CALGARY – Shaw is opening a new 40,000 square feet data centre in Calgary that will offer business customers a variety of hybrid solutions, including cloud, colocation, managed services or any combination in between.
The facility, scheduled to open in the fall of 2015, is Shaw's first Canadian data centre initiative following its 2014 acquisition of Denver-based ViaWest.
The data centre will be carrier-neutral, allowing businesses to take advantage of Shaw's fibre network, a carrier of their choice, or a combination of both. Staffed by a team of engineers, the centre features physical security monitoring and high resolution video surveillance,…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Independent ISP Distributel is expanding its high-speed cable Internet services to an additional 29 cities in Quebec, including Trois-Rivieres, Rimouski, Drummondville, Saint-Hyacinthe and Shawinigan.
Monthly rates for unlimited usage range between $49.95 and $89.95, depending on the download speed (between 15 and 55 Mbps). In select cities, the new services are further discounted when bundled with the company’s TV, phone and long-distance services.
"Distributel has aggressive plans to expand our cable footprint throughout Canada, and we're starting in Quebec," said CEO Matt Stein, in the news release. "For more than 25 years, Quebecers have relied on Distributel to introduce…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Shaw Communications last month hired Morgan Elliott (right) as its new senior vice-president of regulatory and government relations.
That role at the company has been vacant since Jean Brazeau’s departure in the fall of 2013 and has been filled in the interim by company president Peter Bissonnette. However, Bissonnette is retiring from Shaw at the end of this year.
While the company has yet made no official press announcment, according to his Linked In profile, Elliott was VP government relations for BlackBerry from February 2009 until June of this year and has also served on the board…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Bell Media’s CraveTV streaming service will be available to all Canadians with an Internet connection beginning early in 2016, the company said Monday.
When it launched last December, the service was firmly tied to a paid TV service subscription. But that strategy has changed, just weeks after Rogers and Shaw-owned shomi announced that it would open up to all Canadian Internet users this summer. It was not revealed whether CraveTV would continue with its $4 per month price tag.
“As our business model has continued to evolve, the time is right to also offer CraveTV as a standalone product,”…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications could rake in more than $300 million for selling off The Shopping Channel and is allegedly actively seeking bids on the broadcast retailer.
According to a report from Reuters, Rogers began the sale process six weeks ago and is now in the second round of bids. Liberty Interactive Corporation is one of the bidders, according to a source quoted in the report, while other interested parties could include U.S. home shopping channel operators HSN Inc. and EVINE Live Inc., which runs ShopHQ, as well as private equity firms.
The Shopping Channel is part of Rogers' media…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Alibi Entertainment has named Nick Crowe as executive producer.
Crowe (pictured) comes from Shaw Media where he was director of original factual content for brands including History, Slice, National Geographic Channel and Global. Prior to that, he worked for Alliance Atlantis and Canwest Broadcasting – Shaw Media’s predecessors – as a production executive and program manager for History.
In his new role, Crowe will oversee development and production of factual content for broadcast and digital platforms. He will be working out of the company’s head office in Toronto when he joins the Alibi team on July 13.
“We are excited…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers has completed its acquisition of Mobilicity and Shaw’s AWS spectrum, just over a week after the two deals were announced.
In a short news release late Thursday, the Toronto-based communications company said that it had “received all requisite governmental, creditor and court approvals” to complete the acquisitions.
As Cartt.ca reported, Rogers offered $465 million for 100% of Mobilicity’s ownership, plus agreed to buy Shaw's unused AWS-1 spectrum for $100 million, in addition to the down payments made when an option agreement was originally announced in January 2013. Rogers then agreed divest some of that spectrum to Wind Mobile.
www.rogers.com
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Hollywood Suite chairman and co-founder Jay Switzer recalls in mid-April first taking notice of an important industry signpost: Canadian television's small club of network heads are now all women.
"Satisfying that almost nobody has noted Canada's big 3 MediaCo’s & CBC now run by smart leaders who happen to be women. #took50 years," Switzer tweeted at the time.
Bell Media president Mary Ann Turcke (lower left, in our photograph) in April joined (clockwise) Rogers Media vice-president of TV and broadcast operations Colette Watson, CBC executive vice-president of English Services Heather Conway, Shaw Media president Barb Williams, and Groupe TVA…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Shaw and Shaw Direct customers now have access to TV Everywhere application Hollywood Suite GO (HSGO), which is available at no additional cost for existing subscribers.
The independent broadcaster’s app gives movie lovers the freedom and the ability to enjoy their favourite movies in high definition, with unlimited access whenever and wherever they want on the device of their choice.
HSGO includes a customizable watchlist and social features allowing users to share their watchlists and experiences with friends, as well as notification options to keep users informed about new movies and collections and a Wi-Fi-only streaming option…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Toronto chapter of Women in Film & Television (WIFT-T) and Shaw Media are collaborating on a new program designed to provide screen-based professionals with the skills they need to be strong and effective managers.
Launching this October, the Shaw Media Management Accelerator will cover key managerial principals including business communications, project management, essential financial concepts, plus marketing and strategic planning. Following completion of the program, each participant will be placed in a customized mentoring group, led by an industry leader who will provide additional learnings and guidance. Successful participants will also receive a recognition of completion award…
Continue Reading
