TORONTO – Canadian broadcasters have returned from the Los Angeles Screenings, where they were wrong-footed by Netflix snatching must-have U.S. series from under their noses for the first time.
"With Netflix in the mix, license fees went through the roof as it brought blank checks to the table and went in to buy world rights," one U.S. studio seller privately told Cartt.ca on the weekend. "Anybody selling anything just has to do one-stop shopping," they added.
Another studio executive told Cartt.ca on condition of anonymity that post-broadcast rights fees (i.e. the ability to stream shows on the likes of CraveTV, shomi…
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OTTAWA – Bell is third big wireless provider to reach an agreement with the Competition Bureau to credit or refund its customers who were charged for premium text messages that they had been led to believe were free.
The Bureau said Friday that Bell will issue rebates of up to $11.82 million to select current and former wireless customers after it concluded that the company made, or permitted to be made, false or misleading representations in advertisements for premium text messages, including trivia questions and ringtones, in pop-up ads, web pages and on social media.
The rebates will be issued to certain…
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EDMONTON – The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta today granted Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc. and Allarco Entertainment Limited Partnership (which does business as Super Channel) protection from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).
The initial period is for 30 days, to expire on June 25, 2016, subject to extensions, if granted by the Court. According to court documents, the company owes $115.7 million to various creditors, including the likes of Twentieth Century Fox, Starz and Warner Bros. for content airing on the pay TV service.
The company, which operates as the Super Channel TV brand in Canada,…
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The story of a mostly unwanted TV package implemented clumsily and reported on thoughtlessly
MY 80-YEAR OLD MOTHER-IN-LAW now pays $24.99 a month for her cable TV. That’s her monthly price. No other fees. No add-ons except HST. It is the skinny basic package. She’s glad to have it.
She is a Rogers customer in Hamilton who only really wants to watch CHCH and The Weather Network. This package is perfect for her.
How did I secure such a price while apparently all Canadians can’t figure out this new package and are outraged by the additional charges that can be applied that…
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TORONTO – Bell Media’s Bravo has unveiled a slate of new and returning dramas as it preps for a month-long free preview starting June 1st.
The new shows include crime drama Animal Kingdom which debuts June 14 with a two-hour premier, mystery series Guilt on June 21, as well as the return of its original series 19-2 (pictured) on June 20. Cult favourite Pretty Little Liars also debuts on Bravo starting June 21.
The Bravo Freeview will run June 1 – 30 on over 30 TV service providers across Canada, including Bell, Rogers, Eastlink, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Cogeco, Telus, Sasktel, Tbaytel, Videotron,…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron to a public hearing in September to review the rollout of their skinny basic TV packages and implementation of pick-and-pay.
The Commission said Tuesday that as part of the process to renew their licences, it wants to ensure TV service providers are offering the new channel packaging choices to Canadians “in a manner that is consistent with its regulations and the spirit of its policy”. It added that less than 100,000 Canadians have signed up for the new basic TV package since it debuted March 1st, up from…
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VANCOUVER – RTDNA Canada, The Association of Electronic Journalists, has released the 2015 nominees for its National awards.
The RTDNA’s national awards represent the best in national storytelling on all platforms and highlight that journalism is a team endeavour. Once again, the calibre of entries has been world class and they reflect the rich tapestry and depth of journalism in Canada. Despite growing pressures in newsrooms across the country, great storytelling is as strong as ever, reads the news release.
The winners will be announced at the annual RTDNA National Conference, set for June 2 – 4, 2016 at the Shangri-La Hotel…
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TORONTO – Rogers received 86,328 requests for customer data from federal agencies in 2015, down 27,327 from the 113,655 requests received in 2014, the company disclosed Thursday in its third Transparency Report.
Rogers said that the fluctuation is mostly due to "external factors", such as the number of investigations that need to be conducted by law enforcement agencies. The company said that it received requests from federal agencies like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada Border Services Agency, and Canada Revenue Agency, as well as provincial and municipal agencies like police forces and coroners.
For the…
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VANCOUVER – RTDNA Canada, The Association of Electronic Journalists, has unveiled the 2015 nominees for its Network awards.
The winners will be announced at the annual RTDNA National Conference, set for June 2 – 4, 2016 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto.
"The RTDNA’s network awards once again highlight the depth and scope of outstanding storytelling in Canada,” said RTDNA Canada president Ian Koenigsfest, in the news release. “….and despite another year of challenges in our industry, this year’s winners are world class."
The nominees are:
Dave Rogers Award – Long Feature – Radio
– AMI Audio: Contact, The Flag at 50
– AMI Audio:…
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BOSTON – For those who remember The Cable Show of old, INTX 2016 pales by comparison. Traffic on the show floor seemed pretty light this year and the show is far smaller than just a few years ago.
At one time, tech vendors and broadcasters had huge booths on the trade show floor and the show itself drew something like 15,000 cable professionals. However, with the global shift to IP delivery of everything and with cable channels and their content being distributed far and wide on all sorts of new platforms, the industry seems to be pondering the question: “what…
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