TSN. Prior to joining Bell Media, she worked at Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, serving as VP marketing and partnerships for the London 2012 Olympic Games and as director of partnerships for Vancouver 2010.
In her new role, effective April 4, Cook will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations and ongoing expansion.
“We are excited to bring Nathalie to Cimoroni &…
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TORONTO – Shaw Media’s Global News will be the presenting sponsor of the Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) for the fourth year in a row.
The fourth annual TBFF runs February 10 – 14 in various venues across Toronto as part of TD's Black History Month Series. Coinciding with Black History Month, the festival celebrates artistic diversity within the black community through powerful films and special events.
Global News' Rosey Edeh, anchor of News at Noon, will kick off the festival's opening night at the Isabel Bader Theatre with the film Thina Sobabili (The Two of Us), directed by Ernest Nkosi….
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