OTTAWA – Ever had to go through the harrowing experience of handing off your wireless device – the handheld tether for your entire life – to your service provider because it’s on the fritz only to have to wait a week or longer to get it back? Well Mobile Klinik, the brainchild of former wireless industry heavyweights, is here to make the process of fixing a mobile phone as painless as possible.
The company held the official opening of its first store at the St. Laurent shopping mall in Ottawa on September 14. Mayor Jim Watson, company staff and other…
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TORONTO – Bell Media has named Tyson Parker to the newly created position of head of artist and music industry relations, the company said Monday.
Reporting to entertainment production and broadcasting president Randy Lennox, Parker will be responsible for managing relationships within the artist and talent community as well as the wider music industry in English Canada as it pertains to Bell Media’s portfolio of TV, radio, and digital brands, reads the announcement.
Working closely with Lennox to grow market share and revenue through strategic alliances, Parker will help develop and implement strategies to create profitable synergies between artists and Bell…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) has signed an international affiliation agreement with the Producers Guild of America (PGA) to expand opportunities for co-production between Canadian and U.S. film, television and digital media producers.
The PGA is a non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of more than 7,000 members of the producing team in film, television and new media.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sets guidelines for mutual cooperation and information exchange between the two organizations and marks an important step in strengthening working relationships between Canada and the United States.
“We believe the co-production model…
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TORONTO – On Wednesday, Bell Media named veteran sales exec Mark Finney to the newly created position of vice-president of strategic sales, outlined brand new roles for other executives, and the departure of some others.
Reporting to Media Sales president Stuart Garvie, Finney will oversee all of Bell Media’s English and French-language sales marketing, brand partnerships, and mix teams, the first time these streams have been brought together under one group and leader, reads Wednesday’s announcement. He will develop and implement a focused and comprehensive approach to better serve clients and partners, while…
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TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has launched a campaign to encourage its 22,000-plus membership to vote in the upcoming October 19 federal election.
Members are encouraged to help ‘cast our next government’ by making a pledge to vote on election day, and ACTRA will send them an automated text on October 19 reminding them of their pledge. The campaign includes information such as candidate details, party platforms specific to cultural issues, and additional election-specific resources, to help members make an educated decision when selecting a candidate who will support Canada’s cultural industry.
The…
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HALIFAX – DHX Media has signed broadcast deals with Disney XD channels for two kids/tweens series commissioned by DHX Television.
The children's TV producer said animated that fantasy series Fangbone! (pictured) has been licensed to Disney XD channels in the U.S., Latin America, South East Asia and Taiwan. In a further deal, it also licensed the original series Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage) to Disney XD in the U.S. where it will premiere on September 9.
Both shows were recently commissioned by DHX TV to air originally on its Family CHRGD channel in Canada. Fangbone! is a Radical Sheep Production, while Gaming Show…
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OTTAWA – It’s rare when the incumbent wireless carriers and the new entrants find themselves on the same side of an issue, but the response to a Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) appeal of the CRTC’s wholesale wireless decision last month is one of those occasions where the normally combative firms see eye to eye.
CNOC has appealed portions Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-177, saying the Commission erred in fact and made errors of law in not granting mandated mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access to the radio access networks (RANs) of the wireless carriers. The second…
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TORONTO – Canadians have changed their TV viewing habits to embrace video on-demand services like never before: 39% of all TV and video viewing hours in this country are now spent watching on-demand, says a new report by Ericsson.
The Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report 2015 is representative of the views and habits of 680 million consumers, and details the latest consumer behaviors, attitudes and demands in relation to TV and media, and the potential impact these trends can have on current industry business models.
Further findings highlight the considerable growth in consumers watching video on a…
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WINNIPEG – Local TV – the place where many Canadians turn to for news about their community and country – may cease to exist inside of a decade, thanks to the unending growth and development of technology and the opportunities and challenges that development fosters.
A new discussion paper from Winnipeg consultancy Communications Management Inc. entitled Canada's Digital Divides paints a grim picture of the near future of both local TV and newspapers – and tries to make sense of what that means for journalism and democracy. Ubiquitous broadband, argues the paper “continues to enhance news-gathering and distribution,…
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TORONTO – Comweb Corp. and William F. White International have named Michael Drabot to the position of national VP, client services/general manager of Whites Winnipeg, effective immediately.
Reporting to EVP and COO Paul Roscorla and working closely with Comweb/Whites’ chairman and CEO Paul Bronfman, Drabot assumes the role previously held by Steve Morrisson who recently moved to Toronto to spearhead Whites Live Events.
A Manitoba-based lighting designer/gaffer for over 20 years, Drabot joined PS Production Services Ltd. in 1990 as general manager for PS Prairies, a position that he held for 18 years. In 2008, he moved to Toronto to lead…
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