WHILE ACQUIRING SPORTS rights is getting increasingly expensive for broadcasters, the fact is it’s still a profitable business – and in Canada, Rogers is in the best position to profit from sports programming, according to a new report from BMO Capital Markets.
Sports programming, reads the research report by analyst Tim Casey, is a critical category for all BDUs. “Sports are live. They are PVR-proof. They are relatively piracy proof. As media distribution platforms proliferate, sports programming has emerged as the most resilient, and therefore most important, category for video suppliers and packagers.”
National…
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TORONTO – Rogers continues with expansion of its Smart Home Monitoring system with the launch of its service today in Newfoundland and New Brunswick. The home monitoring system, which allows customers to control and automate their home security, lights, cameras, thermostats and appliances remotely through their smartphone, computer or tablet, is now available for residents in Saint John and Fredericton, N.B., and St. John’s, Nfld.
“We’re thrilled to now offer Rogers Smart Home Monitoring to residents in Newfoundland and New Brunswick,” said Ian Pattinson, vice-president and general manager, Rogers Smart Home Monitoring, in the release. “Our…
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TORONTO – It’s time for Canada to go bid or go home as the popular Storage Wars franchise arrives north of the border. OLN, Proper Television, and FremantleMedia have announced that Storage Wars Canada has been greenlit with production of 36 half-hour episodes slated to begin May 2013, and filming to take place in locations across Ontario.
Storage Wars Canada is a modern-day treasure hunt, as four professional buyers use their knowledge, expertise, and wit to bid on the contents of abandoned, repossessed, and forgotten storage containers. With only a matter of minutes to scan the…
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WHAT IF SPORTS RIGHTS are getting so expensive that they blow up the traditional affordable bundle of TV channels?
Every sport is demanding more cash from broadcasters, who willingly pay and who then pass those costs along to the cable/satellite/IPTV carriers, who then must pass it on to their customers, those TV-watching sports fans who just have to get their Leafs/Canucks/ManU/golf/curling/darts/skiing fix, no matter the cost.
And those costs have been leaping of late. The wholesale fees charged by TSN to Canadian carriers, for example, have more than doubled in two years (to $2.21/subscriber/month if carried on basic, according to sources,…
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By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL – The owner of a yet-to-launch Montreal television station is being threatened with legal action because the brand he's using for it is being considered as a new name for Radio-Canada.
This week, the CBC's intellectual property lawyer sent a legal letter to Sam Nowrouzzahrai, whose family owns 4517466 Canada Inc. and the licence for an ethnic over-the-air television station in Montreal that is set to launch this summer. The letter orders the company to cease and desist the use of the name "ICI" because it infringes on the CBC's trademark.
The ethnic TV station had planned to use…
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OTTAWA – While it may be a stretch to suggest that Canada’s glaring lack of a digital economy strategy is directly damaging our economy, witnesses to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology this week noted that there are places reaping significant benefits from just such a plan, albeit on a regional basis.
Catherine Middleton, a professor at Ryerson University and the Ted Rogers School of Management, pointed to the success of Chattanooga, Tenn., as an example that Canada and Canadian cities should strive to achieve. There, the municipal utility has built out a Gigabit per second broadband network,…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications announced today it is introducing its LTE network to 44 markets this spring and intends to reach a total of 95 markets in 2013.
Among the 44 LTE markets launching this spring will be Saint John, New Brunswick; Medicine Hat, Alberta; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; Guelph, Ontario; Muskoka, Ontario; Collingwood, Ontario; and multiple cities in Quebec. More than a million Canadians will now have access to Rogers’ LTE network.
Rogers will also be making its 2600 MHz LTE spectrum band available in all markets, and 34 of the 44 new LTE…
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TORONTO – With outgoing Wind Canada CEO Tony Lacavera having told Cartt.ca that he loves auction rules set by Industry Canada because it shows the federal government is committed to seeing a fourth national wireless player emerge strongly, Bay Street is now wondering if Lacavera’s former backer, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, will risk diving deeper into the Canadian wireless market.
Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan wrote in a research note to clients last week that there are numerous reasons not to invest in the Canadian wireless market, yet…
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TORONTO – Astral Media announced today its TV Everywhere services TMN GO, HBO GO Canada and TMN Encore GO will now be available to Rogers cable subscribers.
Rogers cable customers who have a subscription to The Movie Network and TMN Encore can access TMN GO’s 1,000-plus hours of high-definition programming, which includes current Hollywood movies and classics, exclusive series from HBO, CINEMAX and Showtime, as well as Canadian original films and series on their various Apple wireless devices or their PCs.
With this announcement, Astral says TMN GO is now available to approximately 75% of…
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GATINEAU – Wireless industry stakeholders are still at loggerheads over a number of issues pertaining to a wireless code of conduct. They include three-year contracts, the co-existence of the code with provincial consumer protection legislation and notifications of data and fee caps, among others.
On these matters, the Big Three – Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus – remain united. They all agree that banning three-year contracts as has been suggested by some consumer advocates and the new entrants isn’t necessary given the clear language on earlier termination fees (ETF).
The ETF formula, in conjunction with the unlocking and cancelation policies,…
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