Search Results for: shaw

Cable / Telecom News

Corus sale, Wind Mobile buy helps lift Shaw’s Q3 profits by 236.8%

CALGARY – Shaw Communication’s move away from media and towards wireless appears to be paying off, as the company saw third quarter profits triple. For the three month period ended May 31, 2016, Shaw posted net income of $704 million, up 236.8% from $209 million from the same period last year, which it said reflects higher operating income before restructuring costs and amortization with the addition of its wireless results, a gain on the sale of its media division which were offset in part by an equity loss from its investment in Corus Entertainment and certain non-recurring items. Revenue for the… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw’s new Internet service balances price, speed

CALGARY – "Speed is up, cost is down," is the marketing behind Shaw Communications’ newly launched Internet service. WideOpen Internet 150, available now in most major markets across Western Canada, offers up to 150 Mbps download speed, up to 15 Mbps upload speed, and 1 terabyte (TB) of data transfer per month, with no fees if customers exceed their monthly data allocation.  It also includes an advanced WiFi modem and access to download speeds of up to 30 Mbps at over 80,000 Shaw Go WiFi hotspots. The service is priced at $49.90 per month for the first 12 months on a… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

Shaw Media acquisition pulls down Q3 profits at Corus

TORONTO – Despite a 77.6% lift in revenues, merger expenses helped to widen third quarter losses at Corus Entertainment, the company said Wednesday. For the period ended May 31, 2016, consolidated revenues grew to $360.8 million from $203.1 million in the same period last year, due in part to the addition of Shaw’s Media’s properties.  Consolidated segment profit of $130.2 million jumped 90% from $68.7 million year-over-year.  Net loss attributable to shareholders for the quarter was $15.8 million versus $8.1 million in Q3 2015.  The company said that the loss includes business acquisition, integration and restructuring costs of $29.3 million and… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Filming day for Canada’s self-portrait set for September 10

TORONTO – CTV has chosen Saturday, September 10, 2016 as the day when Canadians from across the country and around the world may share what it means to them to be Canadian for the crowd-sourced special Canada In A Day. Using footage shot and submitted by Canadians, the two-hour special will capture one day in the life of our country, and will air on CTV as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.  The broadcaster also confirmed Thursday that the project’s website, CanadaInADay.ca, is now live. Canada In A Day is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Wholesale fibre: CRTC denies Bell’s Review and Vary request (Allstream’s, too)

GATINEAU – In an unsurprising decision, the CRTC denied Bell Canada’s request to review and vary the decision which gives third party independent Internet service providers access to incumbent networks’ newest fibre infrastructure. Bell had submitted a Part 1 application to the CRTC to review and vary Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 that states incumbent telecom providers must introduce a “disaggregated wholesale broadband access service” (DBS) so that independent ISPs gain access to FTTH (fibre to the home) facilities. In a nutshell, Bell believes the CRTC’s decision has unfairly changed the rules governing fibre-to-the-home broadband networks by mandating… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

The Comedy Network stocks up on funny for summer freeview

TORONTO – Bell Media’s The Comedy Network is readying new series and epsiodes as it preps for a free preview from June 30 – August 4. The new content includes the linear TV premiere of the CraveTV original hit Letterkenny and the new series Wrecked (pictured), a half-hour single camera comedy that follows a group of plane crash survivors trying to make a new life for themselves on a deserted island.  It also includes a marathon of The Detour, the return of Angie Tribeca, and new episodes of Just For Laughs: All Access. The Comedy Freeview is available on TV service… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw offers IT security for small and medium-sized businesses

CALGARY – Shaw Communications has launched a managed network security service known as SmartSecurity that it says is designed specifically for the small and medium business (SMB) market. Powered by Cisco Meraki, SmartSecurity is an easy-to-manage cloud-based solution offering SMBs the ability to protect themselves from online threats with product features including business-grade firewall, web content control, automatic virus updates, and secure network connections for remote workers. "Network security is important to businesses of all sizes, however with more advanced online attacks on the rise, SMBs are looking for more sophisticated security solutions at a price they can afford," said Shaw… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

BCE/MTS deal could squeeze SaskTel profits, quash Feds’ four carriers objective

REGINA – BCE’s acquisition of MTS could result in new government policies designed to create incentives for additional wireless competition, says SaskTel’s risk assessment report of the proposed deal. SaskTel, a crown corporation owned by the people of Saskatchewan, said the analysis of the risks of the potential transaction will become part of the strategic planning process that it undertakes annually.  The report, commissioned in May and released Monday, was conducted by Mark H. Goldberg & Associates Inc. as the independent third party. Key risks outlined in the report include: – The further concentration of the market in… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

Banff Fest 2016 commentary: Rigid, old, political rhetoric may mean playing field remains uneven

BANFF – Okay, how do you know you've got a great tax accountant? Well, it's obvious – she's got a loophole named after her! Yup, the title "Digital Content Taxation: Levelling the Playing Field with Foreign Competition" didn't announce well as a barn-burning session. However, I wasn't expecting jokes about tax lawyers deducting ExLax as a moving expense either. There was a principle involved. Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (and former Premier of New Brunswick), has a bee in his bonnet: Foreign digital content providers are not required to register and collect Canadian GST/HST, and thus… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CRTC sets hearings for TV licence renewals from big ownership groups

OTTAWA – The CRTC will consider broadcast licence renewal applications from Canada’s big English- and French-language ownership groups at two public hearings this November. The Commission said Wednesday that it will review applications from French-language ownership groups Bell, Corus, Quebecor and Groupe V starting November 22 in Laval. The public hearing to review the applications from the English-language ownership groups Bell, Corus and Rogers, plus Shaw Communications and Telelatino Network, will begin on November 28 at the CRTC’s headquarters in Gatineau. The deadline for the submission of interventions/comments/answers is August 2, 2016. www.crtc.gc.ca Continue Reading