By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Friday set the final wholesale access rates to the bundled fibre networks of the incumbent telcos, keeping them “similar” to the existing rates set in 2024 because of their success in inducing new offerings in the market.
“The final rates set in this order are similar to those interim rates, which dozens of competitors have successfully been using to bring new offers to market and attract tens of thousands of new customers,” the CRTC said Friday.
Indeed, the final rates are mostly only slightly changed. For access to Bell’s FTTP facilities, between 3 Mbps and 1.5…
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By Ahmad Hathout
For the second time in as many weeks, the CRTC has increased the carriage rate for channels considered of exceptional importance.
Operated by not-for-profit TV5 Quebec Canada, TV5/Unis TV, which reflect the international Francophone and Canadian Francophone markets, respectively, will get an additional two cents for a carry rate of 30 cents per subscriber, per month. The rate will remain effective until the next licence renewal date in August.
The regulator justified its decision by noting TV5 has been running deficits since the 2022-2023 broadcast year and has since exhausted all of its financial reserves, thanks in part to…
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Twelve roles impacted by the cancellations, CEO says
By Linda Stuart
The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) announced Tuesday it is ending production of its two nightly political news programs — PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel — as the not-for-profit media organization is faced with “accelerating revenue decline and continued uncertainty in the broadcasting landscape,” it said.
The announcement comes after the CRTC last week approved a three-cent increase in the price broadcasters must pay to carry the CPAC service.
“The CRTC’s recent approval of a 3-cent rate increase, set to take effect this September, is helpful in the short-term…
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Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller announced Tuesday the members of an advisory panel on the modernization of federal support for the audiovisual sector in Canada.
Miller made the announcement at the annual conference of the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM), being held this week at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau.
The Canadian government is currently reviewing how it supports the audiovisual sector, as “he current framework for federal audiovisual support was built for a different era and needs to evolve so Canadian stories can thrive, both at home…
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Telefilm Canada on Monday announced the publication of its Strategic Orientation Framework, which will serve as a roadmap for the review of all its funding programs, an initiative included in its 2024-2027 strategic plan.
The aim of the review, which is expected to be carried out through to 2028, is to strengthen cohesion across Telefilm’s programs and to adopt a more audience-centred approach. The main innovation of the review is the introduction of clear, measurable program performance indicators, the results of which will be made public on a periodic basis, with the intention of…
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The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) announced Monday it will launch a new documentary production initiative designed specifically for YouTube on Thursday, May 7.
Called On Filme, the initiative aims to spark meaningful dialogue around timely social and political issues and engage audiences on platforms they use every day, the NFB said in a press release. The works will also be available on nfb.ca and all NFB apps at a later date, the NFB said.
For the first edition of the program, On Filme invited three influential…
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Heritage committee recommends copyright protections for content scooped up by bots
By Ahmad Hathout
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) inquired about what an “opt-out” mechanism would look like for AI-generated news summaries on platforms such as Google, according to a document obtained by Cartt, before the standing committee on Canadian Heritage recommended copyright protections for news content scooped up by bots.
The department, which has been touting Canada’s commitment to AI research and development, had prepared a note ahead of a meeting last fall with News Media Canada, the association for Canadian media that has been sounding the…
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Canada’s film and television production industry generated $10.17 billion in production volume in the 2024-25 fiscal year, a 4.6-per-cent increase year over year, according to the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)’s annual economic report, Profile 2025, released Monday.
The sector also contributed $11.72 billion to Canada’s GDP, and created 181,360 jobs across Canadian television and theatrical feature film production, broadcaster in-house production, and foreign location and service (FLS) production during the fiscal year, according to the report, which covers the period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
The report showed…
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Telecoms welcome report, but say more coordinated action is needed
By Ahmad Hathout
The Senate committee on transport and communications has heeded the recommendations of the telecommunications industry and is urging the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to impose harsher penalties for copper theft.
The report, titled Stolen Signal: The Costly Consequences of Copper Theft in Canada and released Tuesday, is also recommending the federal government create a task force on metal theft to promote information sharing among law enforcement agencies and encourage its provincial and territorial counterparts to regulate the sale of scrap metal, including by keeping a record…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) has been approved Monday for a three-cent increase in the price broadcasters must pay to carry the service, despite the CRTC suspending that application months earlier until after it implemented changes to the regulatory system.
Broadcasters will now pay 16 cents per subscriber, per month to carry the channel, which is required of them under the Broadcasting Act’s 9.1(1)(h) rule. The new rate, which is what the not-for-profit asked for, will take effect on September 1, which is the start of the new broadcasting year.
“The Commission is of the…
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