MONTREAL and TORONTO – BCE Inc. announced late Monday it will acquire Canadian security company AlarmForce Industries in a transaction valued at approximately $166 million.
The move will bring Bell alongside Rogers in Ontario as a five-product company (broadband, home phone, TV, wireless and home security). Rogers has offered a home security service for a number of years and the service has morphed into more of a connected-home offering for its customers. Bell already has security/smart home divisions in the east and in Manitoba, which it acquired with MTS.
"Bell is excited to welcome the AlarmForce team as we pursue…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Bell Canada isn’t content to let Telus and Rogers and Freedom dominate the discount segment of the wireless market.
During a conference call with financial analysts today discussing its third quarter results, BCE CEO George Cope said to watch for something from Bell to compete along side of Rogers’ chatr and Telus’ Public Mobile – what are sometimes called “value brands” in the industry as they tend to serve those in the low income segment of the population.
Bell, whose Virgin Mobile brand competes with Rogers’ Fido and Telus’ Koodo, doesn’t have such a third brand since it killed…
Continue Reading
Rogers agrees to expand distribution of tiny community station
GATINEAU – CRTC hearings feature a lot of what we call “woulda, shoulda, coulda” talk.
Loads of words about what companies would be doing, if only this or that were changed, what they should (or shouldn’t) be doing under existing rules and what they could be doing, regardless. It isn’t often where these issues are solved without the CRTC forcing the matter.
Well, during October’s phase II BDU license renewal hearing, commissioners heard from one small community TV outfit on what Rogers Cable could and should be doing for them in southern New…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC has pushed back its deadline for comments pertaining to TV channels wishing to renew their places in the basic programming package.
After recently announcing that it would kick off its 9(1)(h) hearing on April 30, the Commission said Wednesday that the deadline to submit interventions, comments and answers is now December 8, 2017, and not November 16 as first announced. The deadline for the applicants to submit their replies is December 18.
The new deadlines comes as a result of a joint procedural request from BCE, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, Cogeco, Quebecor, Rogers, Shaw and…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Newcomers to Canada use their mobile phone more than the general Canadian population, stream more content, and enjoy watching basketball, according to a new report released Tuesday.
Solution Research Group’s Newcomers to Canada research study explores consumer behaviours, social attitudes and demographics of newcomers in the last 10 years. The study polled 1,149 newcomers from China, South Asia, The Philippines, North Africa and the Middle East, as well as Latin and Central America.
According to the report, the newcomer market is increasing in importance socially and economically because of their record numbers (2.6 million since 2007) and habits that…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — While Canada may still lag a little behind other countries in rolling out more advanced advertising such as addressable ads, Canadian media companies are seeing some success with using data-enhanced TV capabilities to provide value and better targeted audiences to advertisers.
At last week’s CTAM Canada Broadcaster Forum, two separate panel discussions provided an overview of the advanced advertising landscape in Canada and other markets, including the U.S. and the U.K.
Kristie Painting, vice-president of digital platforms and revenue management for Bell Media, said her company uses both addressable TV and data-enhanced TV to provide advanced advertising options to…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — Canada’s major media companies are presenting a united front as they prepare to combat piracy of their TV content.
A special panel discussion at last week's CTAM Canada Broadcaster Forum provided a comprehensive overview of the impact of piracy on the broadcasting industry as legal experts from Bell, Rogers and Quebecor talk about their biggest concerns as they all believe illegal streaming of pirated TV content is on the rise in Canada. The panel participants also spoke about potential future strategies and recent victories in their fight against the companies who sell internet-connected set-top boxes which make pirated content so…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications' founder and visionary business leader Ted Rogers is among this year’s inductees that will receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
The late Rogers (pictured) will be honoured in the category of Business and Entrepreneurship. He joins fellow 2017 inductees civil rights icon Viola Desmond, athlete Donovan Bailey, singer Stompin’ Tom Connors, Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin, and environmentalist David Suzuki.
All of the inductees will be honoured at an event on November 15 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. The evening will also feature the unveiling of a special star for Canada in commemoration of…
Continue Reading
RANDY LENNOX IS beloved in the music business. Leading Universal Music Canada for close to 20 years, he was instrumental in finding and developing Canadian talent and growing the Canadian music industry into an acknowledged international force.
The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Justin Beiber, Shania Twain, Drake, Hedley, The Tragically Hip are all artists Lennox signed or helped build up. He probably could have remained at Universal until he was old and grey, if he wanted. Earlier this year the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) awarded Lennox (pictured*) the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for his longstanding…
Continue Reading
WINNIPEG – Rogers rolled out its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) service Monday in select Manitoba communities, including in Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage La Prairie, Selkirk, Steinbach, Gimli, Morden, Winkler, Churchill, Thompson and Flin Flon.
Billed as the next generation of world-class network technology, LTE-A combines two or more bands of spectrum to create a larger pipe or superhighway for data to travel on, providing a more consistent and worry-free mobile experience for customers.
Rogers added that it has also turned on additional spectrum in Manitoba to provide better coverage in hard-to-reach places like basements, elevators and buildings with thick concrete walls. The LTE coverage…
Continue Reading
