TORONTO – After completing its $2.65 billion acquisition of Shaw Media, Corus Entertainment unveiled a new corporate brand and executive leadership team on Friday.
President and CEO Doug Murphy described the redesigned Corus logo as “a powerful visual cue that the new Corus has arrived”. “This is a landmark day for us,” he said in the company's news release. “As a combined company, we are creating an integrated media and content powerhouse that gives us the competitive scale to grow both domestically and globally. With our strong media brands, compelling content and talented team, this transformational acquisition marks a new…
Continue Reading
Canadians are receiving the broadband speeds they're paying for
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The majority of broadband Internet services in Canada are as fast or faster than their advertised download and upload speeds, says a CRTC report on Internet services.
The preliminary report, released Thursday, found that most services from the country's major Internet service providers delivered between 109% and 122% of the advertised download speed, and that performance was largely consistent across all geographic regions of Canada in a mix of urban and rural settings.
Services using fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technologies delivered 119% of advertised download speed on average, while cable/hybrid-fibre co-axial (HFC) delivered 103%,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Cord-cutters or -nevers missing their live sports now have the option to buy Sportsnet Now, a direct-to-consumer service, without a pay-television subscription.
Launching nationally on Friday, the live streaming service (including the regular TV ad load) of the six Sportsnet linear channels promises select NHL, MLB, NBA, soccer and tennis events, as well as original programming like Tim & Sid and Sportsnet Central. Sportsnet Now will be available on tablet, mobile and online for a monthly subscription of $24.99 with no contract and a 7-day trial period. It remains included for existing Sportsnet TV distributors such as Shaw, Telus, Bell,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – While season one of Empire aired in simsub on Citytv in 2015, season two of the Fox series, now 10 episodes in, has had no Canadian broadcaster since City dropped it. The show will not be carried by a traditional Canadian TV channel anymore as Rogers and Shaw-owned OTT portal shomi now has the exclusive Canadian rights to the series.
New episodes will be available on shomi within 24 hours of the Fox broadcasts (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.) and shomi will host all prior episodes as well. Last season and the first…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Canadian rights market and net neutrality will be the focus of two plenary sessions at the 18th Biennial National Conference: New Developments in Communications Law and Policy.
Scheduled for May 5 – 6, 2016 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, the event is designed for lawyers, industry executives, and government officials. If your work connects you to regulation, licensing, or policy development for phone, internet, television, or radio broadcast in Canada, organizers say this symposium should be on your must-attend list.
View the conference brochure for a detailed agenda of this two-day symposium.
Continue Reading
Commissioner Shoan wanted a hearing
GATINEAU – After the close of trading Wednesday, the CRTC announced it has approved the $2.65 billion purchase of Shaw Media by Corus Entertainment.
In legal/regulatory speak, the Commission approved “an application by Shaw Communications on behalf of Shaw Media and its licensed subsidiaries, to effect a corporate reorganization resulting in the transfer of Shaw Communication Inc.’s shares in Shaw Media Inc. to Corus Entertainment Inc.”
Essentially, the Commission continued to treat Corus and Shaw as it always has since Corus was created in 1999 as a place to house media assets controlled by the Shaw family….
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced a number of changes to its senior leadership team late Wednesday.
Effective immediately, the following executive team will report directly to CEO Brad Shaw, providing advice on all facets of Shaw's operations and strategic direction:
– Jay Mehr, President, Shaw Communications Inc., has been with Shaw for almost 20 years, holding ascending roles that have ranged from regional accountabilities to his most recent role as EVP & Chief Operating Officer. As president, Mehr will be responsible for overseeing operational and customer-facing areas of the business, including Shaw Consumer, Shaw Business, WIND, and Supply Chain.
– Vito Culmone,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Corus Entertainment’s shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed $2.65 billion acquisition of Shaw Media Inc.
A total of 3,259,268 Class A shares and 61,769,406 Class B shares, representing 95.14% of the issued and outstanding Class A Shares and 73.10% of the issued and outstanding Class B Shares, respectively, were represented in person or by proxy at a special meeting of shareholders in Toronto on Wednesday
All of the Class A shares voted in favour of the deal, as did 78.52% of the Class B shares. Class B votes against the deal totaled 21.48%.
"Corus' shareholders have…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) will support Corus Entertainment’s bid to buy Shaw Media for $2.65 billion.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), CPPIB’s support represents a potential blow to efforts by Catalyst Capital Group Inc. to block the deal, noting the pension fund’s influential voice in Canadian markets given its size and the emphasis it places on good corporate governance.
CPPIB didn’t provide a reason for its decision and a spokesperson declined to elaborate, continues the report.
CPPIB owned 610,000 Corus Class B shares as of March 31, 2015, according to the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Registration is now open for the 18th Biennial National Conference: New Developments in Communications Law and Policy.
Scheduled for May 5 – 6, 2016 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, the event is designed for lawyers, industry executives, and government officials. If your work connects you to regulation, licensing, or policy development for phone, internet, television, or radio broadcast in Canada, organizers say this symposium should be on your must-attend list.
This year’s program includes a wide choice of plenary and concurrent lectures, as well as panel sessions canvassing current issues.
In addition to the conference materials, copies of a…
Continue Reading