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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TORONTO – Rogers has reached an agreement with the Competition Bureau to credit or refund its customers who were charged for premium text messages that they did not ask for.
Premium texts provide information like quizzes and fun facts, horoscopes and ringtones for which customers pay a transaction or monthly fee. In the past, Rogers acted as the billing agent for the third parties who provided the premium texts, much like charging a purchase to a credit card.
The move comes as a result of a Competition Bureau investigation of Rogers, Bell, Telus and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) launched in 2012…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has returned applications filed by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) challenging the tied selling of streaming services CraveTV and shomi to existing TV subscription services, citing Thursday’s Let’s Talk decisions.
A March 12 letter addressed to the consumer groups and signed by secretary general John Traversy said that the PIAC-CAC applications “would benefit from taking into consideration the Commission’s clarifications” in BRP 2015-86 in which the CRTC said that it would add a hybrid VoD service as a new type of exempt undertaking. “Accordingly, by majority decision, the…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s broadcasters aren’t about to give up spectrum and go through another digital upgrade again without being paid for moving – and believe some of the funds coming from the next big wireless auction must be re-directed towards a new local television production fund.
First comments were due into Industry Canada Wednesday on its consultation into repurposing the 600 MHz band – the slice of spectrum upon which much of the country’s TV signals ride.
While most agree that harmonizing our bandwidth plan framework with the United States is a good idea, independent broadcasters and vertically integrated media and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC unveiled sweeping changes to the Canadian TV broadcasting system earlier today. The Regulator has eliminated genre protection rules, shifted from Canadian content exhibition quotas to spending requirements and created a new class of online video-on-demand (VOD) services.
In a speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa, Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais underscored the need to adapt the broadcasting system to meet the realities of today where “people watch content in the ways, on the devices and at the times that most suit them.” He acknowledged that content is still king, but added that the viewer is now…
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TORONTO – CTAM Canada is once again inviting members to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, this time to see the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Tampa Bay Rays on April 15, 2015.
The doors open at 6:00 PM and game time is at 7:07 PM. This will be a ticketed event for CTAM Canada members only – more details to come.
www.ctam.ca
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