SEATTLE and TORONTO – Popular online video publishing and video management solutions provider thePlatform is providing the back-end video management for Rogers’ and Shaw’s subscription video-on-demand service shomi.
An independent subsidiary of Comcast, thePlatform’s cloud-based mpx video management system provides several back-end functions for shomi. Specifically, mpx provides easy workflow management of video ingest; metadata management; subscriber management and viewing rights enforcement; and automated publishing across device and video player profiles, says a press release the company put out this morning.
“Shomi has raised the bar for multiscreen video entertainment for Canadian viewers,” said Marty Roberts, co-CEO of thePlatform,…
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TORONTO – Rogers is offering its Fido wireless customers a free 24-month premium subscription to music streaming service Spotify.
The company said Monday that the exclusive agreement will allow Fido customers to choose from over 30 million songs to stream to their wireless device, ad-free with unlimited skips, plus the ability to download and listen to the tunes offline.
The announcement was short on specifics, however, other than advising customers to “stay tuned” for more updates on how to start streaming Spotify Premium with their wireless plans.
"We know our customers love to stream music and Spotify is the obvious choice for us," said…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s publicly traded television service providers combined lost a record 65,000 TV subscribers in their respective 2014 fiscal years (November 30/December 31, 2013 to November 30/December 31, 2014), up sharply from just a few hundred lost in their 2013 fiscal years, according to a new report released today
New research from Ottawa-based research and consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services also shows that the publicly traded TV service providers lost 21,380 TV subscribers combined in their 2014 fiscal fourth quarters, almost double the 11,323 lost in the same periods in 2013.
“The trend continues to show the…
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GATINEAU – There are always some interesting figures which emerge with the publishing of the annual aggregate returns of the large carriers and broadcasters by the CRTC.
Below are a few highlights from the data filed by Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV companies (we’ll look at the conventional TV, pay and specialty and radio numbers later) for the broadcast year ended August 31, 2014.
Of the subscriber losses suffered by the large, established TV carriers (cable and satellite brands Rogers Cable, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Videotron, Bell Satellite TV, Cogeco Cable and Eastlink) almost all went to…
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TORONTO – Alek Krstajic has been named the new CEO of Wind Mobile, and founder Anthony Lacavera is stepping away from the company’s day-to-day operations to take on the role of honorary chairman, the company announced Monday.
Krstajic replaces former CEO Pietro Cordova who “has transitioned away” to rejoin the Vimpelcom group, according to the announcement. No stranger to the Canadian wireless industry, Krstajic was founder and CEO of fellow new wireless entrant Public Mobile, bought by Telus in 2013, plus was previously president of Bell Mobility and SVP at Rogers Cable.
"We are very happy to welcome Alek as…
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TORONTO – Rogers and Vice Media have begun to flesh out their $100 million joint venture Vice Canada, announcing a number of senior production hires on Monday.
Production veteran Michael Kronish, previously an executive producer at Zone3, has been tapped as EVP television and online, to oversee all Canadian-produced content intended for distribution on television, mobile and online. In addition, Vice Canada has hired Jason Ford as VP production from Red Bull Media House; Andrea Schmidt joins as an executive producer from Al Jazeera’s current affairs documentary show; and Tania Natcheff, previously an executive producer at the CBC, joins the…
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OTTAWA – While some have yet to react and others have decried the CRTC’s decisions today on the carriage portion of the Commission’s TV Policy Review, the overall reaction has ranged from generally positive to indifferent. Bell Canada and Quebecor Media have chosen not to respond as yet.
Shaw Communications president and CEO Brad Shaw:
“We support the Government’s direction and the Commission’s commitment to maximize choice for Canadians – as citizens, producers, and consumers. We are pleased that the Commission has built on the foundation of previous Talk TV decisions to support a bold yet balanced and orderly policy framework…
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BURNABY, BC – While sales climbed 21% and global revenues hit $1.65 billion in 2014, Glentel ended the year with a net loss of $4.6 million.
That’s a far cry from the $4.6 million in profits recorded in 2013, and the wireless retailer also reported consolidated adjusted net income of $20.1 million versus $25.0 million year-over-year. EBITDA dipped 1% to $54.3 million from $54.6 million last year, and EBIT decreased 2% to $ 27.5 million compared to $28.2 million in 2013.
Sales for 2014 were $1.65 billion, up 21% from $1.37 billion in 2013. Glentel consolidates sales results from its Retail Canada Division,…
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OTTAWA – Announcing the most recent round of Let’s Talk TV decisions last week, CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais spoke about the need to create fewer, higher quality Canadian TV shows instead of a larger number of mixed quality television – and to build a more sustainable production sector populated by larger, well-capitalized firms.
In essence, he was saying less is more. However, those who make the shows believe, conversely, less will only lead to less.
Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-86, released on March 12, made a number of significant changes to Canadian content rules. Chief among…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The score is Rogers – 1, Bell – 0, after the CRTC dismissed Bell’s complaint Monday that Rogers’ GamePlus online hockey viewing app provides that company with an “anticompetitive advantage.”
GamePlus is a feature within GameCentre Live. GameCentre Live is Rogers’ online platform that allows fans to stream over 1,000 NHL regular season and playoff games online and to whatever device they like for $200 a season, a subscription which is open to anyone. GamePlus offers different camera angles, exclusive interviews, highlights and advanced stats, and is exclusive to Rogers’ TV, Internet, home phone and wireless customers who…
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