WHY DO THE OLD TV sets in the living rooms, garages, kitchens or at the cottages of millions of Canadians deserve to go digital?
As the transition to digital over-the-air TV deadline grows closer and the industry is awakening to the need to act, the question has been asked in some quarters: Why bother?
We can keep fibbing if we want but as an industry we already know it’s now impossible to update our over-the-air television broadcasting system to digital by the August 31, 2011 deadline set years ago by the CRTC. Not “virtually impossible.” Not “challenging.” It is not…
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VANCOUVER – While revenue growth was flat and high speed Internet subscriber additions surprisingly low in the first quarter of 2010, ended March 31st, Telus still managed to please the street, thanks in part to a 5.3% increase in the dividend to shareholders and growth in other areas.
Over the 12 month period, total customer connections increased 2.4% or 276,000, driven by a 6.4% increase in wireless subscribers and 103% growth in Telus TV customers, partially offset by declines in legacy landline connections the company said in its quarterly report to shareholders on Wednesday. Telus now has over 200,000 TV…
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OTTAWA – It is often said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
And as the clock ticks down on the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, some of its soon-to-be former members have begun to look ahead to the future while keeping those lessons firmly in mind.
Bill Roberts, who was the first senior vice-president of television at the CAB as well as a former board member, said that he first expressed concern for the association’s future when the Specialty and Pay TV Association was folded in to the CAB in 2000.
“I was worried, I think…
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THE LEADERS OF SHAW Communications took a look at the media landscape around us and decided that if they’re going to be a player in the new always on, video on demand culture, one which is expanding by the second, they had better own some hit shows. Some good brands.
And Monday it announced a $2 billion deal to purchase the TV assets of Canwest Global outright – a move that will cement it as the leading media and distribution company in Canada. The prior deal Shaw announced earlier this year was to purchase just 20% of the company.
Rogers…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has bought Canwest Global Communications Corp. for $2 billion, the companies announced early Monday morning.
The deal includes 100% of CanWest’s over-the-air and specialty television businesses, including all of the equity interests in CW Investments Co., the CanWest subsidiary that owns the specialty television channels acquired from Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. in 2007.
The Calgary-based cable giant also announced that Paul Robertson will have overall responsibility for CanWest, including the Canadian Television Limited Partnership and the CW Media Group subsidiaries. Robertson, who was most recently president of Corus Television, will report to Shaw CEO and vice chair…
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EXTON, PA – Three industry veterans have been named to the electoral slate to represent Canada on the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) board of directors for 2010.
The candidates for the position of Director-At-Large Canada (representing SCTE’s Canadian members) are:
– Boris Eventov, director, digital video engineering, Cogeco Cable;– Tony Faccia, vice president, wireline access networks, Rogers Cable Communications; and– Bruce Marshall, technical director, Shaw Cablesystems.
Rogers’ Dermot O’Carroll is the current Canadian board rep. Newly elected directors will begin their two-year terms on October 19th in conjunction with the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2010 set for October 20…
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TORONTO – After losing Paul Roberston to Shaw earlier in the day, Corus Entertainment named Doug Murphy to the role of president of Corus Television.
Murphy joined Corus in December 2002 and was most recently EVP and GM of Corus Kids and president of Nelvana. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing Corus’ global kids business, including the specialty networks Treehouse, YTV and Nickelodeon (Canada), as well as Nelvana, Kids Can Press, KidsCo and qubo. Prior to this position, Murphy was president of Nelvana Enterprises.
He assumes his new role immediately and will report to Corus Entertainment president and CEO…
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TORONTO – The CRTC is incorrectly interpreting the BBM statistics on television viewership numbers during its examination of community television policy, says Rogers.
As part of this proceeding, the Commission issued a report on April 8 which Rogers says has been used by some critics of cable-provided community television to "prove" that Rogers TV is not often watched. The report states that in the 2008-09 broadcast year, Rogers’ community television stations generated a 0.2% share of the Canadian English-language television market.
But according to a Canadian Media Research Inc. (CMRI) study commissioned by Rogers TV, that figure is deceptive because BBM share…
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GATINEAU – After watching day one of the CRTC’s hearing into its policies on community television, we settled on couple of key takeaways.
1) It would appear unlikely the Commission will adopt the CACTUS plan where the estimated $130 million already devoted to cable community channels via 2% of subscriber fees would be redirected to a new fund backing dozens of new independent, not-for-profit community channels/multimedia centres across the country.
2) The CRTC commissioners do seem to want a higher level of access, accountability and transparency from the cable companies who already offer their own community channels.
First into the live CPAC.ca…
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CALGARY – After confirming plans to offer the quadruple-play, Shaw is looking to hire staff for its Engineering and IT departments “to build trail-blazing products and services”.
Earlier this month, the Calgary-based cable company formally announced its plans to launch a next generation wireless service by late 2011.
"Next generation wireless encompasses much more than just cell-phones," said president Peter Bissonnette, in an announcement Monday. "We’re approaching wireless in an innovative, leading-edge way that will allow for a variety of exciting new mobile opportunities in and out-of-home for our customers."
www.shaw.ca/wirelesscareers
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