CALGARY – While we can’t say for sure if the green and gold fans of the Edmonton Eskimos played a part, Shaw Communications announced today it will add TSN2 in HD and SD to the channel lineups of Shaw Cable and Star Choice on September 19.
"As TSN expands its service, we are excited to bring its new sports offering to our Shaw customers," said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications, in a release.
As Cartt.ca had reported, Shaw was one of the big four MSOs/DTH operators which hadn’t added the sports channel right at its launch. But, with…
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THERE’S NOTHING MYSTERIOUS about Rael Merson’s upcoming departure from his post as president of Rogers Broadcasting.
It goes like this: He’s been at the company for over 20 years, recently turned 50 and wants to give something else a shot. “I felt like, we’re empty nesters and I turned 50, I’m here 20 years, I wanted to do something a little different,” he told Cartt.ca in a recent interview.
He’s not retiring, however. While he has a non-compete agreement in place that will keep him out of the industry for a little while, he does have something entrepreneurial in…
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OTTAWA – Wireless incumbents Rogers Communications and Telus have asked Industry Canada to hold a public proceeding into wireless newcomer Globalive’s Canuck bona fides.
Globalive, a Canadian VOIP operator and long-distance re-seller, backed by Egypt-based wireless supplier Orascom, bid over $440 million for wireless spectrum during the summer’s advanced wireless spectrum auction. But both Telus and Rogers say the new wireless company’s ownership structure violates the Canadian legislation which says telecom companies must be majority-owned by Canadians.
Last month, Telus requested Industry Canada hold an open public proceeding to review the eligibility of new holders of wireless spectrum to…
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TORONTO – While Bell TV announced on the weekend it has added TSN2 to its channel roster, watch for more pressure to come on a couple of other Canadian carriers from their local football fans later this week.
Bell TV (formerly ExpressVu) is the first of the “big four” carriers (Shaw/Star Choice, Rogers and Videotron being the others) to begin carrying TSN’s secondary channel. TSN2 will air live games when the main network has something of a higher priority scheduled, as well as some taped shows and tape-delayed games.
As reported earlier this week by Cartt.ca, TSN has been…
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TORONTO – Dave Caporicci has been appointed director of program marketing and brand partnerships for Much MTV Group.
Caporicci joined MuchMusic in October 1996 and helped drive the Much portfolio from one to seven channels when it was owned by CHUM Limited. Since the fall of 2008 Caporicci has worked alongside Darryl Coburn, director of ad sales, running the newly-minted Much MTV Group Sales department under the CTVglobemedia umbrella.
This partnership will continue, with Caporicci now overseeing the staff of the Much MTV Group brand partnerships department.
The Much MTV Group represents ad sales for eight broadcast channels, three…
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TORONTO – They’ll probably crack eventually, but so far, the big four of Canadian video distribution, Shaw Communications, Rogers Communications, Bell TV and Videotron have resisted adding the new TSN2 to their channel lineups.
As usual, it’s a fight over money (that and to a lesser extent, packaging and capacity).
TSN2 was the “alternate feed” of the main TSN network, a sometimes on, sometimes off, dumping ground that the sports network used when it had conflicts with two live events. Most of the carriers had it somewhere on the dial and didn’t mind making space for that channel since…
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TORONTO – The opportunity for growth on the data side of the wireless business is huge, says Rogers Communications president and COO Nadir Mohamed.
While overall wireless penetration is headed to 70% in Canada in the not-too-distant future, growth in data is just beginning, he told a BMO Capital Markets telecom and media conference on Tuesday.
“Data is fairly new in terms of where we’re at in the country,” he said. “We’re the leaders, where let’s say that 15% of our revenue comes from data but we think there’s a ton of opportunity.
“If you look at the wired…
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TORONTO – Sportsnet.ca today announced its web site is optimized for use with the iPhone 3G and iPod touch.
The mobile site offers users access to a wealth of sports information including customized real-time scores, stats, standings and breaking news for all the sports they follow.
"Sportsnet.ca mobile connects iPhone 3G and iPod touch users with the latest sports news wherever they are," said David Ballingall, vice-president, marketing, Rogers Sportsnet and general manager, sportsnet.ca. "Sports fans are demanding more and more content while they’re on-the-go and this iPhone 3G exclusive site will cater to those demands."
By visiting sportsnet.ca on…
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EXTON Pa. and TORONTO – The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers made official today a brand-new annual professional development opportunity – the SCTE Canadian Summit.
The event is set to debut Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 3-4, 2009, in Toronto.
SCTE Canadian Summit 2009 “is designed to facilitate an exchange of technical information for Canadian engineering professionals to help them maximize opportunities and overcome challenges specific to the cable telecommunications industry in Canada both now and in the near future.”
Cartt.ca has signed on to be the media partner of the event.
The first year of the Summit will feature…
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VANCOUVER – S-VOX officially named the senior management team of Christian broadcast station Joytv 10, which launched Sept. 1 in Vancouver, B.C.
Before S-VOX bought it earlier this year, the broadcaster was a Rogers OMNI station and prior to that was an independent broadcaster called NowTV. Rogers had to commit to the CRTC to sell the Christian station when it acquired Citytv from CTVglobemedia in 2007. It’s always been a religious station.
And, since Rogers purchase of Vancouver’s Channel M last year, OMNI in Vancouver is now a multicultural station.
Amid the changes, Terry Mahoney remains. Mahoney,…
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