By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – As bill C-18 enters its final stretch in the Senate, two former senior officials with the CRTC have proposed alternative ways to support Canada’s struggling news industry beyond the Online News Act, whose aim to redistribute advertising income from such digital platforms as Meta’s Facebook and Alphabet’s Google to new organizations is untenable in their view.
“The industry and public policy-makers need to accept that during a period of disruption such as the one currently underway, there will be companies incapable of surviving,” write former CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein and past CRTC…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – In proposed policy directions released Thursday to the CRTC on implementing bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, the federal government reaffirmed that there would be no regulation of social media content or its users.
The CRTC will be directed to exclude from regulation social media creators, including podcasters, as well the video games media form. Broadcasters that post on social media as well as other platforms, like TV and radio, however will not necessarily be exempt.
To promote a wide range of Canadian programming, the CRTC will also be directed to consider various means…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that the move by Google and Meta to trial blocking news on their platforms in response the Online News Act is “not going to work.”
In a response to a question about Meta’s move last week to test block news on its Facebook and Instagram products, Trudeau said “these internet giants would rather cut-off Canadians’ access to local news than pay their fair share.” The Online News Act, Bill C-18, would require large technology platforms to compensate news publishers for linking to their work.
They are “resorting…
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By Connie Thiessen
Catherine Tait’s appointment as President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada has been extended another 18 months.
Canadian Heritage Min. Pablo Rodriguez announced the extension this morning, which will see Tait serve in the role until January 2, 2025.
Tait initially took up the appointment on July 3, 2018, the first woman in the history of the public broadcaster to serve as president and CEO. The former president and CEO of Salter Street Films and co-founder of NYC-based prodco Duopoly, Tait’s leadership at CBC has been marked by a distinct platform agnostic approach as the broadcaster moves into the digital-first content space. She has also championed advancing CBC’s commitment…
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By Ahmad Hathout
VICTORIA – The broadband ministry under the British Columbia government has been seeking ways to speed up broadband deployments in the province, and a recent briefing note outlines some ways it suggested to do so ahead of its utilization of federal funding.
In the Citizens’ Services briefing note from January, obtained via a freedom of information legislation, the ministry suggested that it could confidentially share with BC Hydro the poles that are expected to be impacted by broadband projects in areas with the 115,000 underserved households in the province.
“BC Hydro can take projective steps to determine the state…
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Super Channel, a national premium television network, is looking for a dynamic individual who loves television and understands the traditional broadcast environment as well as is passionate about new digital technologies.
We are looking for a person who is flexible, innovative and results oriented. You are passionate about entertainment and excited to work in an industry that is in flux and a company that believes in innovation to get results.
This role is part of the Revenue Team and reports to the Chief Revenue Officer.
In this role, you will be required to:
Be the main point of contact with BDU teams…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Innovation Canada “repeatedly encouraged” the sale of Xplore Mobile’s spectrum licences in Manitoba to Quebecor, according to a company executive, after CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau sent a letter to the department urging it to push for a sale to subsidiary Videotron to maintain its four-player competition policy.
The department denied the July 14 joint request to transfer the five licences worth $30 million to Telus in September on the grounds that it would hinder the ability of “fourth” players to compete because of the high concentration of spectrum control by Telus, Rogers and…
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Pattison Media’s paNOW.com is based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan – a growing, family-oriented community, situated along the breathtaking borders of the Boreal Forest and close to some of the most beautiful beaches and lakes our country has to offer.
paNOW is the hub of our news portal operations in the province. As part of our team, you’ll help to edit and contribute meaningful and informative content to several of our sites that include traditional news and sports reporting and specialized content on agriculture and the cannabis industry in western Canada. This material is also shared on our partner broadcast radio stations in…
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By Douglas Barrett, adjunct professor in the arts, media and entertainment MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
No one watches the credits on television programs. They go by super fast and are often cut off. But they tell very interesting stories, including identifying all the financial participants in the production.
For example, for the Global show Family Law produced by Calgary’s Seven24 Films and Vancouver’s Lark Productions, and shot in Vancouver, they were:
Corus Entertainment
Entertainment One
Canada Media Fund
Creative BC
Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
Bell Fund
For Transplant, a CTV show produced by Sphere Media Plus and shot…
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OTTAWA – The head of the Competition Bureau said Tuesday that the watchdog’s opposition to Rogers’s acquisition of Shaw was the correct move, citing high prices Canadians pay compared to international peers.
“While it didn’t go our way, I fully stand by our decision to challenge that merger,” Competition commissioner Matthew Boswell said on the second day of the International Institute of Communications conference in Ottawa.
“We put forward a responsible, evidence-based case. That is our job. We carefully scrutinized all the evidence, knowing the differing incentives of all parties,” he added.
“We fought the right fight for the right reasons and on the right principles.”
The commission’s fight…
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