CORD-CUTTING, OR SHAVING, could take a big, 1.7-billion-dollar bite out of Canadian television distribution revenues by 2017, according to a new report from RBC Capital Markets.
While that sounds pretty painful, the reports authors call that a modest hit to an industry which pulls in some $10 billion annually. The real challenge will be after that, during what they call the 2017-’19 inflection period, where cord-cutting could really accelerate, especially if over-the-top video services grab much more of the premium programming and the traditional industry isn’t proactive.
“Prior to our OTT inflection period, we do not expect the financial impact of…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications has introduced an app that lets customers stream live TV channels on their iPads, offering the freedom to watch shows from anywhere in the home.
The Rogers Live TV app is available via WiFi to Rogers digital television customers in Ontario who subscribe to Rogers Hi-Speed Internet with a ‘MyRogers’ account. At launch, customers will be able to stream 20 channels through their iPad, with more channels, and a version for Android tablets, coming soon.
"Rogers Live TV app is a key component of our TV Anywhere vision and lets customers experience live TV on their tablets…
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TORONTO – With the lockout over, NBA basketball is returning to Canadian sports networks starting this month.
TSN and TSN2 will post up as the official broadcaster of the Toronto Raptors and the NBA in Canada starting December 25 with a 74-game package including 37 Raptors match-ups. In addition, the channels will carry the NBA all-star game, playoffs, and exclusive Canadian coverage of the NBA finals.
Matt Devlin and Jack “The Coach” Armstrong will call the games, while Rod Black will host coverage alongside analyst Leo Rautins in the TSN Studio and on-site at the Air Canada Centre.
Sportsnet will air 29 regular-season…
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OTTAWA – Some companies are telling Industry Canada that it shouldn’t rush to open up TV white spaces spectrum, while another is saying let’s get on with it.
In reply comments to the consultation (that we first reported on here), the majority urges the department to consider all the pros and cons, ensure over-the-air TV isn’t negatively affected and watch how rollouts in other markets go before making a final decision on how it’s going to proceed. They say this will best ensure Canada gets it right.
As was argued by several parties in…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media announced Monday that Telus will now offer FX Canada to its Optik TV subscribers in Alberta and British Columbia.
Beginning yesterday, Rogers-owned FX Canada is available to Telus Optik TV subscribers in Alberta and British Columbia in standard definition on channel 188 and coming soon on demand and in high definition on channel 690 in early 2012.
The digital specialty launched last month on Rogers Cable, EastLink and Cable Cable.
www.FXCanada.ca
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TORONTO – Popular radio hosts Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro have left The Score after 13 years, taking their show across town to rival Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
Sportsnet said that the Tim and Sid show will take over the sports station's weekday timeslot from 1 to 4 p.m. ET starting Monday where the duo will debate the hot-button issues from the world of sports. In addition to radio, the show may be also heard on-line and on podcasts available on iTunes.
“Tim and Sid are well-known personalities in the sports-talk genre and have a huge following,” said Sportsnet 590 The Fan program director,…
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TORONTO – Rogers’ LTE network is now live in the cities surrounding Toronto and Vancouver, offering more than 8 million Canadians access to the new wireless network service.
Rogers said Monday that its LTE network is up and running in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham in Ontario, and in the West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Surrey and Maple Ridge communities in British Columbia.
"Today more Rogers customers from the east and west can experience the future of fast as we continue to expand the gold standard wireless network technology, the Rogers LTE network to more Canadian cities surrounding…
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TORONTO – Perennial rivals Rogers Communications and Bell Canada announced Friday that they are teaming up to buy a majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for $1.32 billion.
The two communications companies purchased the 75% interest from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Rogers will pay $533 million for a 37.5% stake in the sports empire, while Bell will pay $398 million for a 28% stake in MLSE, and it pension plan will invest $135 million for a 9.5% stake. In a concurrent transaction, Kilmer Sports Inc. (KSI) will increase its current 20.5% ownership interest in MLSE to 25%….
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TORONTO – If CBC felt left out of the new Bell, Rogers and MLSE alliance, it didn’t let it show.
"I would like to congratulate Bell, Rogers and Larry Tanenbaum on their deal announced today. To know the ownership of Canadian teams will be kept in Canadian hands is great news," said Kirstine Stewart, EVP of CBC English Services in a statement Friday. "Increasingly, sports rights deals are dependent on strong partnerships. We are proud of our partnerships with Rogers on the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014 and with Bell as we prepare our joint Olympic 2014/2016 bid".
www.cbcsports.ca
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NEW YORK – Seeking to boost its market share of medium- and large-sized companies, Rogers Communications’ business unit is pressing other North American cable operators to interconnect their networks and coordinate their commercial products and services.
Speaking at a Light Reading conference on cable business services here last week, Terry Canning, senior vice-president of Rogers Business Solutions, argued that cable companies have a great opportunity to lure enterprises away from telcos because of cable’s unique hybrid fibre-coax (HFC) architecture, abundance of fibre lines and advanced DOCSIS 3.0 broadband technology. He also contended that cable has an advantage because its fibre…
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