NEW YORK and TORONTO – Shaw Media’s History has picked up a 10 episode third season of the acclaimed drama series Vikings, the network announced Tuesday.
The renewal comes just four episodes into the series’ second season. Six new episodes remain in this season, which airs Thursdays at 10:00 PM ET/PT, and the season finale is scheduled for Thursday, May 1.
Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the saga of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has pushed back the deadline for comments on amendments to certain rules pertaining to the implementation of the national emergency alerting system.
After calling for feedback last month due March 31, the Commission said Tuesday that the deadline for receipt of comments has been extended to April 17, 2014.
The move comes at the behest of BCE, Cogeco Cable, Corus Entertainment, Newcap, Quebecor Media, Rogers Media, Shaw Communications, and Vista Radio which sent a joint letter to the Commission requesting the extension to provide comments in the proceeding.
The CRTC reiterated that the amended deadline does not…
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LAST WEEK WE SHOWED you results from a recent survey of Canadian consumers which confirmed Canadians want to be able to pick their television channels one at a time – and may even be ready to pay for the privilege.
But more lots more choice may not truly be desirable for TV programmers, distributors or viewers. Canadians often say they really want “more choice” from their subscription TV providers, but it’s more likely they just want to be charged less and treated better.
Believe it or not, uber-choice is often not all it’s cracked up to be…
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DALLAS, TX – Approximately one-fifth or 20% of Canadian television service subscribers downgraded their service over the last 12 months, with many opting for an Internet video option instead, according to a new research report from Parks Associates.
The report, Video in Canadian Households, analysed the market for subscription home video services via an online survey of 1,500 Canadian broadband households in the last quarter of 2013.
Among Canada’s nine largest TV service providers, nearly one-third (29%) of Telus Optik TV subscribers said that they had downgraded to a less expensive TV package with fewer channels or features in the last year. …
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TORONTO – Many folks love to tell Canadian TV executives what they should – or should not – be doing. Really, anyone with a TV set does that regularly.
But when it comes to those with a keyboard and a national platform, or with a famous name or job, their gripes often offend and are taken to heart. At Thursday’s Content Industry Connect day put on by the Banff Media Festival, broadcast executive, investor and producer Peter Sussman kicked off the industry leaders panel by quoting noted thorn-in-the-Canadian-TV-industry’s-side, Globe and Mail TV critic John Doyle. In a fall 2013 column…
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MONTREAL – Telefilm Canada has added six new original videos from Canadian personalities to its Off the Wall series on social media.
These two-minute videos capture thoughts on Canadian cinema as voiced by Canadian personalities Joannie Rochette, figure skating Olympic bronze medallist and six-time Canadian champion; Joel Plaskett, musician, songwriter and producer; Anne-Marie Withenshaw, radio and television host; Elaine "Lainey" Lui, blogger, host and reporter; Yann Martel, novelist; and Victor Lucas, video game show host.
The new videos follow on the initial series, which spotlighted the talent behind Canadian hit films including Deepa Mehta (Water) and Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun)….
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MARKHAM – The Ontario Association of Broadcasters held its ninth annual Career Development Day on Monday, with more than 250 students from 11 post-secondary schools from across Ontario registered for the event.
Career Day allows soon-to-be graduating broadcasting students to meet with professionals in their field to talk candidly and ask questions, an opportunity they may not ordinarily have. This year's panel consisted of Shannon Bentley, Shott Innovation Media Production Services; Francis D'Souza, Senior Manager of Editorial and Anchor/Reporter, CityNews; Humble and Fred, humbleandfred.com; and Todd Shapiro, The Todd Shapiro Show who highlighted the many job possibilities in the broadcast…
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LOS ALTOS, Calif. – Life Network founder and Canadian cable television executive Juris Silkans died on February 23 at his home in Los Altos, California. He was 70.
Born in 1943 in Ludza, Latvia, Silkans moved to Canada as a child with his parents who settled in Hamilton, Ont. After graduating from McMaster University, he got his start in the broadcasting industry in 1975 when he was appointed director of cable and new service policy for the Department of Communications in Ottawa.
He moved to the private sector in 1977, joining Toronto-based CUC Broadcasting Limited, which at that time was one…
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OTTAWA – Let’s get this out of the way right now… Most of us were wrong. Many had assumed we would have a nice orderly, low-priced auction once there were no wild cards left in the bidding.
Analysts and other observers (us, too) made the mistake in thinking that these ultra-competitive companies would somehow quietly and quickly divvy up spectrum which boasts such excellent distance and barrier-penetrating properties as yet unseen in wireless telephony in Canada, spending only perhaps half of what was spent in the last auction – the $4.2 billion for AWS spectrum in 2008.
Not. Even. Close. Rogers…
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OTTAWA and MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable Canada has been named Company of the Year by Women in Communications and Technology, (formerly known as Canadian Women in Communications), for 2013.
"The role of women in the organization is of the greatest importance to us here at Cogeco," said Cogeco Cable Canada president and CEO Louise St-Pierre, in a statement. “We firmly believe that our strengths lie, among other things, in our ability to attract the very best talent. The fact that women occupy so many senior executive positions at Cogeco is a clear indication of their significant contributions to the company's…
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