LEONARD ASPER HAS been front-and-centre on the fight for regulatory change in broadcast television.
Of all the broadcast CEOs in Canada, he has stuck his neck out the farthest in demanding things as fee-for-carriage and increased advertising flexibility. As you’ll read, much is riding on his company’s submission and the eventual new policy emanating from the CRTC decision which will be announced in 2007.
During the hearing days, expect much hay to be made on CanWest’s request for an extra 50-cents per TV subscriber per month for each conventional broadcaster.
At the Canadian Association of Broadcasters annual conference in…
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IF CANADA’S INCUMBENT TELEPHONE companies want total deregulation quickly, they’re going to have to do it for (and to) themselves, in the marketplace.
Yesterday Industry Minister Maxime Bernier told the Economic Club of Toronto, with numerous telecom executives in the audience, that the federal government will force the CRTC to deregulate "access independent" VOIP services, no matter which company offers them or where.
The voice services offered by Primus and Vonage are prime examples. The consumer buys a special box, perhaps downloads some software and "poof", they have VOIP service in their homes –and perhaps portably, too.
The Commission’s Continue Reading
TORONTO – Avik Lee, a veteran media industry professional, will join S-VOX as client relations co-ordinator on November 20th.
In this role, he will work closely with clients and partners in the areas of paid programming and advertising sales, and will be responsible for planning and executing effective promotions and grassroots community events.
"Avik has an impressive record of accomplishments in the print and broadcast sectors, both here in Canada and abroad. His recent background in television coupled with his language skills makes him the ideal person to work with our diverse client base," said S-VOX chief operating officer…
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OTTAWA – Okay, perhaps they won’t re-name the second feed, but the CRTC Thursday granted TSN permission to offer additional programming channels on a digital-only basis.
The new condition of license will let the national sports network deliver specific feeds (most often live events that conflict) to individual BDUs. So, for example, if TSN holds the rights to a figure skating event and an NHL hockey game, it can show both live rather than shuffle one off to tape delay.
The CBC and CanWest objected while Rogers Sportsnet sought certain protections to ensure TSN didn’t turn into a full-time…
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TORONTO – Rogers Cable launched pay service NBA League Pass today.
The new addition (which provides access to all National Basketball Association games the same way MLB Extra Innings, NHL Centre Ice and NFL Sunday Ticket does) means Rogers Super Sports Pak customers will be able to enjoy more than 600 NBA games during the regular season (including some in HD).
"Rogers is also the first company worldwide to offer such an extensive sports package that includes more then 600 NBA games, 1100 NHL games, 2000 MLB games, over 200 NFL games, as well as un-matched coverage of the…
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APPROXIMATELY FIFTY SUPPLIERS from the U.S. and Canada are expected in Kelowna at the 2007 Canadian Communications & Technology Trade Show & Seminars.
This annual two-day event will take place at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna, B.C. on May 30-31, 2007.
Vendor and sponsorship packages are now available plus the call for technical papers for seminar speakers.
Cable companies, telcos, sub-contractors, telecommunications providers, and utilities will be invited to attend the seminars and trade show. Attendee information will be distributed in January once the seminar topics are in place. By offering a low attendee fee, companies are able…
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OTTAWA – Is access to an ILEC’s local loop – or even a cable operator’s plant – an essential service that must be opened to competitors?
That’s just one of the questions being asked of the telecom industry by the CRTC in a public notice released Thursday. It will be a huge and complex undertaking that involves the Competition Bureau, the Telecom Policy Review Report and the federal government and could end up redrawing the rules of the telecom game so that the Competition Act, and not the Telecom Act, takes precedence over the industry’s disputes.
In legalese, the…
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TORONTO – Two of Canada’s big cable companies must think HDNet is a winner.
Both Rogers Cable Communications and Bell ExpressVu began courting the U.S. all-high definition channel in June, when the CRTC added HDNet to the list of approved satellite services.
On Tuesday, after a summer of rate haggling, HDNet announced it’s signed on with both.
In a statement, Mark Cuban, HDNet’s Chairman and co-founder as well as being owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, expressed delight with the deal with Rogers.
Then in a second statement, he expressed the same measure of delight in being ExpressVu’s partner….
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VANCOUVER – The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) yesterday recognized the best work of its members with the 2006 Gold Ribbon Awards. The awards were presented at the CAB’s 80th Anniversary Convention in Vancouver.
The Gold Ribbon Awards pay tribute to achievements in broadcasting in various categories including community service, breaking news, humour, public affairs and promotion of Canadian talent. A total of 518 submissions were received for the 2006 Gold Ribbon Awards, of which, the judges selected 146 finalists in 33 award categories.
These awards are among the most prestigious in the Canadian broadcasting industry, and recognize outstanding…
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TORONTO – Rogers Wireless customers now have direct access to CanWest MediaWorks’ news and business information service, FPinfomart.ca.
The agreement announced today will see Rogers Wireless offer FPinfomart Mobile, the wireless extension of FPinformart.ca, as part of its wireless business applications, giving customers on the go with access to the information site wherever they go.
The service provides news and business information from over 275 Canadian and international news sources, as well as a database of research on over 4,000 Canadian public companies. The new service Rogers is deploying was developed for Blackberry wireless handheld devices. Today’s agreement allows…
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