SO FAR, SO GOOD for wireless number portability, says Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association president and CEO Peter Barnes.
There have been few issues the association has had to solve since March 14, the day Canadians could take their phone number with them, no matter which telephony carrier they chose to acquire service.
A more contentious, far less decided matter, is the upcoming Industry Canada wireless spectrum auction. The association’s majority want a free, unfettered auction but certain factions want constraints on the existing players so that newcomers may bid for spectrum and win. The CWTA is even holding a…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC should amend the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to stipulate distributors must make monthly, rather than just annual, contributions to the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), the all-party Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommended in a report released this week.
That was one of six recommendations contained in the report, entitled The Future of the Canadian Television Fund. It includes dissenting opinions from the Bloc Quebecois and Conservative Party members. The report was tabled on March 21.
The Standing Committee under recommendation number one strongly condemns the actions of Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Media – both of…
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MONTREAL – Videotron added 234,800 telephony customers, 154,000 Internet customers, 149,000 illico digital TV customers and 66,300 customers for all cable TV services (analog plus illico) in 2006, yet parent company Quebec Inc. still posted a net loss of $93.9 million.
The loss is a big reversal from 2005 when the company recorded a net profit of $69.7 million. The downturn was attributed in financial results released Wednesday to an “unusual loss on refinancing of Quebecor Media’s debt and lower unrealized gains on re-measurement of exchangeable debentures.”
Quebecor Media, which includes the TVA network and cableco Videotron, recorded a net…
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TORONTO – Quebecor Media Inc. has moved Mike Nesbitt into the newly created position of general manager of new media at the Toronto Sun from his current position of general manager of operations at its Toronto over-the-air station Sun TV.
Nesbitt will be responsible for creating cross-platform opportunities between the Toronto Sun and Quebecor Media’s web portal Canoe, its free daily 24 Hours and Sun TV.
Toronto Sun publisher and CEO Kin-Man Lee said the objective was to deliver news through all of Quebecor Media’s platforms.
Prior to joining Sun TV in 2002, Nesbitt managed creative services at Maple…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco-controlled broadcaster TQS created a new position this week, vice-president, new media and corporate affairs and hired former TVA executive Serge Bellerose to fill it.
"There is no question that the emergence of new media is providing great new opportunities and challenges for TQS. Our industry faces technological changes that affect the television landscape on a daily basis. We are well aware of the enormity of the task and it is for this reason that we have created this new position within our management team," said René Guimond, president and CEO of Cogeco Radio-Télévision and TQS, said…
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GATINEAU – After months of waiting (it took CTV until almost Christmas to submit its application to the Commission to purchase CHUM Ltd.) the CRTC will hear the request at a public hearing beginning April 30th.
In July, Bell Globemedia (now CTVglobemedia) announced a $1.4 billion purchase of CHUM Ltd. from the Waters family ($1.7 billion if assumed debt is included). If approved, CTV will take ownership of the Citytv broadcast stations across the country, numerous popular specialty channels like MuchMusic, Space and Star! as well as 33 radio stations.
As for the secondary market A-Channels, CTVgm will sell…
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OTTAWA – With two major crises reaching public climaxes just before Canadian film, TV and new media producers gathered here for their annual Prime Time conference last week, the event could easily have become two long days’ journey into denouement.
Instead, although frequent quips proved tensions still simmer following the ACTRA strike and the uncertain future for the Canadian Television Fund, PT’s agenda (which included a speech from new CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein) focused on improving industry performance amid some encouraging 2005-’06 news.
Volume up The Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s annual Profile report says…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Well, this will douse some of the fire that was sure to burn at this week’s Canadian Film and Television Producers Association Prime Time conference in Ottawa beginning Wednesday evening.
With Heritage Minister Bev Oda and new CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein as scheduled speakers at the conference this week, one can bet that producers were prepared to pepper them with repeated questions on the Canadian Television Fund and TV production funding in Canada in general.
However, with Shaw’s announcement today that it will turn its cash spigot to the CTF back on plus this Commission…
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MONTREAL – The results were so good, Videotron issued its own press release today.
The cable company’s 2006 drove parent Quebecor Media, posting strong growth in 2006 in terms of both financial results and clients numbers. The figures as of December 31, 2006, released today, show increases for each of the company’s products – cable television, Internet access, cable telephone and wireless telephone services.
"In 2006, Videotron ranked first among Canada’s major cable companies in customer growth rates for all of its services," says the press release.
"These results will make it possible for us to continue re-injecting significant…
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MONTREAL – Led by ongoing growth at cable division Videotron, Quebecor Media generated total revenues of $3.01 billion in 2006, an increase of $308 million or 11.4% over 2005.
All of the company’s business segments, with the exception of broadcasting (TVA), reported higher revenues. Quebecor Media’s operating income rose $69.2 million (9.4%), to $802.8 million in 2006, mainly as a result of higher operating income in the cable segment ($99.2 million or 24.0%).
"Quebecor Media continued growing its revenues and operating income in 2006," said Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO, in the press release.
"The strong performance was…
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