TORONTO — After 30 years at Rogers Communications, Colette Watson (above) is stepping down as senior vice-president of television and broadcast operations for Rogers Sports and Media. Her last day at Rogers will be June 15, the company announced today.
“Colette has been an invaluable member of the Rogers team and a driving force behind industry change. Over her 30-year career, whether it was in cable, regulatory, or media, she consistently delivered under pressure, championed what’s right, and put the company first,” said Jordan Banks, president of Rogers Sports and Media, in the news release. “Faced with industry challenges,…
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TORONTO — For the next two weeks, Sportsnet will revisit some of the biggest moments from the Rogers Cup tournament, featuring Canadian tennis stars Bianca Andreescu and Denis Shapovalov, the broadcaster announced Monday.
This week, Rogers Cup Rewind will relive Andreescu’s 2019 championship run. Starting Monday night at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, Sportsnet will rebroadcast Andreescu’s first round matchup with Eugenie Bouchard on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet Now. On the following four nights, Sportsnet will continue with round-by-round coverage of the 2019 tournament, culminating Friday in Andreescu’s semifinal against American Sofia Kenin and her championship final victory over Serena…
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By Greg O’Brien
OTTAWA – No one likes delay, especially when it comes to the auction of the wireless spectrum which will drive the primary advantages of 5G wireless technology.
Canadian wireless companies have been clamouring for access to 3500 MHz (3.5 GHz if you prefer) because the mid-band spectrum will deliver the speed and low latency so key to 5G’s future and all were anxious to get to this December’s auction and hit the gas on the next generation of wireless.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
While company CEOs like Joe Natale (Rogers), Mirko Bibic (Bell), Darren Entwistle (Telus), and…
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TORONTO – Independent ISP and TV service provider VMedia Thursday announced the launch of RiverTV, Canada’s first live TV and on-demand streaming channel platform.
Such services are known as virtual multichannel video programming distributors in the United States (such as Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, AT&T TV Now and others) but in Canada, the company is sticking with our own vernacular, so RiverTV is a vBDU, or virtual broadcast distribution undertaking.
Like conventional BDUs, and VMedia TV is one of those, RiverTV packages top specialty channels Canadian programming groups including Corus, Blue Ant Media, Channel Zero and Wildbrain, as well as…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – On May 15, the CRTC sent a request for information to parties involved in its wireless policy review asking: Does the ongoing situation with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic change the views you have previously put forward on any of the issues being examined in this proceeding? Explain why or why not with supporting rationale and evidence, as necessary.”
We expected few minds to have changed and the responses filed on May 29, were almost unanimous. We’re paraphrasing here, but the answers are: “The current crisis reinforces what we’ve been saying.” The anti mobile virtual network…
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TORONTO — The Ontario government today reconfirmed its commitment to invest $150 million to improve broadband and cellular service in rural, remote and underserved areas of the province.
The funding was previously announced in July 2019 as part of the province’s $315-million initiative called Up to Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan.
“As we carefully restart the economic engine of Canada, every region and every community will play a role in bringing jobs and prosperity back to our province,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in today’s news release. “By investing in reliable broadband and cellular service, we are…
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TORONTO — Rogers Sports and Media is asking Canadians to #SpeakUp against systemic racism and discrimination, announcing today the return of Citytv’s iconic Speakers Corner as a digital platform for Canadians to share their thoughts and opinions via video.
“With racial inequality, hatred, and discrimination still so prevalent, we as a society must do better. We have a unique responsibility to engage Canadians in conversation through our media assets and help be a catalyst for positive change by amplifying voices that have not always been heard with equal measure,” said Jordan Banks, president of Rogers Sports and Media, in the…
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MONTREAL — Music service provider and broadcaster Stingray announced today its music TV channels Stingray Karaoke and Qello Concerts are now available on Rogers Ignite TV.
The two services will be available in free preview for Rogers Ignite TV customers until July 2 and after that, each costs $7.99 per month. Ignite TV customers can access the channels by saying “Stingray Karaoke” and “Stingray Qello” into their voice remote.
“We are excited to grow our partnership with Stingray and give Ignite TV customers access to even more curated music content across multiple channels,” said Eric Bruno, senior vice-president, 5G, content and…
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SMI launches in Canada today
By Greg O’Brien
MOST PEOPLE BUYING or selling advertising will likely tell you a rate card is merely the beginning of a conversation – and what clients actually pay is sometimes far different than the published price.
What ad buyers, and to a lesser extent, broadcasters, publishers and others, have long craved is a reliable way to figure out what ads truly cost in the market and beginning this month, they’ll be able to know that with Standard Media Index coming to Canada.
Since its launch 10 years ago in Australia, SMI has become a trusted source…
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MONTREAL and VANCOUVER — Canada’s 5G networks are starting to shape up, with Bell Canada announcing Tuesday it will use radio access network (RAN) equipment from Ericsson for its national 5G wireless network, including for its high-speed Wireless Home Internet service for rural customers.
Bell’s national network sharing partner, Telus, announced separately today it will use equipment from Ericsson and Nokia to support the buildout of its 5G network. Bell has already announced Nokia as a key 5G supplier. Telus has said previously it was planning to push ahead with Huawei tech for its 5G infrastructure outside of…
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