BPF reviewing whether it will continue awarding funding to CMAC moving forward
OTTAWA – A month and a half after the federal government announced it was cutting funding it awarded to the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is trying to figure out why the organization received the funding – to develop an anti-racism strategy – in the first place.
Funding was cut to CMAC’s project after numerous concerns were expressed about antisemitic and other racist tweets posted by Laith Marouf, a senior consultant with the organization.
At a meeting last Friday, committee members, who argued CMAC…
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SEVERAL CANADIAN TELECOMS are currently waiving fees to help their customers stay connected to their loved ones in Iran.
Xplore posted on Twitter today to say it is waiving all home phone long-distance calls to Iran from now until the end of the month.
Telus announced on Sept. 27 it (and Koodo) would be waiving all long-distance calling and text messaging to Iran until Oct. 14.
On Sept. 28, several more companies including Rogers (and Fido and Chatr), Bell (and Virgin Plus) and Shaw (and Freedom Mobile) announced they would be waiving long-distance fees for calls and texts…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications announced today the launch of Shaw Stream, a new 4K device “that allows Shaw Fibre+ Internet customers to access their favourite streaming apps in one place on their TV, and makes them easy to navigate with Shaw’s powerful voice remote,” a press release says.
Shaw Stream can be added to Shaw Fibre+ Internet plans starting at $5 per month. Separate subscriptions for the streaming services are required, the release explains.
With Shaw Stream, Shaw Fibre+ Internet subscribers can “seamlessly access top streaming apps, including Netflix, Hayu, Prime Video, Tubi, YouTube as well as games and music apps,…
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TORONTO — Toronto-based live television app toober, announced today it launched 12 more channels in September, expanding its arts, travel, esports, sports, music and entertainment content.
toober “aims to fill a gap in the live streaming market by providing subscribers access to all of their favourite channels from around the world at one low price,” a press release says.
The new channels include:
Scream Flix — an English-language channel from Jungo featuring Asian, European and Hollywood horror films.
Front Row — an English-language music channel from Jungo featuring “the biggest acts performing in the biggest gigs from around the globe”,…
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TORONTO – Amazon’s Prime Video today announced production has started on a new Canadian Amazon Original documentary on the life and career of Ernie Coombs (above) – or as he is more commonly known, Mr. Dressup.
The feature-length documentary, which is currently untitled, will celebrate “the origins and history of Canada’s favourite children’s show, Mr. Dressup, which built a legacy of kindness, patience, inclusiveness, and creativity in 4,000 episodes across 29 years on CBC in Canada,” a press release says.
“The documentary will combine never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with series puppeteers and musicians, the Coombs family, and other notable Canadians, all sharing the impact the series…
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By Connie Thiessen
OTTAWA – New data shows the Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement (CEEVA) for Set-Top Boxes has resulted in a 58% drop in average energy consumption since the program’s launch in 2017.
Five of the largest Canadian Pay TV service providers (Bell Canada, Cogeco, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, and Videotron) are signed on to the program in addition to manufacturers (CommScope, EchoStar Technologies, and Technicolor, soon to become VANTIVA), the Consumer Technology Association and CableLabs. A second program was launched in 2019 for small network equipment (SNE), such as modems and routers.
According to a new independent annual report, the program has resulted in a fifth consecutive year of…
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OTTAWA – In a response last week to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage’s May 2022 report on the impact of the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications on local news, heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez suggested there is enough being done already to mitigate the potential negative impacts highlighted in the report.
The minister acknowledged the Canadian broadcasting system is facing a time of “significant transformation”.
“Canadians’ viewing habits are shifting online, and service providers are adapting to compete within Canada and with service providers from around the world,” his response reads. “The proposed transaction is taking place against…
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Documents filed with Competition Tribunal make full hearing seem likely
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA and TORONTO – Rogers Communications is still hoping for an expedited resolution to the Competition Bureau’s challenge to its proposed merger with Shaw Communications at the Competition Tribunal but is prepared in the event the deal is not approved by the end of the year.
“Our expectation is that there is a possibility to get a decision from the tribunal this year, following that we would then look to the minister and ISED to provide their approval, which we would expect in due course,” Rogers’ president and…
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OTTAWA – Telus has told the CRTC this week that Timeless Inc.’s complaint that Rogers’s refusal to carry its OneSoccer channel gives it an undue preference should be investigated by the regulator as “timely,” as Rogers pushes to buy Shaw Communications.
Rogers has refused to carry the channel because it said it has limited appeal with its viewers. Timeless, which said it has been trying to get a carriage agreement with Rogers for over a year, has argued in its original complaint last month that there is a “surge in popularity and success for Canadian soccer” and that Rogers…
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OTTAWA – Rogers Communications has filed with the Competition Tribunal a request for more information about how, according to the competition commissioner, Videotron will be negatively impacted by its acquisition of Shaw Communications — despite the sale of wireless assets to the Montreal-based company.
The cable giant filed a request for more detail Tuesday as to allegations that Videotron, which agreed to acquire Shaw’s Freedom wireless business, would face difficulties in the market and its competitiveness would be reduced if the deal is allowed to happen.
The allegations were made in a submission to the Tribunal earlier this month by…
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