TORONTO — Rogers Sports and Media’s Citytv announced today the all-Canadian lineup of judges and the host of its original series Canada’s Got Talent, which is starting production in Niagara Falls next month.
The talent competition will be judged by comedian Howie Mandel, entertainer and writer Lilly Singh, music artist and producer Kardinal Offishall, and wrestling legend and Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. The host of Canada’s Got Talent is Calgary-born country music singer and songwriter Lindsay Ell.
“This group of blockbuster talent span music, comedy, film, television and sports entertainment,” said Scott McGillivray, executive producer of Canada’s Got Talent and owner of…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Telus Corp. has lost one step in its Federal Court case to stop Quebecor’s Videotron from getting its hands on 3.5 GHz spectrum licenses in western Canada.
A Federal Court judge on Friday denied Telus’ request to order Innovation Canada to temporarily halt the issuance of the licenses during the time the court deliberates on the arguments in the case.
At a hearing last week, Videotron and the counsel for the Attorney General of Canada both told the Court if Videotron is not issued the licenses in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, it would be at…
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Achieves first 5G standalone smartphone certification in Canada
TORONTO — Amid — or perhaps despite — all the backroom chaos at the company in recent days, Rogers Communications made a business-as-usual announcement today saying it has completed the rollout of its national standalone 5G core network and achieved the first 5G standalone device certification in Canada.
The Google Pixel 6 and the Google Pixel 6 Pro “will be the first 5G standalone smartphone devices certified for use in Canada,” reads a Rogers press release.
“Over the next few months, eligible customers will automatically connect to the 5G standalone network where it has…
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With two overlapping boards, observers left to wonder, who’s in charge?
– Staff
TORONTO – While the son of the company founder announced late Friday he has created a new board of directors to take charge of Rogers Communications, the existing board and its senior executives are insisting they will not stand down and that the new board announced by Edward Rogers is illegal.
The company has been gripped by scandal for nearly a month now as Edward has been trying to remove CEO Joe Natale and several other corporate leaders (The Globe and Mail originally broke the story). The RCI…
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TORONTO – Canadian Telecom Summit organizers announced this week Chris Terris (above), Telus Agriculture vice-president of global strategy and animal health, will be giving a keynote speech at the upcoming event, as well as announcing the moderator and panelists for the event’s Regulatory Blockbuster panel.
Terris “played an instrumental role in shaping the development of Telus Agriculture, including on the M&A, integration and brand and communication fronts,” a press release says.
“He and his team are focused on applying Telus technology to build solutions that create better food outcomes by improving the flow of information across the agricultural value chain, from…
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Bell says licensees should pay less if restrictions are permanent
By Ahmad Hathout
Canada’s big telecoms said they are surprised by an Innovation Canada decision to restrict the use of the 3.5 GHz spectrum in areas where there are interference possibilities, principally around 26 major airports, which they say will affect the ability of Canadians’ living in the surrounding areas to get 5G services.
ISED proposed the restrictions in an August consultation document.
Bell said in its submission to the consultation the decision came after the June spectrum auction and the federal minister gave no indication there was an asterisk on…
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TORONTO – Edward Rogers announced yesterday he intends to replace five members of the board of directors of Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI).
A press release issued late last night says Mr. Rogers “is disappointed with recent events and commentary regarding the governance of RCI and has lost confidence in the Board of RCI as currently constituted.”
Earlier yesterday evening, RCI announced its board had voted out Mr. Rogers as chair and that John MacDonald was taking over. (You can catch up on the ongoing power struggle at RCI here, here and here.)
However, Mr. Rogers remains on RCI’s…
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TORONTO – Rogers announced Thursday evening John A. MacDonald has taken over the role of chairman of the company’s board of directors.
Effective today, Edward Rogers has been replaced as chairman but will remain on the board as a director, according to a press release.
“John A. MacDonald has been a member of the Rogers Board of Directors since 2012 and holds the role of Lead Director and Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee,” the release says.
The board voted on this change hours after the company released its Q3 results and after days of reports detailing how Mr….
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Executive oversight committee created to deal with ongoing conflict
TORONTO – Rogers Communications reported its third quarter financial results this morning as the company attempts to put its house back in order after reports made an ongoing power struggle public.
Overall, for the quarter ending Sept. 30, Rogers reported adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was down 2% to $1.6 billion from Q3 2020 and net income was down 4% to $490 million. Revenue was virtually unchanged from Q3 2020, at $3.6 billion.
Wireless performed well during Q3.
Rogers reported 175,000 wireless postpaid net subscriber additions, “our best result…
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TORONTO — Rogers Communications announced today the launch of a new certified phone repair service now available at select Rogers and Fido stores in 15 cities across Ontario.
The service allows customers to book an appointment with a certified repair expert and have their phones repaired within hours, “offering customers more convenience, flexibility and reliability when seeking to repair their device,” reads a press release.
Rogers and Fido certified repair experts can help fix battery issues, screen breaks, cameras, audio, software malfunctions and other smartphone problems. Customers can keep track of their repair progress with real-time notifications and online tracking, and all…
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