A NEW REPORT FROM BMO Capital Markets, which dives deep into what will affect investment in the telecom and media space in Canada in 2013, takes a good look at the possibilities and assumptions heading into the auction of the 700 MHz spectrum everyone assumes will take place mid-year.
The report, by analyst Tim Casey, says what most believe – that the big winners in the auction, which will be expensive. will be the big three of Rogers, Telus and Bell, but that the latter two have an advantage over Rogers since Bell and Telus share the operation of their…
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TORONTO – After more than a year of negotiations, Hollywood Suite has found accommodations for their four HD commercial-free movie channels on the Rogers HD lineup. They’re now working to land Shaw next.
Featuring more than 400 HD movies per month, uncut and unedited, Hollywood Suite is: WarnerFilms (channel 486), MGM Channel (487), Sony Movie Channel (488), AXN Movies (489) and Hollywood Suite OnDemand. Rogers HD TV customers across Ontario will have a free preview of all four movie channels and Hollywood Suite OnDemand until March 31, 2013.
“We’re excited to be working with the great…
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TORONTO – Sportsnet has cemented it foothold in cycling by securing a six-year agreement for the Canadian multimedia rights to the Tour de France, beginning in 2014 and continuing through to 2019. The new deal includes exclusive Canadian rights for television, digital and mobile, providing an all-access pass to all 21 stages of the world’s most popular cycling race.
With today’s announcement, Sportsnet becomes the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of cycling’s esteemed Grand Tours, made up of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.
But the Tour de France is still recovering from…
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LONDON, ON – Just in time for Christmas, The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada is celebrating the first collective agreement between its technicians and SC360 Guelph, a Rogers Communications contractor.
The 30 members employed in London, Ontario ratified a two year agreement on Dec.19. Included in the agreement is an immediate 2% piecework rate increase, the implementation of a minimum daily payment averaging $120 with increases in the second year, the establishment of a matching 3% RRSP retirement plan, a cell phone allowance…
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AS CANADIANS CHOOSE to carry their worlds in their pockets – loaded onto their much loved and much used Androids, iPhones, BlackBerrys and so on, they are demanding service that’s always excellent and bills that are always affordable.
When things go wrong with the little device in our hands, when we get dinged for charges we didn’t expect, when it doesn’t work as fast as advertised, when it breaks, it’s a mini-disaster. It’s not like tearing a hole in your pants or getting a flat tire. Those things can be dealt with and are relatively easy to fix. When it…
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VICTORIA – Vecima Networks announced it has been named as a defendant in legal proceedings filed in the Supreme Court of Ontario by Inukshuk Wireless Partnership. Inukshuk, alleges in the legal proceedings that an agreement existed for Vecima to sell to Inukshuk certain radio spectrum and that Vecima did not comply with that agreement. In the legal proceedings, Inukshuk is seeking, among other things, an order requiring Vecima to sell the radio spectrum to Inukshuk, an injunction preventing Vecima from selling the radio spectrum to any other person, and monetary damages.
Vecima believes the legal…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications says it’s now taking reservations for the BlackBerry 10 smartphone to be offered on its LTE network in early 2013.
"Building on our history of innovative firsts, we are excited to offer our customers the opportunity to be among the first in the world to reserve their BlackBerry 10 device," said John Boynton, executive vice president marketing, chief marketing officer, Rogers Communications. "Rogers was the first carrier in Canada to launch BlackBerry, and the first in Canada to launch an LTE network. We look forward to adding BlackBerry 10 to the largest…
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OTTAWA – In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that the CRTC does not have the jurisdiction to allow conventional over-the-air broadcasters pursue a wholesale fee from BDUs for the carriage of their signals. The court’s decision should just about bring to a close the so-called fee-for-carriage (FFC) or value-for-signal (VFS) debate.
The court heard the case back in April which was essentially between the big BDUs, which had always stood against VFS, and Bell Canada. Canwest Television was listed as a respondent, but that was a leftover artefact of the earlier case as Canwest’s new…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media and The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) have partnered to create a development initiative that benefits local production communities.
The Rogers Development Fund, a revolving loan program, provides funding to support the independent producers of Alberta and Manitoba in the creation of new and innovative projects in the mediums of television, film, and digital.
The program is available to individual Canadian producers or production companies who have been residents of either province for at least one year. The fund will begin accepting loan applications on February 15, 2013; interested…
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OTTAWA – On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada will release its ruling on whether or not the CRTC has the jurisdiction to let conventional, over-the-air local broadcasters pursue a fee for the carriage of their signals by subscription television providers. The appeal was heard back in April, as Cartt.ca reported.
The ability for local broadcasters to charge a cable, satellite or telco TV provider a wholesale fee (and by extension of course, Canadian subscribers) has been something TV station owners have pursued off and on for decades. The CBC asked for the ability to pursue…
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