OTTAWA – Delivering next generation TV services, Telesat today unveiled plans for Nimiq 4, its next direct broadcast satellite.
Telesat’s eighteenth satellite will enable Telesat’s customer (and corporate cousin), Bell ExpressVu, to continue to enhance advanced services such as high-definition television, specialty channels and foreign language programming.
Telesat has selected EADS Astrium, Europe’s largest space company, as the manufacturer for Nimiq 4, and International Launch Services (ILS) for the satellite’s launch in 2008.
"For more than 35 years, Telesat has taken pride in carrying the most advanced broadcasting services to viewers from sea to sea – and Nimiq 4…
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TORONTO – CHUM Ltd. posted gains across the board in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, ended November 30, 2005.
Revenue climbed 16% to $186.7 million, as compared to the first quarter of fiscal ’05, EBITDA rose 13% to $48.7 million and cash flow from operations went up by 10%, hitting $30.9 million. CHUM operates broadcasters Citytv and A Channel, specialties like MuchMusic, Bravo!, Space and Razer, and 33 radio stations.
Revenue from the TV side of the business was $146.3 million in the quarter, a 20.3% increase, thanks to good performance from the company’s specialty channels and the…
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TORONTO – With none of the three major parties articulating much about their plans for the cultural sector (not even the NDP), ACTRA’s performers tried Wednesday to inject themselves into the election news cycle.
Among the members of ACTRA, the Canadian actors union, taking part in a Toronto press conference were Wendy Crewson, Richard Hardacre, Dan Lett, Miriam McDonald, Colin Mochrie, Cara Pifko, Karl Pruner, Fiona Reid, Wayne Robson, Sonja Smits, Julie Stewart, and R.H. Thomson.
As usual, they were raising “the alarm during this election about the threat to Canada’s cultural sovereignty,” says the press release.
"It is…
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TORONTO – Registrations for the 2006 Canadian Telecom Summit are tracking well ahead of last year’s sell-out crowd.
Delegates will be able to join 500 of their colleagues to listen to executive presentations from around the world from those who have the greatest influence on the direction of Canadian telecom.
For three full days, June 12 to 14, to the Canadian Telecom Summit will deliver thought-provoking insight from the prime movers of the industry such as Telus CEO Darren Entwistle, Vonage chairman Jeffrey Citron, IBM Canada president Dan Fortin, Allstream president John MacDonald, Ericsson CEO Mark Henderson, Mitel chairman…
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TORONTO – Quebec’s portable people meter panel will grow to 800 households, BBM announced today.
Twenty-three major broadcasters in the Québec Franco market are behind the increase, said Greg Mudry, BBM board chairman
“We are delighted about the broadcasters’ decision,” said Jim MacLeod, president and CEO of BBM Canada, in a release. “It underscores the Québec industry’s steadfast commitment to the PPM technology.”
“PPM has more than proved its superiority since becoming the commercial currency in Québec and Montréal Franco. The Québec broadcasters’ decision to expand PPM is confirmation that PPM is the right choice for the present and the…
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WINNIPEG – Rogers Media Television will launch its recently acquired broadcast license, a faith-based service to be named, of course, OMNI TV Manitoba – on Monday, February 6th.
OMNI TV Manitoba is the newly branded, newly licensed television station resulting from Rogers’ 2005 purchase of NOW TV from the Thiessen family and the subsequent approval by the CRTC (Decision Public Notion 2005-207).
It had been scheduled to launch in November but was put off until the new year.
"This is an exciting time for the Rogers OMNI Television family as well as the Canadian broadcasting industry," said Leslie Sole,…
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HALIFAX – Maritime cable company EastLink is joining Cybertip.ca’s national awareness campaign designed to combat online sexual exploitation.
EastLink currently displays information about the initiative on its web site (www.eastlink.ca) and is committed to airing public service announcements (PSA’s) on its local television station, EastLink Television.
Cybertip.ca is Canada’s national tip line for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. It also provides the public with information, referrals and other resources to help Canadians keep their children safe while on the Internet.
EastLink and other members of the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) are supporting the national…
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OF COURSE, UNLESS I CRAWL into the head of JR Shaw and probe his synapses – or see him in a law firm signing documents with Michael Sabia – neither I nor anyone else can answer the question in the headline.
Same goes with all of the Canadian media and cable companies, actually, all of which are controlled by their founding families. No one can really know what’s going on until it happens. Hostile takeovers are impossible.
But, the rumors surrounding Shaw Communications have reached a fever pitch over the past few months. They’re too loud to ignore. In…
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WASHINGTON – And why, pray tell, should we care about this particular bill here? This is the bill where the U.S. analog-to-digital TV transition particulars are buried.
As often happens in politics, some bills can contain a great many things besides what the title says.
In this case, the Budget Reconciliation conference report includes the digital transition particulars which was negotiated by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, each of which originally offered bills on the digital transition.
The legislation, still to be approved by the U.S. Senate, establishes two specific…
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OTTAWA – Bell Canada has petitioned the CRTC to act quickly on a file it says threatens competition in the local phone market.
The incumbent telco has accused local voice newcomers, specifically Primus, of “slamming”. Slamming is the term used for switching a customer from one phone provider to another without their permission.
In its December 12th submission to the CRTC, Bell said its front-line customer service reps began to record a spike in the number of calls from customers who say they weren’t aware they were no longer Bell customers and wanted to switch back in September of…
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