GATINEAU — U.S.-based cable TV shopping channel QVC will be added to the list of programming services and stations authorized for distribution in Canada, due to a stipulation in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on trade, the CRTC announced Monday.
Four years ago, the Commission ruled against an application by VMedia to add QVC to the list. VMedia then appealed the decision, and in September 2017 the Federal Court of Appeal referred the matter back to the Commission for reconsideration. In February 2018, the Commission issued a notice of consultation and asked for comments on VMedia’s request….
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has provided updated data about the changes in traffic volumes and usage patterns that have occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its most recent report, released Friday, looks at wireless and wireline traffic volumes through the month of May, as some regions of Canada began to loosen restrictions on the mobility of citizens and the reopening of some businesses. (The CWTA’s previous report looked at traffic volumes in March and April.)
Among the data highlights of the new CWTA report, Managing Networks in Unprecedented Times – Part 2, are the following:
Wireline…
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GATINEAU — In a decision published today, the CRTC has denied an application by Blue Ant Media to reduce the amount it’s required to spend annually on programs of national interest (PNI) for the eight specialty channels it operates in Canada.
Blue Ant Media’s channels include A.Side, BBC Earth, Cottage Life, HIFI, Love Nature, Makeful, T+E and Smithsonian Channel. In April 2019, Blue Ant filed an application to amend the condition of licence for its channels’ group licence in order to reduce its PNI expenditure requirements from 13.5% to 5% of the previous broadcast year’s gross revenues, as of September…
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LONDON, U.K. — Blue Ant Media announced Monday its Love Nature wildlife and nature channel has launched on pay-TV platform Les Bouquets Canal+ in more than 25 African countries.
The deal further expands Love Nature’s reach in sub-Saharan Africa and gives Les Bouquets Canal+ subscribers access to the channel’s lineup of original, English-language programming, including hundreds of hours of wildlife and nature series and documentaries.
Some of the Love Nature programming available on Les Bouquets Canal+ in Africa include: Africa’s Hunters (pictured), a Camp Zambia series produced by Plimsoll Productions; The Big Dry, also from Plimsoll Productions; Malawi Wildlife Rescue, produced…
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Donation also marks 60th year of the company
TORONTO – The founding family of Rogers Communications announced today they will donate $60 million this year to various charities across the country to help Canadians who have been hardest hit by the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
A total of $20 million is going to Food Banks Canada, where the funds “will enable FBC to help more Canadians, more quickly, by increasing bulk food purchases; and work collaboratively with communities and industries within the agricultural sector to build dedicated food production partnerships,” reads the Rogers press release.
That donation is the largest…
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OTTAWA – Broadcast technology manufacturer Ross Video announced Friday Amanda Holtstrom (above), product manager for its DashBoard product, was selected as one of the recipients of the National Capital Region’s Forty Under 40 award.
The annual event is presented by the Ottawa Board of Trade and the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ), and the 2020 online celebration will be aired on Thursday, June 25th from 8 to 9 p.m. on YouTube Live, Rogers TV and OttawaMatters.com.
Holtstrom is a graduate of Queens University with a degree in computer engineering (2004) and English literature (2006). She is a professional engineer, speaker and educator…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada today announced the launch of its 5G wireless network, now available in Montreal, the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Bell’s initial 5G service, riding on its AWS-3 spectrum (in the 1755-1780 MHz and 2155 to 2180 MHz range), will expand to more centres across the country “as the next-generation wireless technology grows in speed and capacity,” says its press release.
The promise of 5G is great (virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, connected vehicles, smart cities and enhanced rural access, and many IoT opportunities for business and government, says the Bell press…
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TORONTO — Continuing its efforts to drive the conversation in the fight to eliminate racism, Rogers Sports and Media announced Wednesday it will air a one-hour special, Ending Racism: What Will it Take?, on Thursday, June 11 across its TV and digital platforms.
Hosted by Cityline’s Tracy Moore and Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett, the national show will be available to watch or stream Thursday at 7 p.m. local time on Citytv, OMNI Television, Rogers TV community stations and Rogers Radio news websites, plus at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet.
The show will examine the events that sparked protests around the…
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TORONTO — Rogers Communications announced Wednesday it’s expanding its Operation Support Local initiative with the launch of a new website and social media campaign to showcase small businesses which continue to innovate and adapt as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
The site also provides access to resources such as Facebook Blueprint, LinkedIn Learning and Twitter Flight School to help businesses pivot and adjust to new ways of serving customers, says the news release.
Launched in April in partnership with Scotiabank, the Operation Support Local initiative has delivered more than $1 million in free media support to local businesses across the…
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HAMILTON — In a virtual ceremony Tuesday night, Rogers and Cogeco co-owned community TV station Cable 14 was awarded the Outstanding Business Achievement Award of the Year in the medium-sized business category by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
The annual awards event recognized local companies whose business achievements made an outstanding contribution to Hamilton during 2019.
More recently, Cable 14 has played a vital role for the local community during the Covid-19 pandemic. The channel partnered with the city of Hamilton’s emergency operations centre to help bring pandemic-related information to local residents. To support the activation of the city’s emergency operations…
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