CALGARY – Stable growth at Shaw Communications’ cable and digital phone divisions helped to drive up its third quarter earnings by 20%, the company announced Wednesday.
Consolidated service revenue for the quarter ended May 31, 2010 and year-to-date periods of $944 million and $2.78 billion, respectively, was up 10% over each of the comparable periods last year. Total service operating income before amortization of $436 million and $1.34 billion, respectively, improved 10% and 17% over the same periods. Excluding a one-time CRTC Part II fee recovery, the year-to-date increase in service operating income before amortization was 10%.
Net income of $158…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks to provide the radio access network and core equipment for Shaw’s pending next generation wireless network.
Nokia Siemens won the business “after an extensive and competitive review process”, Shaw said Monday in an announcement.
The equipment will be fully 3G and LTE capable, giving Shaw a variety of options to deliver broadband wireless services to customers using the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) band, as well as future frequency bands, the announcement continued.
Shaw announced in April that its new wireless network is expected to launch in the second half of 2011.
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CALGARY – The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has approved the sale of CanWest’s TV assets to Shaw Communications.
However, the transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals from the CRTC and the Competition Bureau. Sources told Cartt.ca that the CRTC hearing on the deal has been tentatively scheduled for the week of September 20th.
Wednesday afternoon’s approval comes after a group of Canwest Global shareholders and the Asper family challenged the deal in court on Tuesday, calling the $2 billion sale “unfair”. The dissenting group will receive $11 million under a new version of the deal hammered out on Wednesday.
"This is an…
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MONTREAL – CBC/Radio-Canada is updating its 50 year-old antenna located at the top of Mount Royal in Montreal.
The overhaul will allow the city’s radio stations to improve their technical parameters, and TV stations to install the antennas they need to move into the digital age, according to the announcement. The upgrade will also ensure compliance with the new Health Canada and Industry Canada standards relating to Safety Code 6 for the 3 kHz to 300 GHz frequency range.
The work, scheduled for June through August, will require occasional temporary interruptions in radio and television signals, but these interruptions will be…
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MONTREAL – The federal government’s plan to increase foreign ownership in the telecommunications sector will not result in cheaper wireless service, and could serve to undermine plans for universal access, says Canada’s largest telecommunications union.
Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP), said that CEP-commissioned research actually disputes claims that wireless services are more expensive in Canada than in other countries.
"Existing studies compare pricing in markets that have very different usage, that don’t have special plans with unlimited minutes, or free phones, for example, like we do in Canada," Coles said. "When taking all of that…
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TORONTO – The World Fishing Network will dedicate an entire day of programming and commercial airtime on June 30th to support recreational anglers affected by the Gulf oil spill disaster.
The on-air campaign, which will air on its Canadian and U.S. channels, aims to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact this spill is having on the entire fishing industry, and to raise money for organizations providing aid and support to those most negatively impacted by the disaster.
In addition to in-depth coverage of the impact of the spill on recreational and commercial fishing in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the channel…
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CALGARY – Not to be outdone by its cable brethren, Shaw Cable has launched a broadband video-on-demand player to offer its customers “complete control” of their entertainment experience.
The new broadband VOD player allows customers to search and order programs on VOD.SHAW.CA to enjoy either on TV or on their computers. In addition, customers with Movie Central as part of their TV package can order and stream movies and shows from the channel at no additional charge.
"Technology continues to evolve with the ability to watch content on multi-platforms," said president Peter Bissonnette, in the announcement. "That’s why Shaw is investing…
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TORONTO and WINNIPEG – Disgruntled Canwest Global shareholders, including the Asper family, are continuing in their efforts to stop Shaw’s purchase of the company’s television divisions.
According to a report in the Financial Post, the group filed an affidavit in Ontario court this week alleging that the proposed $2 billion sale “was not the result of a full and informed auction”, and therefore did not “fetch hundreds of millions of dollars in additional value the company is estimated to be worth”.
The group, which includes the founding Asper family, three U.S. investors and four unidentified Canadian investors, also served…
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TORONTO – International news channel Al Jazeera English has launched on Shaw Cable and officially opened its Canadian news bureau.
Available to Shaw’s digital TV subscribers on channel 175, the network will be available on a free preview through August 31, 2010. It also available on Bell TV, Rogers and Videotron.
"We are pleased to continue our expansion throughout Canada and bring AJE’s groundbreaking news and programming to Shaw customers”, said Tony Burman, the managing director of AJE, in a statement. “Since launching in Canada in May, AJE has provided a much-needed alternative perspective to global events. There…
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BANFF – Today’s youth expect a fully integrated, holistic content experience – not just games and contests on-line, according to a Shaw Rocket Fund study.
The 2010 Media and Technology Landscape Study, which garnered over 1100 responses among 9 to 17 year-old Canadians, captured young people’s expectations on how they wish to consume and interact with media both today and into the future.
At a presentation earlier this week at the Banff International Television Festival, Shaw Rocket Fund president Agnes Augustin and Decode strategist Jacquelyn Salnek outlined some of the study’s highlights, including:
– Youth have a much different view of the…
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