TORONTO – It’s not too late to register for the 2014 Canadian Telecom Summit which will kick off Monday at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto.
Now in its 13th year, the event has grown to become Canada's most important annual telecommunications and IT event, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the world.
In addition to more than a dozen keynote addresses and some 50 panelists, the confab will include the popular Regulatory Blockbuster, moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien, plus keynotes from industry heavyweights such as Rogers’ president and CEO Guy Laurence, Shaw EVP and COO Jay Mehr,…
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BANFF – One in four Canadians is a 4 screen consumer; and Canada per capita is the number one user of Facebook. Close to 40% of us readily watch TV online and Millennial YouTube and iTunes stars are popping up everywhere, exploding the old definition of TV.
So these are unsettling times for conventional Banff World Media Fest summer camp types that remember the good old days of The Banff Park Lodge (and tube-TVs…)
But that needn't be the case.
Jennifer Dettman, executive director, studio and unscripted content for the CBC, tells us that the Mother Corp is on the cusp of great…
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TORONTO – Shaw Media announced a series of original digital initiatives designed to build on, and extend, its Global, History Canada, Food Network Canada, and HGTV Canada brands.
According to the news release, the cross-platform content expands its conventional and specialty brands to enhance fan engagement and provide richer viewer experiences.
The new digital initiatives include:
The Second City Project (fall 2014)- Global TV is bringing the next generation of legendary Second City comedy talent to Shaw Media screens in The Second City Project, led by Bob Martin. Designed to bring premium sketch comedy to Canadian television as well as meet the insatiable appetite…
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DENVER and TORONTO – World Fishing Network posted the highest single-month viewership in the history of the network during the month of April as part of its North American free preview.
Overall, WFN said that it experienced a 265% increase in average audience viewership in the U.S. during the preview period. Participating providers included Antietam Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision (Optimum), CenturyLink, Cox Communications, DISH, MetroNet and Verizon FiOS.
In Canada, Access, Bell, Cablevision du Nord du Quebec, Cogeco, Eastlink, MTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Source Cable, TBayTel, Telus, Videotron and Westman participated in the preview. While Canadian television…
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TORONTO – Last week the three largest private English language broadcasters all laid down their cards and showed their hands for the upcoming fall TV season.
While some of what we heard and saw was predictable (Rogers is hockey mad, Shaw’s Global is drama-happy and Bell took a shot or two at the amount of money Rogers spent on hockey…), there were some surprises, as well. The biggest is that Rogers has compressed what it considers Citytv’s prime time from 8 to 10 p.m. only, leaving the 10-11 hour primarily to CTV and Global (and CHCH, too).
What’s the deal at…
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BANFF – On Sunday, seven wise folk sat as a panel to road-map what the future holds for our business.
These were: moderator Peter Sussman, executive director of Aver Media Finance (part of BMO); Jeremy Butteriss of Google Canada; Walter Levitt the CMO of Comedy Central; Kirstine Stewart the managing director of Twitter Canada; John Morayniss the CEO at EOneTV; Peter Schube the president and CEO of Jim Henson Co.; and Barbara Williams, Shaw Media's content SVP.
Let's make it clear that Williams (right) was just kidding when she exclaimed she only needed a job for three more years, so could…
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TORONTO – TSN has inked a new multi-year deal with Woodbine Entertainment Group to broadcast every race from the Canadian Triple Crown series: the Queen's Plate, Prince Of Wales Stakes, and Breeders' Stakes – marking the first time the network has carried all three of these events.
With this new deal, TSN now becomes the exclusive home of the most prestigious thoroughbred horse races in North America, as the network will also air exclusive live coverage of the American Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, airing June 7 at 6:00 PM ET on TSN (pre-race…
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TORONTO – Another year and another rebrand – two in fact. After making over TVTropolis in to DTOUR at this time last year, Shaw Media said Wednesday that it will launch new specialty channels FYI and Crime + Investigation later this year, rebrands of Twist TV and Mystery TV, respectively.
Geared towards a younger, upscale audience, FYI will offer contemporary lifestyle programs that spark inspiration, imagination, and innovation amongst viewers, reads the press release. From the fashionable-food-blogger to the adventure-seeking-bookworm, millenials are history's most progressive social innovators living hyphenated lives in digital domains. With an off-script format engaging this…
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TORONTO – Building on last year's hit U.S. dramas The Blacklist, Chicago PD and Sleepy Hollow, Global announced Wednesday that it is adding eight new dramas to its fall lineup.
The new shows include psychological thriller Stalker starring Maggie Q Dylan McDermott; Madam Secretary, starring Téa Leoni as the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State; the mysterious Gracepoint; and State of Affairs (pictured) featuring Katherine Heigl as a CIA analyst who navigates political minefields. Based on the comic book series Hellblazer from DC Comics, Constantine will adapt the comic about a man-turned-supernatural detective. And building on the NCIS franchise, Global will…
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EMERALD PARK, Sask. – It may have taken a little longer than expected for Ag-Com Productions to bring The Rural Channel (TRC) to life, but it recently celebrated its one year anniversary. On May 29, 2013 the rural lifestyle and agri-food business channel hit Canadian airwaves through an exclusive distribution arrangement with Shaw Direct.
Originally licensed in August 2008, TRC took five years to come to fruition. It had planned to go to air in 2011, but it had to wait on the launch of Shaw Direct’s new satellite. Even so, Bill Wilson (pictured), founder, president…
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