TORONTO – Hollywood Suite will offer the red carpet treatment to new customers in Ontario, B.C., and Alberta after finalizing agreements with Cipher TV (AEBC Internet Corp), Beanfield Metroconnect and Frontline 360 Inc. for its four HDTV movie channels.
“We are thrilled to satisfy more and more Canadians’ appetites for nostalgic, high-quality programming with our growing service partnerships,” said Hollywood Suite content distribution VP Julie Kumaria, in the news release. “With an illustrious, expansive film catalogue and monthly movie premieres to boot, Hollywood Suite is excited to deliver the customers of Cipher TV, Beanfield Metro Connect and Frontline 360 unparalleled…
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MONTREAL and CALGARY – Videotron is continuing to shed its wireless spectrum outside of Quebec, announcing early Tuesday that Shaw Communications has bought seven licences for $430 million.
The sale includes three 700 MHz licences covering southern Ontario and the entirety of Alberta and British Columbia, and four 2500 MHz licences covering Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
The transaction is subject to required approvals from regulatory authorities, including the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. It has already received all required internal approvals at Shaw and Videotron parent company Quebecor.
Videotron said that the proceeds of the sale will…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has sold off its Denver-based subsidiary ViaWest Inc. for approximately C$2.3 billion (US$1.675 billion) to GI Partners portfolio company Peak 10 Holding Corporation.
The deal is subject to customary conditions, including U.S. regulatory approval, and is expected to close by the end of the company’s fiscal 2017 year-end in August. It is not subject to a financing condition.
ViaWest provides hybrid IT solutions, including colocation, cloud computing and security and compliance for North American enterprises. Shaw, which bought ViaWest in 2014 for US$1.2 billion, said that it expects to realize net cash proceeds of approximately C$900…
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THE ANNUAL CANADIAN MEDIA LEADERS panel at the 2017 Banff World Media Festival pivoted from the future of production, development, and broadcast screen-based content to the onslaught of streaming opportunities commanding the increased attention of domestic advertisers and viewers.
Those leaders included: Rick Brace, president of Rogers Media; Randy Lennox, president, Bell Media; John Brunton, chair and CEO of Insight Productions; Sally Catto, general manager, programming, CBC; and Barbara Williams, EVP and COO, Corus Entertainment.
Running throughout the discussion was a strong sentiment that non-Canadian OTT services should be paying their fair share of domestic taxes and other tithings for the…
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TORONTO – An increasing number of Canadians are not only opting for alternative video services, their level of satisfaction is higher for alternatives than for their traditional pay TV service, according to new data from J.D. Power.
The Canadian Television Provider Customer Satisfaction Study measures overall satisfaction with television service providers based on six factors (in order of importance): performance and reliability; cost of service; programming; communication; billing; and customer service. The Canadian Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Study is based on five factors (in order of importance): performance and reliability; cost of service; communication; billing; and customer service. Continue Reading
TORONTO—ISED Minister Navdeep Bains' clarion call Monday for the Canadian telecom industry to slash its wireless and broadband prices re-ignited a heated debate within the industry about the sector's direction.
That debate was on full display on the stage of the Canadian Telecom Summit here Tuesday evening. In a contentious 90-minute session moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O'Brien, senior officials from Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Telus, TekSavvy Solutions and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre tangled over the industry's current pricing policies and the response needed to the Liberal Government's populist push for lower consumer…
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Cable Cable n’est PAS propriétaire des Raptors
IL Y EUT UN MOMENT marquant lors de l’audience du CRTC sur les services téléphoniques de base qui a bien montré comment les indépendantes gèrent leurs entreprises différemment des grosses compagnies.
Lors de la comparution de la Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), les conseillers du CRTC semblaient éprouver des difficultés à déchiffrer leur plan de déploiement de la fibre.
Établie à Fenelon Falls, en Ontario, Cable Cable a été fondée en 1983 et dessert environ 4000 clients vidéo et 6500 clients de large bande dans la municipalité de Kawartha Lakes. Ils fournissent un service de…
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Modernized OMNI on the way, too
TORONTO – Watch this (digital) space.
That's the word from Colette Watson, senior vice president of television and broadcast operations at Rogers Media, who told Cartt.ca on Tuesday the media player isn't done with the online TV space after it and Shaw’s failed bet on former streamer Shomi.
"We know we have to deliver content where viewers are. How that's packaged, how that's priced, how that's delivered, is still part of the plan, but we should have something to announce in the next few months," she said.
Watson gave no details on its latest over-the-top live TV…
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MISSISSAUGA and DALLAS – Shaw said Friday that it is selling its Shaw Tracking division to Dallas-based Omnitracs. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Shaw Tracking has been the exclusive Canadian distributor of Omnitracs fleet management solutions for over 25 years, offering services such as GPS vehicle tracking products, fleet management software, and professional services for additional support. Shaw Tracking will be integrated into the Omnitracs solution portfolio, further expanding that company’s customer base and reach into Canada.
“By going to a leader in the transportation and logistics industry, the operations of Shaw Tracking are well-positioned for future…
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TORONTO – Bell, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, and Videotron were among the stakeholders present at last week’s inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement for Set-Top Boxes (CEEVA).
The parties, which also included set-top box manufacturers ARRIS and EchoStar Technologies as well as Natural Resources Canada, met to further earlier discussions over a voluntary agreement announced in January to cut the total annual energy consumption of Canadian set-top boxes. Supporting organizations CableLabs and the Consumer Technology Association were also in attendance at the meeting.
CEEVA said Thursday that the implementation of commitments are expected to reduce…
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