OTTAWA – On November 15, a federal court judge told internet service providers they have to start blocking unauthorized online services which provide access to programming content over the Internet to which they don’t own the rights, a violation of the Copyright Act.
Bell Media, Groupe TVA, and Rogers Media sought the decision to block various priacy sites which bore the “goldtv” moniker or similar urls.
On Monday, November 25, independent ISP TekSavvy filed an application to appeal with the Federal Court of Appeal to set aside that decision, saying the judge overstepped…
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OTTAWA – The judicial process against the CRTC’s August decision on the final rates for aggregated wholesale high-speed access (HSA) service will go forward – and the decision’s application will remain suspended pending a ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal.
This means that the rates in force today are the interim ones set in 2016 and retroactive payments set out in the summer decision are suspended, pending the court’s decision.
The FCA had already granted a temporary stay on October 1st.
Justice Richard Boivin determined “the implementation of the CRTC Order that could result in a permanent market distortion…
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NEW YORK – Saying they are looking to “unlock next generation consumer content experiences," Verizon and Snap Inc. (Snapchat) announced a 5G partnership this week.
Under the deal, Snap will develop new augmented reality (AR) features and experiences in collaboration with Verizon at Verizon’s 5G Labs, including opportunities to experience live events in new ways through Snapchat. The partnership will also see Verizon ad placements within Snap Original videos and the two companies will work together on exclusive distribution and co-marketing initiatives.
“Our strategy is to partner with the best brands to ensure our customers have exclusive access to cutting edge…
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TORONTO – “The notion that there is going to be a static number of (over-the-top) winners and losers, or there’s a shared wallet of three or four or five winners and then a line’s drawn and everyone else loses — I don’t even think that’s close to right,” said Jeff Shultz, SVP of business development at ad-supported OTT service Pluto TV.
He was speaking on a panel Monday afternoon in Toronto at CTAM Canada’s annual Broadcaster Forum (a gathering which now includes a large roster of non-traditional broadcasters).
Shultz said there will be a new dynamic of increased subscriber churn that…
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THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT the Canadian wireless industry and the merits (or perils) of new competition from Mobile Virtual Network Operators can leave your head spinning. The number of price comparisons and examples, local or international, can be so disorienting you start confusing up from down, the high-end of the market from people on a budget and Bay St. from Parkdale.
This Financial Post opinion piece, for example, calls affordability an ‘alleged’ problem. While it was focused on poking holes in the numbers provided by Timothy Denton in an earlier article, it fails…
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TORONTO – Today the Amazon Prime Video joins other popular streaming apps, like Netflix and YouTube, on Rogers Communications’ Ignite TV platform.
(Others are coming, too, as we have reported, and we’d bet big they’re working hard to get Disney+ on the platform as soon as possible.)
“With the introduction of the Amazon Prime Video app, Ignite bundle customers will be able to access an even wider selection of popular TV shows and movies. This is only the beginning as we continue to expand our content offerings and provide a premium entertainment experience with more choice and…
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TORONTO – Asian Television Network, Canada's largest South Asian broadcaster, said Tuesday it is restarting its mission of eradicating intellectual property theft after last week’s Federal Court decision which prescribes and mandates blocking of pirate websites by third party ISPs.
The decision “brings back the wheel full circle and reaffirms that for every wrong there is a remedy and that to provide such remedy the judicial system has inherent residual jurisdiction in our common law system,” says the ATN press release.
The precedent-setting move is the first time such an order has been made in Canada, and…
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OTTAWA – Back in the summer, as we reported, Justices from the Federal Court ordered the individuals operating the so-called GoldTV Services to cease operations.
They are unauthorized subscription services that provide access to programming content over the Internet without having obtained the rights, a violation of the Copyright Act, and Bell Media, Groupe TVA, and Rogers Media had all pursued the matter in court.
Despite the issuance of injunctions, the Court, in a decision released last week, says some of the GoldTV services remain in operation and the infringements continue.
Last Friday, the Complainants against Gold, Rogers,…
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GATINEAU – When Corus Entertainment asked the CRTC to amend its conditions of licence so the big broadcaster could delay some Canadian programming expenditures (CPEs) due to unforeseen increases in its revenues, few expected the company to receive much sympathy within the broadcasting industry.
After reviewing most of the interventions it has become clear that they have no sympathy from industry players.
For example, The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) challenges Corus’ arguments, saying the company “argues that this ‘dramatic’ spike in its CPE requirements will leave it in a more vulnerable financial position for two reasons. Firstly,…
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TORONTO – The fact that ARPU is trending downwards and churn is rising among the big three wireless providers shows that facilities-based competition brought by the likes of Videotron, Freedom and Eastlink is working – and mandated MVNOs would be a bad move for Canada.
So says a report published this week by Scotiabank’s telecom analyst Jeff Fan.
“Quebecor has been a wireless facilities-based competitor in Quebec for a decade. Is that not sustainable enough? We estimate the company has now captured approximately 19% market share in the province, and, with its new Fizz brand, the momentum has actually accelerated. We…
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