New home for more adult fare from Disney+
By Greg O’Brien
TORONTO – For those determined to look at new things the old way, you could say Disney+ is launching a new channel today with Star.
However, with over 150 TV series and more than 500 movies at launch, increasing to nearly 800 by the end of 2021 – which will also include exclusive Star original content – there’s a lot more to watch than on a TV channel, as we reported in January.
The titles are generally those which don’t fit under the mostly kid-friendly existing Disney+ brands of Disney, Pixar,…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU — The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) are asking the CRTC for expedited and temporary relief from Rogers Communications’ recent move to phase out new activations of DOCSIS 3.0 modems used by third-party Internet access (TPIA) service providers leasing Rogers’ networks. Rogers wants its TPIA customers to transition to DOCSIS 3.1 modems.
In a Part 1 application filed February 16 and posted to the Commission’s website on February 22, CNOC asks the Commission to determine that competitors using Rogers’ TPIA service be allowed to continue to activate DOCSIS 3.0 modems, when ordering download speed tiers…
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LONDON, U.K. — Telus has once again been ranked as the top national wireless provider in Canada, according to the latest report from UK-based mobile analytics company Opensignal.
Out of seven categories, Telus won four awards for mobile network experience, taking first place in video experience, voice app experience, download speed and upload speed in Opensignal’s February 2021 report.
Telus was also the joint winner for the three other categories — sharing top honours with Rogers for 4G availability, splitting the award for 4G coverage experience with its network-sharer Bell, and with all three providers sharing the award for games experience….
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TORONTO — Rogers Sports and Media announced today the launch of its “All In” inclusion and diversity program which will provide free advertising and creative services to five Canadian charities as well as help amplify the stories of a number of Black-focused charities and businesses.
The five organizations receiving free advertising and creative services through Rogers Sports and Media’s All In program are Big Brothers Big Sisters, Blacbiblio.com, Canadian Women and Sport, Friends of Ruby and Spirit North.
“Though these five organizations differ in their specific missions and the communities they serve, they each share a…
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TORONTO — Sportsnet and WWE announced today they are expanding their existing distribution agreement to now include live broadcasts of NXT on Sportsnet 360 and SN NOW, beginning Wednesday, February 24 at 8 p.m. ET.
Airing live every Wednesday night, NXT features the newest stars from WWE, including Finn Bálor, Adam Cole, Io Shirai, Karrion Kross, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.
In addition to NXT, Sportsnet 360 will continue to air WWE’s weekly flagship programs Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, as well as WWE Main Event and This Week in WWE. As part of a 10-year broadcast agreement…
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STOCKHOLM — Ericsson announced today it is launching three new lightweight radios in its massive MIMO portfolio and six new RAN Compute products, all designed to help accelerate 5G mid-band rollouts, the company says.
Weighing only 20 kilograms, the new mid-band massive MIMO 5G radios from Ericsson’s antenna-integrated radio (AIR) portfolio are up to 45% lighter than the previous generation, and 20% more energy efficient, the company says in its press release.
The six new products being added to Ericsson’s RAN Compute portfolio include both indoor and outdoor options for 4G expansions and mid-band 5G deployments, with up to…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Bill C-10 passed second reading unanimously last Tuesday and was officially referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for study, which of course, has already begun.
The prior two meetings on the bill to amend the Broadcasting Act were, for all intents and purposes, labelled a pre-study of the legislation, in order to get a heard start hearing witnesses before the bill was approved in second reading.
So, officially, the meeting last Friday was the first meeting to officially look at the legislation.
However, the committee chair informed members and witnesses at the start of the meeting…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications this week announced it has awarded Ted Rogers Community Grants to 42 youth organizations.
“Through programs in innovation, entrepreneurship, mentorship and community leadership, these organizations are providing critical supports to youth across the country by fostering pride, building confidence and helping young people achieve their highest potential,” reads the release. The organizations work with youth in grades 7 to 12.
Since 2017, Rogers has awarded such grants to 300 youth organizations across the country, and $6.5 million in Ted Rogers Scholarships to 1,400 Canadian youth attending post-secondary education. Many scholarship recipients were nominated by community grant partners…
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Third in a three-part series
By Len St-Aubin
FOR DECADES, CANADIAN broadcasting policy, grounded in the limitations of over-the-air radio and TV, has restricted consumer choice in the name of Canadian culture.
Quietly, Canadians have resisted: with set-top “rabbit ears”, roof-top antennas, pre-regulation cable-TV, and satellite dishes big and small, we asserted our freedom of choice, pulling in foreign signals. We took to online streaming like fish to water.
If passed, Bill C-10 would apply those increasingly out of touch (OOT) policies to online streaming. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are about to flourish.
It’s not that Canadians don’t like Canadian content. Our maple-leaf hearts…
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Rogers announces 2020 Sportsnet Diversity and Gender Equity Initiative recipients
TORONTO — As part of Rogers Sports and Media’s commitment to increasing diverse voices in media, OMNI Television announced today it will award $60,000 in scholarships over the next three years to post-secondary students across Canada who are pursuing careers in ethnic and third-language journalism.
The new national scholarship program will award 10 scholarships of $2,000 each annually to students at universities and colleges. The first year of scholarships will be awarded in August 2021. More information is available here.
“The global pandemic has reinforced how critical ethnic and third-language media…
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