OTTAWA – Today, the CRTC added six new foreign, third-language TV channels to the eligible satellite list.
Sponsored by the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association, the new additions are: Channel One Russia Worldwide TV, NTDTV, Phoenix North American Chinese Channel, PTV-Prime USA, RTPi, and TV Globo.
"The authorization of additional foreign third-language services allows distributors in specific markets to offer diverse programming to many ethnocultural communities," said Michael Hennessy, CCTA president. "Third-language services often provide a different perspective to world events and are an excellent complement to the current Canadian line-up.
“The addition of new services reflects the cable industry’s…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – In a press release on Tuesday, the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft (CASST) said it was pleased with the Quebec Superior Court’s recent sentencing decision of Reggie Scullion who was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada of two counts of illegal activities related to theft of satellite TV service from DirecTV.
Scullion, who pled guilty in Quebec Superior Court, must forfeit more than $4 million in cash and other property that had been seized by the government in connection with the case, with $1.1 million of the funds to be distributed to DirecTV and the remainder…
Continue Reading
DARTMOUTH – Charlie Keating, a giant in the Canadian cable television industry – in all senses of the word – died of cancer Tuesday morning. He was 72.
Now, the term “larger than life” may seem a cliché to some, but there wasn’t one person contacted by www.cartt.ca on the passing of the founder of Dartmouth Cable TV (which later became Nova Scotia’s Access Communications) who didn’t use the term.
“He was a great industry individual and a great man in his own right,” said John Thomas, president of Delta Cable. “He was a remarkable man and a wonderful…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Cable Telecommunications Association for Marketing of Canada has announced its 2006 officers and board members following an election held in September 2005. The tabulation was completed by CTAM National in Alexandria, Virginia and approved by CTAM Canada members.
They are: Officers: President: Domenic Vivolo, SVP Marketing and Sales, Astral Television Networks Vice-President: Shelley Blaine-Goodman, VP Canada, A&E Television Networks Secretary: Jean-Pierre Caveen, Director Affiliate Relations, Cogeco Cable Treasurer: Chris Fuoco, VP Affiliate Marketing, Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting
Board Members: Harris Boyd, Industry Relations, Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association Hawley Chester, Director – Canadian Sales & Marketing, Speed Channel…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Recruiting began Monday in search of Canada’s Next Top Model, a new reality program which will air on all Citytv stations in the spring.
Based on the popular series “America’s Next Top Model”, seen on those same CHUM stations, recruitment of young women to be the next Canuck supermodel will continue for a month. The show will premiere mid-May, 2006, on Citytv. Canadian actor/model Tricia Helfer (www.triciahelfer.com) will serve as host/producer. Helfer, right, who currently plays the Number Six on the sci-fi series "Battlestar Galactica," came onto the fashion scene in 1992, when,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – When Maclean’s magazine was able to buy the supposedly confidential phone records of Jennifer Stoddart, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, and publish a cover story last week on what looks like a potentially scary security loophole, the big three wireless carriers – all of whom were mentioned in the article – sprang into action.
And, with each company counting on huge wireless growth in the Christmas season and throughout 2006 and 2007 (all companies saw record levels of subscriber growth in 2005) all moved quickly to try and repair the damage.
First out of the gate was Bell Canada….
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Politics came to the winners’ podium Saturday night at the Gemini Awards when outspoken Vancouver producer Chris Haddock (DaVinci’s City Hall) got on his soap box after snagging honours as co-writer of the movie The Life.
In the media room after he picked up his prize, Haddock was blunt: "The broadcasters are making buckets of money these days, big buckets, and aren’t throwing it around." He added it’s high time CRTC commissioners required broadcasters to hand out much more than they do now where Canadian content is concerned.
The comment followed a post-award back stage question about…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telecommunications Workers Union members voted 64.1% in favor of the latest contract offer from Telus, finally ending the four-month-long strike.
The company and union had a negotiated settlement in October but it was narrowly defeated during the initial in-person vote (50.3% voted against the deal last time around.
In this mail-in ballot, 10,566 members voted (about 1,500 more than last time, 7,258 in favour of the deal.
The terms and conditions of the new collective agreement now become effective as of November 20, 2005. 64.1 per cent of the 10,566 employees who voted during the ratification process…
Continue Reading
SAN JOSE, Calif., and LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Saying this deal will completes Cisco’s end-to-end triple play solution for networks and the home, telecommunications manufacturer Cisco Systems has agreed to purchase cable equipment maker Scientific-Atlanta for US$6.9 billion.
The combined entity creates an enormous end-to-end triple play solution for carrier networks and the digital home.
It also increases certain MSOs exposure to Cisco because many also operate Cisco CMTS’s to run their VOIP and Internet backend. In Canada, Videotron and Rogers Cable are the only two widely-deployed users of Scientific Atlanta technology. The rest of the Canadian industry is Motorola-based….
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Both Rogers and Shaw Cable have applied to the CRTC again to alter the rules surrounding local ad avail time on U.S. cable channels.
Currently, American channels such as CNN, A&E, The Golf Channel and others make two minutes an hour available for cable companies to sell local availability time. In the U.S., it’s a multi-billion-dollar sales industry.
In Canada, MSOs are not allowed to sell the time by the CRTC. They must give 75% of the time to Canadian specialty channels (who have to also pay MSO costs) and to use the remaining 25% to promote…
Continue Reading
