THOSE WHO ARE CLOSELY following the approval process of the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications will know the outside date for closing the transaction was extended from March 15, 2022, to June 13, 2022, and was extended again last month to July 31, 2022.
So, we are already looking in the rear-view mirror at one (soon to be two) outside closing dates.
What is going on? A lot.
Competition Tribunal
Last month, the Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell filed an application to the Competition Tribunal seeking to block the merger. He also filed an application seeking…
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By Len St-Aubin
IN HIS RESPONSE to my critique of his article on regulating user-generated content under Bill C-11, Howard Law included a link to an opinion piece I wrote a year ago for Cartt.ca about Bill C-10, the predecessor to C-11.
(Note: You can read Law’s original commentary here, St-Aubin’s response here, and Law’s response to St-Aubin’s response here.)
While I appreciate that Law recommended my article to Cartt.ca readers, I want to correct a statement he made.
My article proposed an alternative approach to promoting CanCon online rather than intrusive, heavy handed and problematic regulation under the Broadcasting Act. Among other…
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By Etan Vlessing
AS ROGERS SPORTS AND MEDIA unveiled its 2022-23 slate of original programming to Canadian advertisers and agencies, a major focus was showcasing online offerings as the line between traditional linear TV and digital streaming platforms increasingly blurs.
The company’s strategy to engage marketers increasingly shifting ad dollars online is simple: Begin with tried-and-true content, whether scripted franchises like American Idol and America’s Got Talent on Citytv, or National Hockey League and Major League Baseball games with Canadian teams and passionate fan bases on Sportsnet. Then scramble to connect marketers and viewers across each and every platform and device…
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OTTAWA — The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) will be celebrating an important milestone this weekend — June 12 marks CPAC’s 30 years of providing viewers with unfiltered coverage of Canadian Parliament, politics and public affairs.
“Created for Canadians in 1992 by a consortium of cable companies to preserve an independent editorial voice for Canada’s democratic process, CPAC quickly became Canadians’ go-to resource for commercial free, gavel-to-gavel coverage of parliamentary proceedings,” reads a press release highlighting CPAC’s upcoming 30th anniversary.
Over the years, the channel’s coverage has grown to include House of Commons and Senate committee meetings, Supreme Court of Canada…
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By Howard Law
ON MAY 27 CARTT.CA published my suggested compromise on provisions in Bill C-11 impacting Canadian user-generated programming hosted by Facebook, TikTok and Google’s YouTube.
I argued a ministerial policy directive ought to direct the CRTC to regulate user-generated programming that is analogous to conventional broadcasting but exempt the remaining digital first content from regulation.
Last week Leonard St-Aubin wrote a rebuttal. Here is a summary of my take-aways from his critique:
Financing and creating CanCon should not be seen as a burden to broadcasters, but incumbent Canadian media companies treat it this way by electing to spend…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
THE ONLINE NEWS ACT, recently introduced by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is explained on Canadian Heritage’s website as follows: “Digital platforms have come to play an integral role in Canada’s news ecosystem, shifting the way Canadians access news content that is vital to democracy. They can play an important role in supporting the production of trusted news and information.”
The basic underlying rationale is clear. Canadian news businesses, primarily newspapers, have been severely disrupted by the Internet. Their advertising market and classified ad market has gone online and newspapers’ financial viability is in great danger.
Online platforms do…
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TORONTO – Orbyt Media, a Canadian content syndication group and a subsidiary of Bell Media, announced today it is launching an all-new country music program New & Now with Shannon Ella, which will air on Sundays at 4 p.m. starting June 5 on iHeartRadio Canada’s Pure Country stations and via live stream on iHeartRadio.ca and the iHeartRadio app.
“New & Now with Shannon Ella is also available to all radio broadcasters through Orbyt Media,” a press release says.
“Led by fan-favourite Pure Country host Shannon Ella, the show highlights the newest and hottest artists in country music, and delivers exclusive interviews…
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By Len St-Aubin
ON MAY 27, Cartt.ca published Howard Law’s “wish list” for a policy direction to the CRTC on regulating user generated content (UGC) under Bill C-11. The article demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of online social media. As well, it contains an unintended insult to Canadian content (CanCon) that highlights why broadcasting regulation is the wrong way to support CanCon online. My reply starts with the latter.
Law writes that the bill’s critics are now “grudgingly” conceding that large American streamers like Netflix should be covered by the bill “so they can begin carrying their fair share of the…
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By Etan Vlessing
AS EVEN NETFLIX gets set to enter the advertising game, the IndieNET Group of independent broadcasters today pitched Canadian marketers and media agencies on what they see as the biggest frontier in television currently: linear TV.
As they unwrapped a fall 2022 programming slate for Canadian TV audiences, the consortium comprising six indie stations belonging to CHCH, YesTV, CHEK and NTV returned to a familiar pitch: linear TV’s live audience share and reach can still be depended on to deliver a solid return for TV ad investments and remains a dominant force in local markets where IndieNet stations operate.
The…
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TORONTO — SiriusXM Canada announced today the appointment of Michelle Mearns (above) as vice-president of programming and operations.
In this role, she reports to CEO Mark Redmond and “will be responsible for the development and production of all Canadian programming as well as technical operations,” reads a press release announcing her hiring.
“Michelle is a respected leader in the industry and is going to bring an experienced and fresh perspective to our business,” Redmond said in the release. “We’re very excited to welcome her to the team to lead the charge as our content offering continues to grow and evolve.”
Mearns…
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