GATINEAU – Shaw Communications was the first broadcast distributor to take the stand before the CRTC?s 9(1)(h) hearing on Monday and it appealed to the Commission to ensure that it maintained high standards when considering additional channels for mandatory carriage.
Jean Brazeau, senior VP of regulatory at Shaw, noted during his opening remarks that exceptional importance should be the minimum threshold that channels need to meet to achieve mandatory carriage status. ?Once satisfied, the applicant still must meet the additional criteria. This includes demonstrating ?extraordinary? need among an intended audience and widespread acceptance by Canadians of an increase in the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – On May 8, City’s local morning show Breakfast Television and select Rogers radio stations are holding a national on-air fundraiser to raise money to help end violence against women.
The second annual Morning for Hope event, in support of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, will air live from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time on City, as well as on radio stations 98.1 CHFI (Toronto), News1130 and 96.9 JACKfm (Vancouver), Lite 95.9 (Calgary), 107.7 The River (Lethbridge), 91.7 The Bounce (Edmonton), 102.3 Clear FM (Winnipeg), Lite 92.9 (Halifax), and K-Rock 105.7, KIX 93.5, and…
Continue Reading
IT MIGHT SURPRISE SOME to learn that one of the fastest growing Canadian media companies is not some sexy, new media, web based disruptor, but in fact built on the oldest electronic media we have: radio.
In about nine years, Vista Radio has grown from a single station in Duncan, B.C. to a national power with over 60 stations spread from the west coast to Ontario. It really jumped in size in 2012 when it agreed to purchase Haliburton Radio and its 24 Ontario stations for $32 million (backed by Westerkirk Capital, an investment arm of the powerful Thomson Family)….
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Sportsnet today launched its newly re-designed Sportsnet Mobile app for Android phones and tablets.
Designed with the serious sports fan in mind, Sportsnet Mobile for Android uses the latest in mobile technology, with the same look and feel as the recently released versions for both the BlackBerry 10 and iOS platforms.
Key features of Sportsnet Mobile for Android phones and tablets include:
MySN: users can customize Sportsnet Mobile to follow specific teams, players and fantasy leagues, as it happens
Real-time alerts: provides up-to-the-second coverage on any game, including instant notifications…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – TheScore, Inc. today announced an influx of $16 million in private placement financing from a small group of new and existing investors that includes Rogers Media.
The company said it has entered into subscription agreements for $16 million non-brokered private placement of 100,000,000 Class A Subordinate Voting Shares at a price of $0.16. Relay Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Toronto and Silicon Valley focused on the mobile space, is leading the private placement, along with existing shareholders Levfam Holdings Ltd. and Rogers Media.
This follows a 2012 deal by Rogers, which…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Quebecor Media’s Sun News compared itself to a wireless new entrant Tuesday saying it needs to benefit from a regulatory mechanism in order for it to compete against the established news players, company executives argued before the CRTC on the first day of the Commission’s 9(1)(h) hearing.
Kory Teneycke, vice-president of Sun News, told the commissioners under questioning that the news service is suffering from a market he believes isn’t functioning properly and is open to abuse by some of its competitors. He referred to the 2008 advanced wireless spectrum auction as an instance where the government recognized…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – In his final annual general meeting as CEO of Rogers Communications, Nadir Mohamed set some ambitious goals for the company for 2013, with the key being a need for much better customer service.
In his speech to shareholders, Mohamed didn’t mince words. “There’s no question we need to significantly improve customer service. We need to help our customers better understand what they get when they sign-up and we need to do a better job supporting them once they do,” he said.
“This year we’re focused on resolving the top reasons customers call, enhancing employee training and raising the bar…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers reported a 3% increase in revenues in its first quarter of the year, with much of that growth coming from its wireless business segment as consumer adoption of smartphones continues to grow.
Total operating revenue for Rogers’ first quarter was $3.03 billion, compared to $2.94 billion in the same quarter last year. Revenue from the company’s wireless division during this period increased by 3% to $1.76 billion, compared to the same period in 2012.
On a conference call with reporters, president and CEO Nadir Mohamed said that the company strategy has been,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers announced today the launch of a new on-demand app for LG Smart TVs that lets customers log in to their Rogers account via their Smart TVs and access more than 1,000 hours of content.
Rogers postpaid wireless, home phone and internet customers can log into the Rogers Anyplace TV application on their LG Smart TV by creating a profile on RogersAnyplaceTV.com and catch up on shows from City, Global and CBC. Rogers Cable customers have access to premium programming that they subscribe to through their existing TV package such…
Continue Reading
WHEN ASKED ABOUT how the reports that Wind, Mobilicity and Public Mobile are all looking for a way out of the wireless business in Canada, Industry Minister Christian Paradis told reporters in a conference call on Monday: “I still remain confident we can achieve our goal,” of having four wireless players in each region of Canada.
Mr. Minister, you are the only one with that confidence.
As we have noted before, the Canadian wireless market right now, has as many players as it will ever have and in all…
Continue Reading
