OTTAWA – Canadian broadcasters spent a record $177 million on public benefits related to the acquisition of regulated Canadian broadcast television assets in the 2011-2012 broadcast year ended August 31, 2012, according to new research from consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services.
The level of English-language television benefits spending by various Canadian broadcasters in 2011-2012 more than tripled from the amount ($52 million) spent in the previous year.
That $177 million is roughly the same amount as what was spent on tangible benefits in the previous four years combined – or almost as much as…
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IT MIGHT SURPRISE SOME to learn that one of the fastest growing Canadian media companies is not some sexy, new media, web based disruptor, but in fact built on the oldest electronic media we have: radio.
In about nine years, Vista Radio has grown from a single station in Duncan, B.C. to a national power with over 60 stations spread from the west coast to Ontario. It really jumped in size in 2012 when it agreed to purchase Haliburton Radio and its 24 Ontario stations for $32 million (backed by Westerkirk Capital, an investment arm of the powerful Thomson Family)….
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TORONTO – In his final annual general meeting as CEO of Rogers Communications, Nadir Mohamed set some ambitious goals for the company for 2013, with the key being a need for much better customer service.
In his speech to shareholders, Mohamed didn’t mince words. “There’s no question we need to significantly improve customer service. We need to help our customers better understand what they get when they sign-up and we need to do a better job supporting them once they do,” he said.
“This year we’re focused on resolving the top reasons customers call, enhancing employee training and raising the bar…
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GATINEAU – Quebecor Media’s Sun News compared itself to a wireless new entrant Tuesday saying it needs to benefit from a regulatory mechanism in order for it to compete against the established news players, company executives argued before the CRTC on the first day of the Commission’s 9(1)(h) hearing.
Kory Teneycke, vice-president of Sun News, told the commissioners under questioning that the news service is suffering from a market he believes isn’t functioning properly and is open to abuse by some of its competitors. He referred to the 2008 advanced wireless spectrum auction as an instance where the government recognized…
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VANCOUVER – Just over a year after launching its low-cost network for Canadians travelling in the US, telecommunications provider Roam Mobility Inc. now has a retail presence in six provinces and more than 400 locations.
The company announced a partnership with London Drugs that makes Roam Mobility’s replacement products available at the retailer’s 76 locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
To reach its core market of Canadian travellers, Roam says it focused its retail strategy on includes airports, duty-free stores, and inflight retail opportunities. It has secured partnerships with retailers such as…
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WHEN ASKED ABOUT how the reports that Wind, Mobilicity and Public Mobile are all looking for a way out of the wireless business in Canada, Industry Minister Christian Paradis told reporters in a conference call on Monday: “I still remain confident we can achieve our goal,” of having four wireless players in each region of Canada.
Mr. Minister, you are the only one with that confidence.
As we have noted before, the Canadian wireless market right now, has as many players as it will ever have and in all…
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DURING A SHORT, Monday morning interview with reporters during a visit to Asia to extoll the virtues of the Canadian ICT sector (and others), Industry Minister Christian Paradis noted he wasn’t exactly pleased with Rogers Communications pending purchase of Shaw Communications’ AWS spectrum.
Shaw bought the spectrum in 2008 during that auction but decided not to build a traditional wireless network after all. As spectrum which was set aside for new wireless entrants, the auction rules said it is not allowed to be purchased by one of the incumbent providers until next year. However, Shaw has already Continue Reading
THE SIZE OF GLOBAL cable companies has always been defined by the number of basic cable customers they have. For decades, basic cable has been the first buy-in for any household wanting more than the TV channels they can capture off-air.
That, however, is changing. Today’s customers often want to talk about broadband first because increasingly, they want their web and e-mail before their favourite shows. Besides, they can often find those favourite shows online via that broadband connection, negating the need for traditional cable TV service of any kind, depending on what sort of entertainment they like.
Shaw Communications CFO…
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OTTAWA – Telesat announced the successful launch today of a new Anik G1 satellite from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan.
Anik G1 will be located at 107.3 degrees West providing a range of communications services, including carrying 16 extended Ku-band transponders contracted to Shaw Direct for 15 years. Shaw Direct currently uses Telesat’s Anik F1R satellite at 107.3 West for its Canadian DTH services. The addition of Anik G1 at the same orbital location means Shaw Direct will be able to add over 100 HD channels for their subscribers.
The new Anik G1 will…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications Inc. reported today that consolidated revenue for its second quarter and for the year to date was $1.25 billion and $2.57 billion, respectively, each up 2% over the comparable periods last year.
Net income was $182 million for Q2 FY2013 and $417 million for the six months ended February 28, 2013, compared to $178 million and $380 million respectively for the same periods last year. Total operating income before amortization increased 9% to $538 million over the comparable quarterly period, and the year-to-date amount of $1.14 billion was up 8%.
Free…
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