OTTAWA – Competition in Canada’s wireless industry could be hampered by more stringent spectrum licence transfer regulation, new entrants and incumbents alike are telling Industry Canada.
Rogers Communications warns the department that its proposal will lead to an inefficient market where the existing secondary trading market for spectrum licences will become limited as some operators will see their options to sell spectrum holdings constrained. These new rules could “dampen new entry by increasing the risks associated with selling their business to the highest bidder if they fail to establish a viable wireless business” and “possibly result in lawsuits by aggrieved…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Cable companies reported a modest growth in revenues and subscribers in 2012, while satellite companies recorded a decline in these categories, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released today.
Combined revenues for both cable and satellite companies increased by 4.2% from $13.5 billion in 2011 to $14.1 billion in 2012. Similarly, the total number of subscribers (which includes customers subscribed to IPTV services such as Bell’s Fibe TV or Telus’ Optik TV), rose by 1% from 11.4 million to 11.5 million. (We checked with the CRTC and the only…
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GATINEAU – There's no Say No To Bell campaign this time around, but most of Bell's major competitors have again told the CRTC they are strongly against the takeover of Astral Media by BCE, even with the new promises to divest English-language TV assets.
Quebecor, Rogers and Telus all said they were against the deal in submissions sent to the Commission on Friday, the deadline for interventions in the new application for change of ownership.
Quebecor Media, which owns the Vidéotron cable provider and broadcaster TVA, "asks the Commission to categorically refuse the approval of the revised application," saying it would…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire fibre-optics network provider Enmax Envision Inc. from Enmax Corp. for approximately $225 million. Enmax is a wholly owned division of the city of Calgary and is primarily an energy provider.
Envision is a data communications provider operating one of Calgary's largest fibre-optic networks and specializing in providing large bandwidth solutions to businesses that require a dedicated internet connection or need to connect multiple locations over private networks.
“This transaction catapults our growth in the competitive Calgary business marketplace, and demonstrates…
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OTTAWA – In a decision released today, the CRTC approved three of the four changes requested by Shaw Media in its application to amend certain aspects of the tangible benefits package related to the transfer of control of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Inc.’s broadcasting companies.
The Commission approved Shaw’s proposals to reallocate the $14 million of the tangible benefits package devoted to news and public affairs so that it would spend $6 million on a current affairs show and $8 million on the expansion of international news bureaus. It also approved the reallocation of $2.4 million…
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Arrested Development fans, rejoice! Netflix will premiere its highly-anticipated fourth season of Arrested Development on May 26, 2013. On that date, all 15 new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning comedy will be available for members to watch instantly at launch at 12:01 a.m. PDT.
“Arrested Development is now widely viewed as one of the top TV comedies of all time and Mitch Hurwitz is bringing it to Netflix in a brand new way, crafted for the on-demand generation that has come to discover the show in the years since it last appeared…
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TORONTO – Cineflix Media Inc. announced today it has appointed Andrew Akman to the newly created position of chief operating officer.
Akman is responsible for overseeing the company’s corporate operations, information technology, and post-production. He is also responsible for setting up and overseeing the operations of partnerships and acquisitions. Andrew is based in Cineflix’s Toronto office and reports directly to co-CEOs Katherine Buck and Glen Salzman.
Akman was previously at Shaw Media, where he oversaw strategic…
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AS THE DEADLINE APPROACHES for submissions in the CRTC's hearing to examine our plan to unite Astral and Bell Media, competitors are already revving up their rhetoric.
Last week in a blog post, Telus's director of regulatory affairs, Anne Mainville-Neeson, road-tested the company's lines on why "vertical integration in the broadcasting industry can be harmful.” This position conveniently overlooks the fact that the federal Competition Bureau has comprehensively reviewed and cleared the proposed Astral-Bell Media transaction, and that the CRTC is of course conducting its own comprehensive analysis.
It also ignores the fact that the CRTC already has a…
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TORONTO – Shaw Media has announced that Bounty and Tim Horton's have signed on as sponsors for a new competition series premiering next week on Shaw’s Food Network Canada.
Donut Showdown, which airs April 2 at 10 ET/PT, is a new 30-minute competition show that features donut makers from across North America testing their creativity in the kitchen. Each episode features three contestants whose first challenge is to create a batch of donuts that includes three unusual ingredients. The expert judge panel decides which competitor goes home and which remaining two contenders move on to the…
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TORONTO – Calling it a complete reinvention, Shaw and Global News announced it has revamped its website, GlobalNews.ca, with a new editorial strategy and design that supports the growth of mobile devices as a viewing platform.
“The new GlobalNews.ca represents Shaw’s continued investment in connecting Canadians with the most relevant and timely news and information,” says Troy Reeb, Global’s senior vice-president, news and station operations, in a release. “The focus on giving viewers the best possible experience, regardless of whether they are watching TV or browsing on their smartphone, is the reason Global News continues to…
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