CEO says he feels alone fighting for our culture
IT WAS A PIERRE KARL PÉLADEAU in fine form with whom we had a phone conversation on Tuesday after a speech he gave at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relation. That speech was part of public relations campaign he is leading on the future of the Canadian broadcasting system.
This time the Quebecor CEO is attacking Netflix, the specialty channel affiliation regime, the CRTC, the CBC, Bell and the apathy he feels from so many. While the system is crumbling nobody is being spared, and not enough Canadians…
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Seems likely we’ll eventually see it from the Canadian X1 licencees
PHILADELPHIA – This week Comcast launched Xfinity Flex, a new $5/mo. service which provides Xfinity Internet-only customers the ability to stream thousands of free movies and TV shows as well as use their television and voice control to manage all connected devices in their home.
Xfinity Flex comes with an Internet-connected, 4K HDR streaming TV device, Comcast’s award-winning voice remote, one integrated guide for accessing popular streaming video and music choices, as well as Comcast’s home Wi-Fi, mobile, security, and automation services.
Plus, having that extra little box in an Internet-only…
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OTTAWA – Ottawa’s TSN 1200 unveiled a new morning lineup Tuesday, announcing former NHL alum Shawn Simpson as a permanent co-host of the station’s morning show.
Effective immediately, Simpson joins John “JR” Rodenburg and Matt Hamer weekdays from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM ET to share their unique insights and opinions on Ottawa’s biggest sports stories. TSN 1200’s weekday lineup is rounded out by In The Box, hosted by Steve Lloyd and Todd White from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET, and The Drive, featuring hosts Ian Mendes and Lee Versage, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET.
“As a former hockey player and NHL…
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TORONTO – The Ontario Association of Broadcasters held its annual Career Day on March 4, with 330 students from 11 post-secondary broadcast schools registering for the unique event held at Corus Quay.
Career Day provides a forum for soon-to-be graduating broadcasting students to meet with professionals in their field to talk candidly and ask questions.
The ever-popular round-table discussions featured hosts from all areas of broadcasting and included (alphabetically): Carly Agro, Jay Baldonado, Alicia Marie Bisante, Julie Borthwick, Adrian Cheddie, Dan Chen, Brian Cox, Amanda Crapper, Navi Dhanoa, Brendan Dunlop, Chris Dunseith, Gwendolyn Earl, Martine Gaillard, Crystal Goomansingh, Wendy Gray, Jonathan Green,…
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CANOE VENTURES IS hoping 2019 is the year where it begins to help build video on demand advertising together with BDUs and broadcasters into a $200 million marketplace.
The U.S. company (which is co-owned by MSOs Comcast, Cox Communications and Charter Communications) has been the driver behind huge success Stateside, where the VOD ad business is already a US$1 billion market. Canoe alone delivered 26 billion ad impressions in 2018 on 7,476 ad campaigns. It delivers VOD ads to 36 million American households for broadcast clients such as ABC, A+E, AMC, CBS, Discovery, MTV, NBC, Showtime, Univision and others.
Now,…
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CALGARY – Freedom Mobile has arrived in six Eastern Ontario communities as the Shaw-owned service continues to invest in and expand its wireless network.
The carrier said Friday that it is offering residents in Cobourg, Trenton, Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall and Pembroke introductory pricing for 10GB of data along with unlimited Canada-wide talk and text.
Freedom Mobile added that this year’s expansion plans include launching service in new communities across B.C., Alberta and Ontario, providing access to 1.3 million more people.
““We exist because Canadians deserve better, which is why we have compelling voice and data plans available for our customers that challenge…
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THE 2006 POLICY DIRECTIVE to the CRTC (which came under then-PM Stephen Harper and then-Industry Minister Maxime Bernier) said the Commission must regulate based on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and reinforced that facilities-based competition (Canadian-owned, built, networks) was to be the backbone of the Canadian telecom marketplace.
It said a bunch of other things, too, but didn’t mention consumers at all. However, the Conservative government of the day insisted as long as the CRTC followed its directive, that should spur competition and lower retail prices.
Last week’s Liberal government proposed…
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Applications due by April 10
TORONTO – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Shaw Rocket Fund (SRF) are teaming up to fund the production of Canadian digital animated series for children and youth audiences that encourages the use of new technology.
The CMF-SRF Kids Digital Animated Series Program will have a total budget of $3.3M. The maximum contribution provided to a project funded through the program shall be the lesser of $525,000 or 75% of the project’s eligible costs, with the CMF contributing two-thirds of funding and the Shaw Rocket Fund providing one-third of the funds.
An eligible project must be an…
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OTTAWA – In something of a surprising move, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains announced Tuesday during Question Period he planned to issue a Policy direction to the CRTC requiring it to improve the affordability of Internet and cellphone services for Canadians.
If this is truly a shift away from market forces and facilities based competition (hard to tell for sure with the legalese), then this could be the most significant shift in the federal government's thinking on telecom in decades.
Even though the CRTC is independent, the government can, according to the Telecommunications Act “issue directions…
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CALGARY – Freedom Mobile has launched in Victoria, B.C. and Red Deer, AB as it continues to build and expand network coverage.
The Shaw-owned service said Friday that residents in these markets can now take advantage of low introductory pricing for 10GB of data and unlimited Canada-wide talk and text, as well as access to Freedom Wi-Fi at over 100,000 hotspots across Western Canada.
Freedom Mobile added that it will expand to 15 new communities in B.C., Alberta and Ontario this year, in markets including Nanaimo, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Cornwall, Brockville, Belleville and Cobourg, which will provide 1.3 million more Canadians…
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