SAN FRANCISCO – Rdio has named Michael Orrbrooke as its new general manager of Canada, where he will focus on leading the digital music service’s growth and strategy north of the border.
Reporting to President of International, Scott Bagby, Orrbrooke is tasked with further developing the company’s profile as the leading music streaming service in Canada, and will also develop new partnerships within Canada as well as manage existing partnerships, including its new marketing partnership with Shaw Communications, reads the company’s announcement.
Orrbrooke joins Rdio after serving as president and CEO of pet supply chain Bark & Fitz Inc. Prior to that,…
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HAMILTON – Hamilton, Ontario residents who are former Shaw customers are saying that the switchover to Rogers has left them with spotty Internet and cable service.
According to a report in the Hamilton Spectator, Rogers is undertaking a node-by-node switchover of the network after purchasing Shaw Communication's Mountain Cablevision for $400 million last year.
A Rogers spokesperson quoted in the report acknowledged that some customers had experienced technical issues, but the company has brought more staff into the call centre to handle complaints and now have extra technicians on the road.
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TORONTO – With this year’s race officially underway, CTV has created exclusive digital content for new sponsors of The Amazing Race Canada, plus is offering viewers the chance to engage with their favourite teams and follow along with host Jon Montgomery.
Customized activations from sponsors DQ Canada, Petro-Canada, and Scotiabank include The DQ Fan Feed to engage in the social media buzz surrounding series and the 11 teams; Fuel Your Favourite Team where users can vote for their favourite teams and enter a contest for a chance to win free gas for a year for themselves and the…
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TORONTO – The pending AWS-3 auction announced Monday could spark the consolidation of some new wireless entrants, and give Quebecor/Videotron the push it needs to launch a national wireless service, say industry analysts.
“We believe that (Industry Canada’s) move is the first of many important requirements that will lead to the consolidation of fragmented new entrants and spectrum licences, and attract new capital from Quebecor/Videotron and potential partners”, wrote Scotia Capital’s Jeff Fan in a note to clients.
Videotron’s other requirements, Fan continued, are lower wholesale domestic roaming rates to at least below $0.01/MB, better rules to ensure tower sharing, a…
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WINNIPEG and CALGARY – MTS is donating $25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross – Manitoba Division to support flood relief efforts in Manitoba, while Shaw has opened up its Shaw Go WiFi network to all the communities it serves along the Assiniboine River.
MTS is also waiving temporary disconnect fees for its home phone, Internet and TV customers who have been evacuated from areas where a state of emergency has been declared as a result of recent flooding. Noting that it expects that these customers will rely more on their wireless services at this time, MTS is also offering affected…
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TORONTO – HBO Canada wants viewers to binge watch its new Canadian dramedy Sensitive Skin, and is making the entire first season available to subscribers online and on demand following its broadcast debut next Sunday.
The bittersweet comedy stars and is executive produced by Golden Globe Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Kim Cattrall along with Genie and Tony Award winner Don McKellar, who also directs all six episodes. Based on the original British version, Sensitive Skin is about a woman of a certain age and her long-time husband attempting to change their lives.
Sensitive Skin will premiere July 20 at…
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TORONTO and MONTREAL – The Canadian Premium Audience Exchange (CPAX) is re-launching and is adding three new partners.
Quebecor Media, Channel Zero and Reader's Digest have joined existing partners CBC/Radio-Canada, Rogers Media, Shaw Communications, Corus Entertainment, Cineplex, V and Télé-Québec. The bilingual real-time bidding exchange service allows each media company to maintain their unique, direct sales operations with a portion of their inventory flowing directly into CPAX for bidding by private access buyers. Inventory is pooled amongst the companies' digital assets, enabling buyers to bid specifically on inventory targeted to their demographic, and agency partners have first access to bid on the inventory.
According…
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MONTREAL – Entrepreneur and seasoned telecommunications professional Shawne MacDonald has joined Incospec Communications as account executive, sales and business development.
MacDonald (pictured) has over 25 years of hands-on and management experience in technical services. In 2009 he founded and launched SMD Technical Solutions Inc., a company focused on providing technical services to the telecommunications industry, including Rogers Communications, Northwestel and VANOC/2010 Olympic Games. Previous to that, he held management positions with Shaw Communications in Whistler and Whistler Cable, and was a senior technician with UMG Telecommunications in Brockville, and Kincardine Cable TV.
In his new role, MacDonald will be responsible for…
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GATINEAU – Among the 2,704 official filings to the CRTC for its Let’s Talk TV formal policy review coming in September is an 11-page warning from over-the-top video behemoth Netflix which said, essentially: Don’t slap any new regs on us, thanks.
While the CBC, Canadian Media Producers Association and others want the CRTC to tap Netflix’s Canadian revenue for contributions to Canadian content, the U.S.-based online video provider says the Commission has no right, and besides, it already has a ton of Canadian content, produces some things here and is merely complementary to the regulated system.
The CBC, however, says it’s…
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GATINEAU – The press release headlines sound pretty good, but it’s in the conditions, the details, where all this talk of consumer choice and flexibility gets bogged down.
The three largest Canadian vertically integrated media and carriage companies (Bell, Shaw and Rogers) each issued press releases Friday – the day their submissions to the CRTC on its TV Policy Review were due – saying, and we’re paraphrasing here: “boy oh boy, are we consumer friendly and choice leaders!” The big three each said they support more pick and pay, or a-la-carte channel selection, so that Canadians…
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