Regulator pointed to importance of news
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC approved Thursday the transfer of Corus’s broadcasting licences to a new parent company, NewCo, that will be held by its debtholders, who will forgive $500 million in debt hanging over the media company.
Quebecor, which wanted to buy Corus and did not respond to a request for comment, was the big opposition to the transfer, alleging the media company did not follow-up on its offer to buy and NewCo shareholders will not have the expertise to operate such a business. Corus, which pushed back against…
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Rogers announced Wednesday it is adding exclusive Sportsnet+ content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages at no additional cost, including more than 150 NHL games.
This includes Monday Night Hockey, which starting with the 2026-27 NHL season is exclusive to Sportsnet+, as well as more than 100 additional matchups and other exclusive sports content.
Starting Sept. 29, Rogers is adding three new digital channels with the exclusive content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages that have Sportsnet. Customers do not need to take any action and can use their voice remote to find NHL games, Rogers said in a press release.
“Rogers…
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Rogers and OEG Sports and Entertainment (OEGSE) announced Tuesday they have extended their strategic partnership for another 10 years, keeping Rogers Place as the name of the home of the Edmonton Oilers through 2036.
This extension comes as Rogers Place celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Rogers initially acquired the naming rights to the Edmonton arena beginning with the 2016 NHL season, the year the then-new sports and entertainment facility opened.
To mark the anniversary, Rogers is giving away more than 1,500 Oilers tickets to customers throughout the season, starting with 300 tickets for the team’s home…
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Rogers will sublicence rights to NHL games in French to Quebecor in a 12-year deal beginning this season.
Quebecor’s TVA Sports will broadcast up to 350 regular seasons games, including 32 Montreal Canadiens games and the exclusive rights to playoff games in French. It’s an extension of rights it held in the past.
“Premium sports content such as NHL hockey and Montréal Canadiens games is a unique vehicle for bringing together mass live audiences,” Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said in a press release. “It is a strategic asset that continues to grow in value in a rapidly changing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The extent of spectrum sharing between Bell and Telus increased from 45 per cent to 90 per cent of each company’s total spectrum licence holdings following four new approvals this past fall to subordinate spectrum to each other, the department handling the airwaves confirmed to us.
Cartt obtained a backgrounder document on the state of spectrum sharing between the country’s largest telcos, which dates back to 2008. In it, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which encourages such sharing, notes that since 2013, the department has approved about 20 separate joint requests from Bell and Telus to share…
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TVA Group’s film studio MELS on Tuesday unveiled a new organizational structure designed to support its growth and strengthen its market position, by enhancing client experience and optimizing operations.
“This renewed structure will strengthen the support we provide to our clients, drive business expansion and reinforce MELS’s position as the partner of choice for local and international productions attracted to Montreal as a filming destination,” Patrick Jutras, president of MELS, said in a press release.
To help MELS achieve its objectives, Aurée Lepage, director of international business development, becomes the primary point of contact for the U.S. market, supporting clients in…
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The CRTC on Thursday denied a request by Quebecor’s Videotron to destandardize four aggregated third-party internet access speed tiers: 5 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload; 10 Mbps/1.5 Mbps; 15 Mbps/10 Mbps; and 20 Mbps/10 Mbps.
The CRTC noted that while Videotron said it is under no obligation to maintain the speeds given it doesn’t provide them to its own retail customers per the speed-matching rule, the Montreal-based telecom must still show that there is sufficient grounds to justify the request; that the request doesn’t disproportionately affect competitors; and that it is not uncompetitive in nature.
The regulator ruled that Videotron failed on…
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Quebecor’s wireless brand Fizz Mobile announced Tuesday it is growing its in-store presence through a distribution agreement with EB Games Canada.
Through the partnership, an exclusive $25 Fizz starter pack is now available for purchase at 140 EB Games retail locations across Canada, Fizz said in a press release.
Designed for video gamers, the starter pack includes a SIM card and an eSIM, a $75 credit automatically added to the customer’s account upon activation, a one-time allotment of 100 GB of additional mobile data valid for 12 months (certain conditions apply), and direct access to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Friday launched a show-cause proceeding requiring Bell to show why its practice of selling locked devices isn’t a violation of the Wireless Code.
In the meantime, the regulator is suspending section F.1 of the Wireless Code, which explicitly states that carriers must sell devices in an unlocked state. As a result, carriers will be allowed to sell locked devices provided they automatically unlock them within two business days after purchase.
“Service providers must also make reasonable efforts to inform customers about how long devices will be locked for, what receiving a locked device…
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Quebecor’s all-digital mobile brand Fizz on Wednesday unveiled a new brand identity and tagline — “Fizz, a no-brainer”.
The new brand look “is more mature and self-assured, yet just as distinctive, colourful and energetic as ever,” Fizz said in a press release, adding the new tagline “makes clear that the brand continues to put the consumer at the heart of its approach by delivering maximum value.”
“Fizz’s distinctive, refreshing signature and our promise to give members as many benefits as possible, with no compromise or nasty surprises, remain unchanged,” Martin Gendron, general manager of Fizz, said in the press release. “At…
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