Search Results for: rogers

Cable / Telecom News

More EOD from Rogers as election approaches

TORONTO – With 11 days left in the campaign, Rogers Cable is adding more and more content to Election on Demand 2006. As reported in December, Rogers decided to deploy its video on demand servers in a neat way not seen before, adding video content from CPAC, Rogers Television and candidates themselves that digital cable customers can call up and watch whenever they want. The service is free to Rogers Digital Cable customers on channel 100. "In battleground Ontario, the demand for election-related information has been overwhelming," says David Purdy, vice president and general manager of television for Rogers… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Cartt.ca blogs SCTE Emerging Technologies: Shuffles at Comcast dominate discussion

DISCUSSION WAS RIFE TUESDAY NIGHT at Opening Reception about Comcast reorganization and departure of their video guru Kip Compton to a position at Cisco. Big loss for Comcast. The re-org direction is much like the recent Rogers Communications re-org in that its focused on bring voice, data, video and emerging wireless into one converged operation. Also it seems the corporation’s direction for 2006 is to be more inward-focused in improving operations and hence margins etc. rather than acquisitions. Also, the engineers have been given aggressive targets for VOIP rollout during 2006 and it appears that will be… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw AGM: The company is not for sale, and other questions answered

VANCOUVER – Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw said today that no matter what the rumor mill might say, the company is not for sale. When asked specifically if the company is for sale and if Bell Canada is asking to buy, Shaw (left) said: “Lots of people have rumored that. The family has no interest in selling it, so we don’t really have any comment because it’s not for sale.”
Okay, but what about Star Choice. Its marketing was very low-key heading into Christmas compared to its competitors, especially satellite compatriot Bell ExpressVu? Shaw: “(Star… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Registrations brisk for Canadian Telecom Summit

TORONTO – Registrations for the 2006 Canadian Telecom Summit are tracking well ahead of last year’s sell-out crowd. Delegates will be able to join 500 of their colleagues to listen to executive presentations from around the world from those who have the greatest influence on the direction of Canadian telecom. For three full days, June 12 to 14, to the Canadian Telecom Summit will deliver thought-provoking insight from the prime movers of the industry such as Telus CEO Darren Entwistle, Vonage chairman Jeffrey Citron, IBM Canada president Dan Fortin, Allstream president John MacDonald, Ericsson CEO Mark Henderson, Mitel chairman… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Wireless growth softens, but that was the plan; RCI now a wireless company with a cable investment

TORONTO – Preliminary subscriber data shows that Rogers Wireless added fewer customers in the fourth quarter of 2005 as compared to ’04, but according to a senior executive, that’s just how they wanted it. The country’s largest wireless carrier added 216,300 net customers in the last three months of 2005, a drop from Q4 ’04 when it added 262,900 subscribers. Rogers Wireless now has 6.2 million customers However, a dampening on growth was more or less the company’s strategy, said John Gossling, vice-president, financial operations, at Monday’s Citigroup 16th Annual Media and Telecom Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. “Not to… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Rogers, Yellow Pages, Call Genie test enhanced 411

CALGARY – Rogers Cable and Yellow Pages Group are part of a pilot project with Calgary company Call Genie to test a voice-activated, business search feature available through the 411 directory assistance service offered by Rogers Home Phone. In the test, Rogers’ wireline callers are given the option to find a business listing using the interactive Yellow Pages directory automated process. The majority of 411 callers use directory assistance to search for business listings. Most of those callers have a specific business name in mind, but may also be interested in other business listings within a particular geographic area…. Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Classic movies in HD from Astral

TORONTO – Rogers Digital will be the first carrier to offer MHD, a dedicated high-definition classics movie channel from Astral Media. MHD will offer select HD simulcasts of programming from The Movie Network’s classics movie channels Mpix and Mescape. Programming on MHD consists of films five years or older ranging from Mpix’s suspense, thriller and action-packed movies to the quality drama and light-hearted entertainment found on Mescape. MHD is currently available at no additional cost in an uncut and commercial-free environment to Rogers Digital Cable subscribers in eastern Canada. “As the first high-definition classics movie channel… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Rogers launches Russian channel

TORONTO – NTV Canada has been added to Rogers Cable’s big list of multicultural programming. For a limited time, Rogers Digital Cable customers can enjoy a free preview of NTV Canada on channel 634 in Ontario. NTV Canada is a Russian-language channel which broadcasts original NTV programming from Moscow and Canada. The channel offers seven daily live news broadcasts from Russia, a variety of feature films, TV serials, popular game shows and analyses of Russian/European soccer as well as local Canadian news and programming of interest to Russian Canadians. With the addition of NTV Canada, Rogers continues to offer… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

COMMENTARY: Fearless predictions for 2006

CHUM WILL BE SOLD. Shaw, too. Telus will buy Bell. Foreign ownership rules will be abolished. CRTC regs, too. Now those are some seriously fearless predictions for the new year. They’re all poppycock, too. Made ’em up (although a couple could happen). The slowdown time during the 14 days or so around Christmas and New Years (and Hanukkah, too), coupled with the fact that a new year is beginning, spawns all sorts of lists and predictions and reviews in the media. I didn’t want to be left out, but I didn’t want to try to add to the M&A… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

OMNI Manitoba launching February 6

WINNIPEG – Rogers Media Television will launch its recently acquired broadcast license, a faith-based service to be named, of course, OMNI TV Manitoba – on Monday, February 6th. OMNI TV Manitoba is the newly branded, newly licensed television station resulting from Rogers’ 2005 purchase of NOW TV from the Thiessen family and the subsequent approval by the CRTC (Decision Public Notion 2005-207). It had been scheduled to launch in November but was put off until the new year. "This is an exciting time for the Rogers OMNI Television family as well as the Canadian broadcasting industry," said Leslie Sole,… Continue Reading