OTTAWA – Telus has bulked up on AWS-3 spectrum, paying more than $58 million for six licences (two each in the G, H, and I bands) covering Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Industry Canada’s auction of the left-over airwaves. This continues a trend for the Western-based telecommunications company, which secured the rights to 15 licences for more than $1.5 billion earlier this year when the bandwidth was first up for grabs.
With this auction now completed, Telus now has 21 AWS-3 spectrum licences covering all major regions of the country. (For more on the initial AWS-3 auction, read…
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TORONTO – A union representing some employees at TV stations operated by Rogers Media is using the upcoming federal election to help push forward its demand that the CRTC “hold Rogers to account” for cutting news on its OMNI TV stations earlier this year.
In a letter to the CRTC dated August 29, 2015, Unifor Local 723M says that “ethnic communities across Canada have been denied access to free television news about the election in their languages since the election was called” earlier this month. This, continues the letter, is why the Commission should expedite Unifor’s request filed in…
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TORONTO – With the Toronto Blue Jays riding high and prepping for the playoffs, Rogers Communications has named veteran baseball exec Mark Shapiro as president and CEO of the team and Rogers Centre, effective following the completion of the Jay's 2015 season.
Shapiro, (pictured), will take over the role from current president and CEO Paul Beeston, who is retiring at the end of this season. He will report directly to new Rogers Media president Rick Brace.
“Mark is a seasoned baseball veteran, whose leadership, drive for excellence, and commitment to all aspects of the game is impressive”, said Toronto Blue Jays chairman and Rogers Communications…
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TORONTO – Just days after Bell Media announced an overhaul, (and don’t forget, Shaw Media and Rogers Media have also made signficant changes over the past number of months), broadcaster and producer Corus Entertainment revealed Friday its new executive leadership team. Changes are not as dramatic as at the other companies, however.
"We are excited about the year ahead. With the deep bench strength of our executive leadership team, a clear vision and strong plan in place, we are focused on the successful execution of our strategic priorities as we evolve the company to meet consumers' needs in a highly-dynamic…
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TORONTO – Rogers Cable has added Brazil's oldest television station, TV Record, to its lineup.
Offered by Ethnic Channels Group in Canada, TV Record is a general entertainment channel airing entertainment shows, mini-series and soap operas, and is the official Brazilian sports station for major events.
"Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. is very pleased to add one of the best channels to broadcast out of Brazil to its roster of channels and make it available to the ever growing Brazilian population in Canada through Rogers Cable in addition to Bell Fibe", said Ethnic Channels Group CEO Slava Levin, in Thursday’s news release.
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TORONTO – After cutting more than 100 jobs and dropping its third-language newscasts earlier this year, OMNI unveiled its Fall schedule Friday, which includes seven new original titles ranging from Italian cooking to Kama Sutra.
The Rogers-owned over-the-air multilingual/multicultural television system also announced six newly acquired series and six returning favourites, which include the second season of Bollywood Star and the return of Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition. OMNI said that it is also readying its first original Chinese language crime series, called Blood & Water, which will premiere this Fall.
“OMNI’s revamped schedule boasts the best mix of informative lifestyle…
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TORONTO – Streaming service shomi is officially available to all Canadian Internet users as of Thursday, whether or not they have a paid subscription to a TV service provider.
For $8.99 per month, shomi can be streamed on tablet, mobile, online, and to TV screens via Xbox 360, Apple TV and Chromecast. It's also available on the set-top boxes of Rogers' and Shaw's TV subscribers. New users get one month free when they subscribe.
In addition to Canadian exclusives like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and Catastrophe, other big series includes iZombie, Jane The Virgin, Empire, Vikings, Outlander, and Sons of Anarchy.
“Today is…
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MONTREAL – Stingray Digital Group has received a five year renewal of its broadcasting licence from the CRTC for its national pay audio service Stingray Music.
Under the terms of the renewal, Stingray will contribute each year a minimum of 4% of the annual gross revenues earned by its pay audio programming undertaking to eligible third parties associated with Canadian content development allocated as follows:
– 25% to FACTOR;
– 25% to MUSICACTION,
– 5% to Community Radio Fund of Canada and;
– 45% to Stingray Music Rising Star to discover, encourage and promote new Canadian artists.
"We are pleased by with the CRTC's…
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OTTAWA – To the surprise of few, Industry Canada has decided to repurpose most spectrum in the 600 MHz range now used by TV broadcasters and others so it can be used to feed the insatiable demand for cellular data bandwidth.
However, in a ruling released Friday the department put off any decision on whether the federal government will compensate existing users of these frequencies, Canadian television broadcasters and others, for having to move to new digital TV frequencies.
“While many respondents were supportive (of repurposing the spectrum) contingent on the costs of…
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OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, the Canadian government’s ambitious Canada’s Wireless Policy took great steps from being a strategy to becoming a reality. The amount of spectrum made available to mobile wireless operators (and to fixed wireless operators) increased significantly, as Industry Canada delivered three auctions (700 MHz in March 2014, AWS-3 in March 2015 and 2500 MHz in April 2015) and is getting ready for a fourth one, scheduled in August 2015.
August 2015: Industry Canada’s residual auction
Industry Canada is holding its third auction in 2015 – a sealed-bid auction for “Residual Spectrum Licences in the 700 MHz and…
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