CANADIAN BROADCASTERS HEADED to the Los Angeles Screenings this week will be buying rookie U.S. shows much as they have in the past: By choosing possible primetime hits via output and multiyear deals with Hollywood studio suppliers.
But in among the horse-trading for new American dramas and comedies this year will be a new battlefield for Canadian networks needing new revenue streams to outrun falling conventional TV ad sales: the fight for digital platform rights.
And even before top players like Bell Media, Shaw Media and Rogers Media do their studio rounds this week to view new pilots on offer, there's…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance’s Jennifer Salmon is headed to Harvard in June as this year’s recipient of the CTAM Canada Fellowship Award, also known as CTAM U.
Salmon, pictured, is VP of contracts at the CCSA where she leads a team responsible for the negotiation and administration of all master programming affiliation agreements. She also provides strategic direction and insight to the CCSA board and member companies and is actively involved in industry regulatory proceedings. Prior to joining CCSA, Salmon held various positions at Shaw Communications, most recently as general manager of programming and satellite services, where she was…
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OTTAWA – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is once again asking the CRTC to prevent streaming service shomi from being offered only to Rogers or Shaw internet customers.
The consumer group filed a new application with the Commission on Monday, after having its previous complaint returned by the Regulator last month in the wake of BRP 2015-86 that proposed establishing a new service category for hybrid VoD services. While PIAC said that it will file comments on that matter, it added that it “had to address lingering problems with the shomi service that likely would not be addressed in the…
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CALGARY, MONTREAL and VANCOUVER – Canada’s communications industry is digging deep to help support relief efforts in Nepal after last Saturday’s devastating earthquake.
Shaw Communications said Tuesday that it will match employee donations to the Canadian Red Cross dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 to help provide critical supplies and aid in rescue and recovery efforts. Aligning with the Federal Government's donation matching program, every dollar donated by Shaw employees could be matched twice, resulting in three dollars of aid to Nepal.
In addition, all Shaw Phone customers will receive complimentary long distance calling to Nepal until May 25, and Shaw TV customers have…
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GATINEAU – Earlier this month, a group of 14 broadcasters met for the first time to begin figuring out how to develop a subscription television set top box data measurement system.
In its TV Policy Review decision, the CRTC said building such a system would be a very good thing and set a deadline of April 13th for an industry-wide working group to start moving. Representatives from Bell Canada, Blue Ant Media, CBC, Cogeco, Corus, Eastlink, the Independent Broadcasters Group, MTS, Pelmorex, Quebecor, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw and Telus met on April 8th saying in its first…
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BANFF – CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will deliver a keynote address on Sunday June 7, 2015 to open the 36th annual Banff World Media Festival.
In the wake of the Commission’s decisions from its Let's Talk TV hearing, Blais will speak about where the CRTC is heading next, and, why the recently launched review of basic telecommunications services is important – not only for the Canadian content industry, but also for all sectors of the Canadian economy.
Banff organizers also announced the return of the ‘Media Leaders’ series, offering delegates the unparalleled opportunity to listen in on exclusive conversations between top media leaders…
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MONTREAL – Bell said Friday that it now serves 1 million IPTV customers, making Fibe TV and FibreOp TV among the fastest growing product lines in the company’s 135-year history.
With the growth of Fibe TV in Ontario and Québec, and FibreOp TV in Atlantic Canada, Bell said that its IPTV coverage footprint now reaches 6.1 million homes, up from 5.1 million at the start of 2014. Fibe is also making “significant inroads” with small and medium business such as medical and dental offices, restaurants, and repair shops.
With service established in major cities across six provinces, Bell pledged to extend…
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OTTAWA – Making sure to set aside cash for TV broadcasters from the auction of 600 MHz wireless spectrum just might drive the prices to be paid for that spectrum too high for some to participate.
Arguments from the integrated wireless/broadcasting companies that they should get a portion of the proceeds from an auction of the 600 MHz band to pay for the transition to new over the air (OTA) frequencies should be dismissed, argues Wind Mobile.
The company notes that setting aside money from a 600 MHz auction could result in higher spectrum licence costs because the integrated…
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LAS VEGAS – With revenues in the traditional subscription TV business trundling along at 1-2% growth – even though subscribers are not cutting or trimming their subscriptions in real numbers yet – expect all the big media companies to jump into the over-the-top pool, if they haven’t already. The potential global growth is too big to ignore.
That was part of the message this morning during a National Association of Broadcasters Super Session panel diving into the burgeoning business that is OTT video.
While the number of people who say they want to cut or trim their subscription TV bill still…
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TORONTO – Guy Laurence insists he’s merely in the foothills of a long climb, pulling along with him the Rogers Communications brand.
He’s surely been active in his 15 months as Rogers CEO (Can it only be 15 months? So much has been done.) Since the announcement back in September 2013 that he would be the new CEO (Laurence officially started December 2 that year), Rogers purchased the national NHL rights in a $5.2 billion, 12-year deal; spent another $3.3 billion on wireless spectrum; unveiled a new Rogers 3.0 plan that is driving the restructuring of the…
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