OTTAWA – The CRTC has returned applications filed by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) challenging the tied selling of streaming services CraveTV and shomi to existing TV subscription services, citing Thursday’s Let’s Talk decisions.
A March 12 letter addressed to the consumer groups and signed by secretary general John Traversy said that the PIAC-CAC applications “would benefit from taking into consideration the Commission’s clarifications” in BRP 2015-86 in which the CRTC said that it would add a hybrid VoD service as a new type of exempt undertaking. “Accordingly, by majority decision, the…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s broadcasters aren’t about to give up spectrum and go through another digital upgrade again without being paid for moving – and believe some of the funds coming from the next big wireless auction must be re-directed towards a new local television production fund.
First comments were due into Industry Canada Wednesday on its consultation into repurposing the 600 MHz band – the slice of spectrum upon which much of the country’s TV signals ride.
While most agree that harmonizing our bandwidth plan framework with the United States is a good idea, independent broadcasters and vertically integrated media and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC unveiled sweeping changes to the Canadian TV broadcasting system earlier today. The Regulator has eliminated genre protection rules, shifted from Canadian content exhibition quotas to spending requirements and created a new class of online video-on-demand (VOD) services.
In a speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa, Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais underscored the need to adapt the broadcasting system to meet the realities of today where “people watch content in the ways, on the devices and at the times that most suit them.” He acknowledged that content is still king, but added that the viewer is now…
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TORONTO – Global Television and comedy club Second City are teaming up on The Second City Project, a multiplatform collection of addictive, laugh-out-loud content launching on Globaltv.com and Global Go Monday.
Introducing a host of hilarious new comedic characters from the world's premiere name in comedy – the Second City Toronto and Chicago theatres – The Second City Project features sketch comedy at its finest with two parallel worlds: a sleek cinematic world of filmed sketches and semi-scripted scenes from the writers' room.
New sketches will be posted each week, also available on Vine, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications is providing free access to its Shaw Go WiFi network at over 900 hotspots locations in Kelowna through March 22, 2015.
Shaw Go WiFi can be accessed at locations including the Downtown Core, Kelowna City Park, Kelowna Yacht Club and Marina, Apple Bowl, Landmark Cinemas, H20 Adventure + Fitness Center and Capri Mall. A full list of locations is available at www.shaw.ca/wifi or by downloading the Shaw Go WiFi Finder App.
Residents who are not Shaw customers can connect to the network for free on their laptop and mobile devices by selecting "ShawGuest" on the list of…
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TORONTO – Competition in business television is about to get fierce.
On Thursday, Channel Zero and Bloomberg Media will officially announce a new, long-term, exclusive partnership which will see the independent Canadian broadcaster launch a new, Canadian version of the popular business news cable channel early in the second half of 2015. (Bloomberg TV, the financial news channel owned by billionaire entrepreneur and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is currently on the CRTC’s eligible satellite list and is carried by most large and many small distributors in Canada, the notable exceptions being Bell Canada and Vidéotron.)
“It’s a really…
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GATINEAU – Increased network costs, significant growth in bandwidth usage and outdated cost studies are three of the main reasons Shaw Communications has had to raise its Third Party Internet Access rates, the company said in a filing to the CRTC last week.
In response to questions from the Commission on Tariff Notice 22 (TN 22) as well as comments from a number of independent ISPs, the Calgary-based media and communications company offered additional details on the costs behind its TPIA services. In the February 19 submission, Shaw said it only stands to reason that wholesale broadband rates…
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PORT COQUITLAM, BC – Shaw Communications has signed a non-exclusive, five-year agreement with the City of Port Coquitlam to provide free wifi to its busiest park and public facilities.
Shaw Go WiFi service will soon be available at Port Coquitlam City Hall, Hyde Creek Recreation Complex, Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex, Terry Fox Library and Gates Park. Although Port Coquitlam's City Hall, recreation centres and the library already offer free wifi, Shaw Go WiFi will be faster and more reliable, reads the announcement, and the Shaw service will enable the city to dedicate its wifi capacity to staff needs.
"Access to a…
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TORONTO – As part of a media tour in Toronto last week, SaskTel president and CEO Ron Styles sat down with Cartt.ca to discuss the telecom company’s most recent financial year and its upcoming projects. However, he declined to comment on this spring’s upcoming AWS-3 spectrum auction, of which SaskTel is one of the applicants planning to bid on licences in Saskatchewan.
“We’re prohibited by the federal government to discuss that, while the auction is getting ready to kick off,” Styles (pictured) explained. “I can’t really comment on AWS-3 at all, otherwise I’ll be getting a call.”
As…
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TORONTO – DHX Television has joined Canadian publishers Post Media, Yellow Pages and The Chronicle Herald as the newest members of Canada's Premium Audience Exchange (CPAX).
CPAX bills itself as the premier access point to top tier real time English and French digital inventory in Canada. Established by CBC/Radio-Canada, Rogers and Shaw in 2011, its automated platform delivers scalable reach and granular targeting from one convenient touch-point and now boasts more than 100 premium sites on the exchange. CPAX is powered by Index Exchange, a neutral and transparent exchange layer that enables publishers to sell their ad impressions in real-time.
"Since…
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