THE BIGGEST STICKING point for the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications continues to be Shaw’s wireless assets.
As Cartt.ca previously reported, this is even after the companies came to a definitive agreement with Quebecor for the sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile. (The agreement is contingent on the Rogers/Shaw merger closing and on necessary approvals.)
Both the federal government and the Competition Bureau have been clear they have concerns about competition in Canada’s wireless market and about the impact Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw could have on it.
Industry minister François-Philippe Champagne issued a statement back in March…
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CHATHAM, Ont. – TekSavvy is calling on the Competition Bureau to “address rampant anti-competitive activity in Canada’s telecommunications industry,” according to a letter from the independent service provider to the bureau yesterday.
“Canada is suffering through a cost-of-living crisis,” the letter says. “Consumers should not continue to pay increasing, artificially inflated prices for an essential service while heavily subsidized large incumbent carriers reap record profits.”
TekSavvy’s letter references a February 2020 complaint it submitted to the bureau asking it to investigate what TekSavvy said was a pattern of anti-competitive activity in Canada’s wholesale and retail Internet markets.
As detailed in the…
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EVEN WITH A DEFINITIVE agreement for the sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor subsidiary Videotron on the table as a way to remedy concerns about competition in Canada’s wireless market related to the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Freedom owner Shaw Communications, a hearing in front of the Competition Tribunal on the matter appears to be all but inevitable.
“We understand that the parties believe that the sale of Freedom will address the concerns raised in our challenge of the Rogers-Shaw merger and have filed an amended response to the Competition Tribunal with this position,” a spokesperson from the…
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TORONTO, MONTREAL and CALGARY – Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Quebecor Inc. announced today they have signed a definitive agreement for the sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile to Quebecor subsidiary Videotron.
The definitive agreement is “substantially consistent” with what was announced with regards to the sale back in June, according to a press release. It still needs to be cleared under the Competition Act and by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and is contingent on the close of the merger of Rogers and Shaw, which itself still needs approval under the Competition Act and from the…
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MONTREAL — With a playful nod to its name, Videotron discount wireless brand Fizz Mobile’s latest campaign not only asks its members to imagine how the Internet tastes but has provided the answer with an actual drink created based on their input.
“It all started with a question: What does the Internet taste like?” a press release explains about the creation of “the world’s first ever Internet-flavoured beverage.”
“Fizz asked this question to its community first, then enlisted influencers and experts to share their opinion online,” the release says.
The campaign, created by Quebecor’s collaborative marketing agency Qolab, also used an out-of-home…
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WITH CANADIAN SERVICE providers finally deploying their 3500 MHz spectrum, a new era of 5G is among us – the era of 5G+.
“This next evolution of the rollout is the one that really starts to unlock… super high speeds, home Internet in rural markets and then true business applications, so it’s really exciting,” said Jim Senko (above), Telus president of mobility solutions, in an interview with Cartt.ca.
Currently, 78% of the Canadian population has access to Telus 5G – a number that is expected to reach 80% by the end of the year.
“So, our efforts are now pivoting to Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s renewal of the CBC/SRC’s licences on June 22, was met with dissenting voices within the Commission where the decision was approved by three commissioners over two dissents, as well as outside voices who have issues with some segments of the decision.
Several groups have now filed petitions to Cabinet to have the decision set aside or referred back to the CRTC, including Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), FRIENDS, l’Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA),…
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CEO says they are “more determined and motivated than ever” to expand across Canada
MONTREAL – Quebecor Inc. today announced its second quarter 2022 financial results, which states revenue for the quarter was $1.1 billion – a decreased of $16 million compared to Q2 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA was reported to be $491.4 million, a $10 million decrease compared to the same quarter of 2021, according to a press release.
In its telecommunications segment, Quebecor reported $912.6 million in revenue for Q2 2022 (a decrease from $928.4 million in the same quarter of 2021) while adjusted EBITDA was $487.5 million (up from $481.5…
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Calls for minister to ban ads on the public broadcaster
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a letter obtained by Cartt.ca, Québecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau brings falling advertising revenues to the attention of the Minister of Canadian Heritage while criticizing the recent renewal of the national public broadcaster’s licences by the CRTC.
“In the face of technological globalization of non-Canadian companies that rely on advertising (FAANG, and soon Netflix and Disney+), which is the only source of revenue for traditional television, the CRTC has decided to maintain the CBC’s power to continue to use it,” Péladeau mentions in his letter…
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MONTREAL – TVA Group, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, announced yesterday its financial results for the second quarter of 2022, which show revenues decreased by $12 million year-over-year to $147.5 million.
TVA also reported consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $3.2 million, a $10.7 million unfavourable variance compared to Q2 2021.
In its broadcasting segment, TVA reported $149,000 in negative adjusted EBITDA. This is “a $6,433,000 unfavourable variance resulting largely from the decreased profitability of TVA Network, which continued its strategy of increasing investment in content, partially offset by the improved profitability of “TVA Sports,” which had to absorb significant content cost in…
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