OTTAWA – The CRTC has approved a trio of new specialty channels, including a five-year license for Shaw Television to operate Shaw Media Sports, a national, English-language service that has been licensed as a Category C service.
Shaw is the latest media company to apply and receive permission to operate a sports channel, since the CRTC opened up competition in the mainstream sports segment. Rogers, CBC and MLSE have previously applied to the regulator and been approved to launch their respective sports channels, but one wonders what big name sports rights are left for another new sports channel to acquire.
Category…
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GATINEAU – While Shaw Communications continues to evaluate technologies for its plan to launch a wireless service in Western Canada, Scotia Capital Equity Research re-entered the debate by suggesting in a report published last week Shaw should not restrict its wireless solution to 4G/LTE but also consider cable Wi-Fi.
Scotia Capital (among others) had earlier speculated that Shaw team up with Rogers Communications to build a national LTE network.
“We think negotiations may still be ongoing, but we would like to point out another potential option for Shaw, one which we believe could turn out to be just as effective as…
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GATINEAU – Back in June of 2007 when CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein was just about five months on the job, the Commission denied CTVglobemedia’s request to keep the Citytv stations as part of the company’s purchase of CHUM Limited.
Since CTVgm (now Bell Media) already owned CFTO-TV in Toronto along with existing stations competing in Citytv’s other markets, the Regulator held firm to its one broadcast station per market policy of the same language, disallowing that portion of the sale. Weeks later, Rogers Communications stepped forward to buy the Citytv stations.
When it issued its decision then, the…
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TORONTO – After a July of some worry on the labour front, Shaw Media has made real progress with its collective bargaining.
The company has reported that after negotiations it has signed a memorandum of settlement for the Alberta bargaining unit, which the CEP is recommending for ratification.
The company is negotiating with its B.C. unit now and a spokesperson expressed optimism that a deal will soon be struck there, too.
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WINNIPEG – Ruth (Babs) Asper, 78, matriarch of one of Canada’s biggest media families and a major supporter of the arts, passed away Saturday in Winnipeg and was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon. The cause of her death has been attributed to an aortic rupture.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue including Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, and many business leaders. The synagogue is the same location where Asper’s husband, Israel (Izzy) Asper, had his funeral in after suffering a heart attack in 2003 at age 71. The couple had been married over 47…
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TORONTO – A labour disruption at Shaw Media has been averted. At least for now.
The company confirmed that it’s plans to launch a new Ottawa-based public affairs show, a new morning news show in Toronto, and expand its investigative news program 16×9: The Bigger Picture are back on track for a fall launch after reaching an agreement with unionized staff represented by eastern bargaining unit of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union (CEP).
CEP East represents Global employees in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Toronto, Ottawa and the Maritimes. Despite the union’s encouragement to reject Shaw Media’s offer, as Cartt.ca reported, members voted to…
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TORONTO and OTTAWA – Canada’s creative community used words like “optimistic” and “pleased” to describe their reaction to the CRTC’s group-based licencing policy released Wednesday.
As Cartt.ca reported, Bell, Corus and Shaw will now be required to spend 30% of their revenues on Canadian programming, while Rogers will have to spend at least 23% of its gross annual revenues on Canadian programming for its conventional television stations. Bell and Shaw must allot 5% of their revenues to programs of national interest, Corus 9% and Rogers 2.5%.
Noting that it had hoped that the CRTC would require the English-language broadcasters to spend…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canada’s largest broadcast companies will inject billions of dollars into original Canadian programming over the next five years after the CRTC renewed the English-language TV licences for Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, Shaw Media and Rogers Media on Wednesday.
The widely anticipated group-based licencing decision saw the broadcasting licences for services owned by Bell Media, Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media renewed until 2016. Citing the smaller number of specialty services owned by Rogers Media, the Commission renewed its licences through 2014.
Over the next five years, Bell Media, Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media must allocate at least…
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CANCON’S RULES AND regulations are much like a series of bandages slapped onto the television industry – one here to cover a scrape, another there as salve on a slash. It’s almost impossible to rip any away from this complex patchwork without damaging a broadcast arm or independent production limb.
The tales of woe – accompanied by an orchestra of tiny violins – come from both the broadcast and the creative side of the industry, and the TV doctors have differing opinions on which medicine is the cure for our ailing Cancon system. So what’s the spoonful of sugar…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is expected to hand down its decision on group-based licence renewals for English-language television groups this week, Cartt.ca has learned.
After a week-long public hearing in April, it will be interesting to see how the Commission navigates the big broadcasters’ various takes on Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) and programs of national interest (PNI) proposals. Cartt.ca was there every step of the way during presentations made by Bell Media, Rogers Broadcasting, Corus Entertainment, and Shaw Media, as well as the Independent Broadcast Group which called on the CRTC to establish a new, flexible framework for…
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