Perry Hoffman
GATINEAU – Telcos Telus and MTS Allstream are urging the CRTC to remove vertically integrated broadcasters/distributors from eligibility under the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF).
While Rogers, Shaw and Quebecor all want the LPIF program eliminated, Bell Media Inc. is neither for or against continuing the program. However, each have local stations who are collectively getting millions from the LPIF fund.
Ann Mainville-Neeson, director of broadcast regulation at Telus, noted during her opening remarks, that of the large vertically integrated providers, only Bell is clinging to LPIF despite the fact that it could save more than $1 million if the…
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MONTREAL – An informal group of radio broadcasters are banding together in the hopes of pulling the plug on CBC’s nascent digital music service CBC Music.
The coalition, which includes Quebecor Media, Cogeco Inc., Newcap Radio, Golden West Radio, RNC Media and Stingray Digital, objects to the ad-supported service which it says contributes to the inaccurate perception that music is free, plus competes with their own radio stations and subscription-based websites, counter to the CBC’s mandate.
In a letter to Heritage Minister James Moore on Friday, the broadcasters questioned whether the CBC is using “the preferential royalty rates it receives from the…
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TORONTO – Canada's three new wireless-only carriers are having little impact on the country’s big telecom incumbents, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service.
The report, ‘Canadian Telecommunications and Cable Industries: Consolidation Could Be in Store as New Wireless Companies Appear to Struggle’, says Wind Mobile, Mobilicity and Public Mobile, which are not rated by Moody’s, do not have the economies of scale, the access to funding, or the latest products to undercut or challenge the incumbents' market share. Rogers (Baa1 stable), Bell Canada (Baa1 stable) and Telus (Baa1 stable) together make up nearly 92% of Canada’s market…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor-owned retailer Groupe Archambault has launched ZIK, a new subscription-based music streaming service offering 12 million songs with fully interactive and unlimited access.
ZIK is also the largest collection of French-language music, says the company, with 1.2 million titles in French. “The ways of consuming music and business models have grown in number in recent years. After vinyl, CDs and MP3s, accessing music without owning it is one of the most exciting models. Today, Groupe Archambault is proud to position itself at the forefront of this technological, musical and cultural shift with the launch of ZIK in Quebec…
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TORONTO – It should come as little surprise Bell Media’s recent $3.4 billion bid for Astral Media was top-of-mind for radio industry executives at last week’s Radio Interactive conference, held as part of Slacker Canadian Music Week in Toronto.
Radio presidents from Bell Media Radio, Corus Radio and Rogers Radio took part in a super session moderated by Ross Davies, director of member engagement for the radio group at BBM Canada. Also represented on the panel were U.K. broadcaster Absolute Radio and U.S. radio station operator Cumulus Media.
Corus Radio president Chris Pandoff said the BCE-Astral Media…
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QUEBEC CITY – Quebecor’s plans to attract an NHL hockey team back to Quebec City took “a decisive step forward” over the weekend with the completion of the new arena’s technical and function plan, the company said.
Construction will begin in September on “a modern and functional” 18,000-seat facility worth $400 million that is scheduled to open its doors late in 2015. The new arena, located on the site of the city’s old Hippodrome, will also include a 350 square metre television production studio in addition to “all the necessary features” to make it a choice venue for shows, sports and…
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CONVINCING SENIOR FOLKS in the broadcasting industry to talk – on the record – about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is no easy task. It’s not that no one has an opinion (quite the opposite, of course), it’s just that few are willing to be quoted.
Heap too much praise on the CBC and you’re some kind of apple-polisher, angling for a job or some other favour. Heaven forbid if you’re a private broadcaster who praises the CBC. That’s just not done. They are the enemy, after all! On the other hand, leveling criticism at the Corp. in a public forum…
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MONTREAL – In its third major content acquisition in a little over 18 months, BCE Inc. (Bell) announced today the purchase of Astral Media Inc. and all its assets for $3.38 billion. If approved, the deal would dramatically boost Bell’s French language TV viewership in Quebec from 6% to 32%, placing it within striking distance of Quebecor, which reaches about 35% of viewers. But at least one market analyst has questioned the value of the deal and believes Bell should have invested the money in its broadband network.
"Bell is gaining a well-seasoned national Astral management team, dramatically expanding our…
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MONTREAL – Revenues at Quebecor jumped 5.2% in 2011 which the company said was due to “sustained growth” in the customer base at its Videotron subsidiary.
The Montreal-based communications behemoth said Thursday that revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011 were $4.21 billion, up from $4.0 billion at the end of 2010. Operating income showed a modest increase to $1.34 billion, while net income attributable to shareholders fell from $225.3 million last year to $201 million.
For the fourth quarter, revenues increased 5.5% year-over-year to $1.15 billion, operating income grew 2.8% to $369.2 million, and net income attributable to…
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MONTREAL – Videotron said Wednesday that it has closed the sale of its senior notes worth US$800 million scheduled to mature in 2022.
The Quebecor-owned company said that it intends to use proceeds from this issuance to redeem or prepay its outstanding senior notes due in 2014, worth approximately US$395 million, and to repay all borrowings on its revolving credit facility. The balance will be used for general corporate purposes.
www.videotron.com
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