TORONTO — With the much-anticipated premiere of Star Trek: Picard scheduled for January 23 and the return of Doctor Who on New Year’s Day, CTV Sci-Fi Channel is giving viewers an early Christmas present with the launch of a nationwide freeview that starts December 19 and runs until January 30. CTV Sci-Fi Channel also has a number of blockbuster marathons scheduled to wrap up 2019.
The all-new Star Trek: Picard series will see Patrick Stewart reprise his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard. During the 10-episode first season, Stewart will be joined by other familiar faces from the Star Trek franchise,…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – In leaving behind environmental activism to enter federal politics, new Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault will now be responsible for combating online hate speech; helping to develop a new set of online rights; expanding the CBC’s news coverage; and ensuring that web giants contribute to making, and carry Canadian content.
In the ministerial mandate letter he received from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which was released on Dec. 13 Guilbeault is tasked with creating “new regulations for social media platforms, starting with a requirement that all platforms remove illegal content, including hate speech, within 24 hours or…
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No surprises in the documents
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – As expected, Rogers, Shaw, Vidéotron, Cogeco and Eastlink have filed an official Review & Vary application with the CRTC, requesting changes to Telecom decision 2019-288—the final rates for aggregated wholesale high-speed access services (HSA).
The themes are similar to what was filed with their appeals to the courts and to federal cabinet.
The cable carriers focused on “new facts and circumstances and on errors of fact and principle” that questions how the Commission arrived at its much-delayed decision.
“The Commission has announced an imminent review of its approach to setting…
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TORONTO — Following the historic first NHL broadcast in Plains Cree last season in conjunction with Rogers Hometown Hockey’s visit to Enoch Cree Nation, Sportsnet and APTN are expanding their partnership to deliver more NHL games over the next three seasons, the companies announced Monday.
In total, a minimum of six NHL games per year will be broadcast on APTN in Plains Cree, with the first Cree-language broadcast of the 2019-20 NHL season featuring the Winnipeg Jets vs. Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Sportsnet will continue to deliver the broadcast production, which will feature…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) announced the first speakers lined up for the Prime Time 2020 conference to be held January 29-31 in Ottawa.
The speakers who have been announced include:
Soumya Sriraman — Founding President & CEO, BritBox
Craig Engler — General Manager, Shudder
Catherine Tait — President & CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada
Amal Baggar — Vice-President, Scripted Programming, NBCUniversal International Studios
Madeline Buxton — Culture & Trends Manager, YouTube
Nataline Rodrigues — Director of Original Programming, Rogers Media
Christa Dickenson — Executive Director, Telefilm Canada
Andrew Peterson — Head of Content Partnerships, Canada, YouTube
Valerie Creighton —…
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New Yonge/Dundas store showcases all of what Rogers does – and will be able to do in the future
TORONTO – Just in time for Christmas, Rogers Communications will open a state-of-the-art flagship retail store, Rogers 302, tomorrow (December 12).
Located in one of the busiest intersections in the country (50 million people per year pass through Yonge and Dundas), the 9,000 sq.-ft. space – at 302 Yonge St. – will provide an in-store experience unlike any other across the Rogers retail chain.
Rogers 302 will showcase all of the latest wireless, connected home technology, and media content for consumers and businesses….
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GATINEAU – As we’ve reported, one of the outcomes of the Let’s Talk TV process was the creation of a national ratings service to include set top box viewership data from all major TV carriers – which was enshrined in the conditions of licence for large BDUs.
However, with Videotron’s status still unclear since it abandoned the process earlier this year despite its condititions of licence requiring it to take part (the Commission has since turned down its request to pull out and the Federal Court has refused to hear…
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NEW YORK – Anaïd Productions’ The Liquidator has been picked up in the U.S. by A+E’s FYI TV. The half-hour series, which has been broadcast for four seasons in Canada on Rogers Media’s OLN and in over 100 countries, will start airing this Friday December 6, at 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
The “King of Deals”, liquidation master Jeff Schwarz (pictured), is the star of the series where viewers are taken inside his unpredictable and unconventional buy-and-sell deals. His is the owner of Direct Liquidation, one of the biggest liquidation houses west of the Rockies.
He’s a flea…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC today launched an online survey in an attempt to better understand the needs, behaviours and habits of Canadians regarding their mobile wireless services.
The survey, announced this morning, forms part of the CRTC's review of mobile wireless services, which began in February 2019. “The survey results will help determine whether further action is needed to ensure that the needs of Canadians are being met in the mobile wireless market,” says the press release.
Canadians have until December 31, 2019, midnight PST to complete the survey.
The CRTC will hold a public hearing starting on February 18, 2020, in…
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However, Bell has not given itself an undue preference, the Commission says
OTTAWA — Although the CRTC has determined Bell has not provided itself with an undue preference when it comes to how toll-free calls are currently routed in Canada, the Commission does agree with Rogers that Bell should deploy one-way toll trunks to connect to Rogers switches in the Bell operating territories in which Rogers also provides service. Bell now has 150 days to comply with the Commission’s directive.
After several months of attempted negotiations with Bell, Rogers in May filed a Part 1 application asking the CRTC to settle…
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