TORONTO – Rogers has unveiled a new series of next generation, high definition personal video recorders including the largest hard drive in Canada at 500 gigabytes.
The new Rogers Cisco Explorer 8642HD PVR can record and store up to 62 hours of HD or 280 hours of SD content; offers HiRes feature updates to the user interface screens to 640×480 resolution from 320×240; and new playback features such as PVR Hashmarks which allows jumping forward or backward by 15, 30 or 60 minutes during playback of recorded programs.
It is also enabled for "near-future enhancements" including home networking and interactive TV services through…
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TORONTO – In an effort to broaden its retail distribution, Rogers has launched a pilot project with Shoppers Drug Mart which will see Rogers and Fido wireless products stocked in more than 30 drug stores.
Select Shoppers Drug Mart stores in "a key regional area" will begin offering HSPA-ready smart phones and Internet Rocket Sticks beginning July 1st, the companies announced Monday.
"Customers are telling us they want more choice for where they acquire Rogers and Fido products and services in their own neighbourhoods," said Rogers’ communications president Rob Bruce, in the announcement. "Through this pilot initiative, Rogers and Fido customers will have…
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TORONTO – Rogers Broadcasting has named Karen Steele as program director for KiSS-92.5, replacing Julie Adam.
Steele, who joined Rogers Broadcasting in July 2009, will be responsible for all programming, promotion, music, and personalities on the station which bills itself as Toronto’s #1 Hit Music Station.
Adam will continue as program director for Rogers-owned CHFI FM, as well as VP of national radio programming for Rogers.
www.rogers.com
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TORONTO – The Canadian on-line advertising market will top $1.74 billion this year, according to new research from Convergence Consulting Group.
The report ‘The Battle for the North American (Canada & U.S.) Couch Potato: New Challenges and Opportunities in the Content Market’ estimates that on-line TV advertising revenues represented 2.3% ($1.52 billion) of 2009 Canadian broadcast and specialty network TV advertising revenue. That figure is forecasted to grow to 3.1% in 2010.
As in the U.S., Canadian broadcast and specialty networks aim to grow on-line advertising revenue without negatively impacting their traditional TV advertising revenue and programming fees from cable, satellite,…
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TORONTO – Despite the news that Canadians will have to wait at least another month to get their hands on an Apple iPad, Rogers said that it will offer iPad price plans by the end of May.
Rogers “will offer iPad price plans for all models from the end of May,” Keith McArthur, director of social media, wrote Wednesday on the company blog.
The iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and more using it’s multi-touch user interface.
In a statement on its website on Wednesday…
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OTTAWA – It’s time to open up Canada’s telecom borders to foreign investment, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development told the federal government this morning.
Dimitri Ypsilanti, head of the information, communications and consumer policy division directorate on science, technology and industry with the OECD in Paris discounted the both cultural and network sensitivity reasons for maintaining foreign investment restrictions in telecom during his chat this morning with the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology which is examining the rules on foreign investment in Canadian telecom companies.
“There’s no reason in my mind to believe that foreign telecom network…
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TORONTO – Registration is now open for CTAM members wishing to cheer on the Toronto Blue Jays as they take on the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on April 28th.
This year’s guest speaker will be Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist of Rovi Corporation, who will present on the different personas of entertainment consumption, including how the consumer’s perspective on consuming entertainment impacts adoption of technology. Based on a social study of how consumers engage with media and technology in their own homes, this presentation outlines key considerations for addressing consumers’ true pain points.
The speaker begins at…
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OTTAWA – CRTC audits of the community channels operated by some of Canada’s biggest cable companies show “numerous abuses”, according to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
From 2002 through 2005 (the last year in which the CRTC monitored them), CACTUS said that the audits prove that cable companies “routinely” exceeded the maximum of two minutes per hour of promotional ads, and the 15-second limit for sponsorship messages.
Calling out Rogers in particular, CACTUS said that one of its OHL hockey programs contained 24 ads in one episode, plus another 41 ads two nights later, yet none of…
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TORONTO – After officially opening its doors on April 1st, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) will stage information sessions across Canada to further explain its new funding guidelines and answer questions from potential recipients.
The first of the outreach sessions are scheduled for Victoria and Vancouver on April 12, before crisscrossing the country. Click here to register to attend one of the 15 sessions.
The meetings will be led by Nathalie Clermont, director of CMF program management, along with Roxane Girard, director of CMF program administrator/Telefilm Canada, Francesca Accinelli, director of the English market, and Stéphane Consantino, director…
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TORONTO – Rogers Digital Media has re-launched its Citytv video theatre with improved search and navigation capabilities, and a quicker rate at which content is delivered.
Rogers credits technology from Brightcove and Endeca for the improvements to its on-line platform video.citytv.com, which features both locally-produced Citytv content and many of its popular U.S. and Canadian television shows.
“Brightcove and Endeca have enabled Citytv.com to rapidly introduce a scalable and flexible video experience that meets the evolving needs of our on-line audiences and deepens consumer engagement with our video content," said Claude Galipeau, SVP of Rogers Digital Media, in a statement….
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