MISSISSAUGA – “Years ago we would have thought, as smaller operators, there's no way in hell we can keep up with them . But times have changed. We can actually surpass them,” according to Stephen Sacks, president, MDL Communications.
“Delivering broadband is now the main killer app” and advances in streaming technologies has levelled the playing field so that even operators with no traditional video experience now sell video. Sacks presented his findings at Commtech East in Mississauga on how streaming is helping operators of all sizes compete.
Comcast now has 38 million Xfinity subscribers (broadband plus video and…
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Canadians still want loads of video, and are getting it from many sources
WHILE CANADIANS CONTINUE to pull back on their traditional subscription TV services, their interest in video overall shows no signs of shrinkage as they add tens of thousands of subscriptions to various over-the-top providers (but yah, mainly Netflix).
According to new research from Victoria, B.C.’s Convergence Research, cord-cutting in Canada is proceeding at about a 2% rate per year right now. “We estimate 2018 saw a decline of 204,000 Canadian TV subscribers, 2017 a decline of 210,000 TV subscribers, and we forecast a decline of 253,000 for 2019,”…
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MONTREAL – Former CRTC chair and Astral Media president André Bureau succumbed to cancer on Friday, April 12. He was 83.
A lawyer and communications business executive, Bureau was the illustration of a generation of smart, ambitious and well-connected young French-Canadian men that emerged after the “Révolution Tranquille”.
Born in 1935, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, he studied Law at Université Laval in Québec City and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1959. He also received a doctorate in comparative law at the Sorbonne, in France, in 1960.
In private practice from 1960, he practiced in his home town, where Le Nouvelliste (the…
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Industry, others, provide feedback
OTTAWA – On February 26th, the Government of Canada proposed new CRTC Policy direction to put Canadians at the forefront of future telecommunications decisions, as Cartt.ca reported.
By law, this proposed Order must be put for comments for a period of 30 days after being published in the Canada Gazette. April 8th was the deadline for intervenors to make their comments known to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
(Ed note: By law, the federal government doesn’t have to listen to any of the recommendations, if it has already made up its mind,…
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Expect a pressure-packed, high-demand, 3500 MHz auction in 2020
BAY STREET’S TELECOM industry analysts were a little surprised at the $3.47 billion collectively shelled out by Canada’s wireless carriers for 600 MHz spectrum (except for Bell, which shelled out nothing for no 600 spectrum) in the federal government’s just-completed auction.
“(I)t appears the competition amongst (the big three) was far fiercer than expected, driving the price up to $1.89/MHz-pop and leading to a total spend of $2.65B,” wrote Canaccord Genuity’s Aravinda Galappatthige in a note to investors, which said he had expected the trio of Rogers, Bell…
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Auction raises $3.47 billion
OTTAWA – The results of Canada’s 600 MHz spectrum auction were announced after the markets closed Wednesday afternoon.
Rogers Communications acquired the most licences, 52, for a whopping $1.725 billion. “We are proud to make leading and meaningful investments to build the 5G ecosystem in Canada and to help drive our country’s global competitive advantage,” said Joe Natale, president and CEO, in the company press release. “This 5G spectrum is a precious and scarce resource that will benefit Canadians and Canadian businesses across the country.” Rogers was awarded licences in the A and…
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SQUAMISH, BC – Squamish Cable TV founder Lloyd Ingraham passed away on March 24 at the age of 102.
Born September 5, 1916 in Vegreville, Alberta, Ingraham arrived in Squamish in 1919 and worked in a pulp mill in Woodfibre before becoming an electrician. He returned to Squamish in 1955 as an electrical contractor and started the Squamish Cable TV system two years later.
“At that time I believe, there were three TV sets in the valley” wrote Ingraham in Stan Thomas’ 1992 anthology ‘Cable, Vision of the Pioneers’.
“The next level of nonsense was achieved when I purchased a set. The…
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GATINEAU – During the final regular season game of the NHL season aired on TVA Sports this past weekend, the Quebecor-owned broadcaster warned viewers they were going to lose access to the channel when the NHL playoffs begin – and that it’s all Bell’s fault.
Currently, Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau is leading a one-man public campaign decrying the state of affairs when it comes to specialty TV and the wholesale rates his TVA channels receive from carriers (please see our feature interview published here), since they are so much lower than Bell Media channels…
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Reiterates push for “granular data”
GATINEAU – The Canadian wireless market reaps $24.5 billion in annual retail sales, accounts for 155,000 jobs and 31.7 million subscribers (2017 figures*) so the stakes are rather high when it comes to another regulatory review of that market.
Old ways (facilities-based competition) may be thrown out with new ones mandated (MVNOs). The questions surrounding the CRTC’s latest review of the wireless market has created much unease and uncertainty inside Canada’s wireless carriers (and a glimmer of hope among those who want to launch new MVNO-based brands and…
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Le président de Québecor sent qu’il est le seul pour se battre pour la culture
C’EST UN PIERRE KARL PÉLADEAU en grande forme à qui nous avons parlé cette semaine lors d’une conversation téléphonique, mardi après-midi. Il venait de prononcer une conférence au CORIM (Conseil des relations internationales de Montréal) dans le cadre de sa dernière campagne d’information sur l’avenir du système de radiodiffusion canadien.
Cette fois, le président et chef de la direction de Québecor, monte aux barricades pour s’attaquer à Netflix, au système de redevances des canaux spécialisés, au CRTC, à Radio-Canada, à Bell et…
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