OTTAWA – The CRTC has sided with Telus and Bell in a complaint against Videotron over exclusivity of some of its video-on-demand content.
In separate applications made last June, Telus and Bell claimed that Videotron owned the exclusive rights to popular programs from TVA network, which it offered on its illico on-demand platform, but would not license them for the telco’s own on-demand platforms in Quebec, contrary to VOD regulations.
TVA is the largest conventional television network in Quebec and is owned by Quebecor Media, which also owns Videotron.
The Commission determined on Wednesday that a condition of undue preference does exist, and…
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“COME WITH ME. I’LL show you why I wanted to be president of the CBC.”
Those were CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix’s first words to me last week as we sat down in the meeting room overlooking the Montreal skyline and St. Lawrence River at Radio-Canada’s headquarters. I jumped to my feet and followed him into his office.
Just inside his door is a headless mannequin dressed in a whimsical suit, topped with a bowler cap. “It might be a bit before your time but do you know who this is?” he asked me, excitedly. I wrack my brain…
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MONTREAL – An original television campaign, web content and print ads are all part of a weighty new advertising partnership between Quebecor Media Sales and golf retailer Golf Town.
QMI Sales said Monday that the year-long deal will include airtime on its TVA network, a dedicated Golf Town micro-site on its Canoe web portal, product placement in on-demand programming on Videotron’s illico portal, plus ad pages and flyers distributed throughout its array of national newspapers.
"Golf Town’s confidence towards Quebecor Media is testimony to the quality and unique character of its media offer in Canada" said Philippe Guay, VP of national…
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OTTAWA – It was good to be a TV distributor in 2010.
That’s the message we see in the CRTC’s aggregate financial data recently posted on the Commission’s web site. Expenses are up (in some cases, way up), but then again, so was revenue, and profits.
• According to the data submitted to the Commission by the big cable and satellite companies for the 2010 broadcast year (ended August 31, 2010), the largest six companies (Shaw, Bell, Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco and Bragg) together earned $12.15 billion in revenue from their video, high speed internet and VOIP telephone services (the data does…
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WHILE MASSIVE SPENDING cuts at one bankrupt broadcaster led it back into the black in 2010, another that was home to the Olympics saw the Games both boost – and drag down – results.
According to the aggregate financial data submitted to the CRTC by all English and French language OTA broadcasters and posted to the Commission web site recently, all lost money, save two.
• Those two are Quebecor Media’s TVA (which recorded a PBIT of $49 million in the 2010 broadcast year (ended August 31, 2010) and the former Canwest Global stations (now part of Shaw Media) which…
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TORONTO – Is Kory Teneycke coming back to run Sun TV News? A story in the Globe and Mail says yes, next week.
Sun TV News, a new TV news channel which will launch sometime in the first quarter of 2011, is Quebecor Media’s first foray into English language Canadian news and Teneycke, before his resignation in late summer under a cloud of controversy, touted the channel as a distinct new voice that would challenge the establishment at every turn.
Teneycke is a former senior advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and at vice-president development, was the force…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor Media has priced its new senior notes due 2021 of an aggregate principal amount of $325.0 million.
The new senior notes will be sold at par, will carry a coupon of 7 3/8 % and will mature on January 15, 2021. The company said that it intends to use the net proceeds of this offering to effect a contribution to Sun Media Corporation and for “general corporate purposes”.
Sun Media intends to use the proceeds to finance the redemption and retirement of its outstanding 7 5/8 % senior notes due February 15, 2013 on or about February 15, 2011,…
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MONTREAL – Nearly three months after the launch of its new mobile service, 41,800 new customers had signed up for a Videotron wireless subscription, the company announced late Wednesday.
Growth appears to be accelerating as two months ago, the company had just 8,400 new wireless subs.
In a press release, the company said those customers are running 72,200 handsets on the network, including 50,300 added in the first two months of the quarter (October and November). Videotron wireless is available to those in Greater Montréal, Québec City, Mauricie, Sherbrooke, Bois-Francs, Montérégie and Laurentians regions now have access to advanced mobile services…
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OTTAWA – Quebecor has received regulatory approval to proceed with its new “hard news and straight talk” Sun TV News channel. It is expected to launch early next year.
Friday’s decision granted the category 2 channel a five year license that will expire on August 31, 2015. As Cartt.ca reported, Quebecor last month dropped its requests that the channel be licensed with must-carry status, after the Commission said that it would not consider must-carry license applications until at least the Fall of 2011, if at all.
"Today marks the dawn of a new era for Canadian news media,"…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s top two communications industry regulators lamented the fact that they don’t have the appropriate tools to deal with a rapidly changing marketplace.
CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein and Helen McDonald, assistant deputy minister at Industry Canada, were speaking on a panel of regulators at the International Institute of Communications annual conference in Ottawa earlier this week (where Cartt.ca was the media sponsor).
McDonald said that for the department to more effectively manage scarce spectrum resources, legislative changes are in order. She pointed to secondary market trading for spectrum as an area that would run much more efficiently…
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