TORONTO – An Ontario court made a number of mistakes when it approved a deal that allowed Shaw Communications to buy CanWest Global Communications’ TV assets, say documents filed in court this week by Goldman Sachs.
Amongst the numerous “fundamental errors” that Goldman has alleged was “failing to properly assess the integrity of the fundamentally unfair (bidding) process”. Goldman claims the process was designed to exclude any bidders who did not agree to sign a non-disclosure agreement which prevented them from speaking with the U.S. investment bank, as Cartt.ca has reported.
Goldman Sachs is the key creditor and the…
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VANCOUVER – Citytv-owned CKVU debuted in high definition on Monday for viewers who receive the basic HD service from major cable operators serving the Vancouver market.
"Citytv is thrilled that viewers in the Vancouver market are now able to watch their favourite programming in HD," said Renato Zane, VP and GM of Rogers Media Television B.C., in the announcement. "We’re confident that audiences will enjoy this enhanced viewing experience."
Cable operators offering CKVU HD include Novus Entertainment, Shaw Communications and Telus TV.
www.Citytv.com
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TORONTO – CanWest has received court approval to expedite the appeal made by Goldman Sachs challenging the sale of its TV assets to Shaw Communications.
In documents filed in an Ontario court Wednesday, CanWest said that the appeal is creating uncertainty around its restructuring efforts and for its 1,700 full time employees, and that it could negatively impact the acquisition of programming for the upcoming Fall season. Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Harry Laforme agreed with CanWest and granted the request.
In other documents filed Wednesday, Goldman said that “it does not oppose expedited treatment” of the motion for leave or the…
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IF YOU TALK TO ANYONE under 20 they will consider it quaint to hear tales of phones that were connected to walls; notes that were sent with a stamp; and televisions that were housed in large cabinets offering four channels, if you were lucky, accessible with the turn of a dial.
Online and offline; wired and wireless, the world is a dramatically different place than it was 19 years ago. Yet the Canadian media market is still governed by broadcasting legislation from 1991 at a time when urgent action is needed to bring regulation in line with technology to meet…
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ST CATHARINES, ON – Grace TV is one step closer to its goal of doubling its broadcast coverage within Canada in two years, after joining Shaw’s digital cable lineup.
Formerly known as the Christian Channel, the network was renamed Grace TV last September after it was purchased by World Impact Ministries. Grace TV is focused on creating a strong spiritual voice of goodwill and friendship, the company said in the announcement.
CEO and president Peter Youngren said that he is committed to continue to build a viable Christian television channel in Canada, and that Grace TV will be available on additional providers in the…
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EDMONTON and CALGARY – Telus hopes to give Shaw a run for its money right in its own backyard.
The Vancouver-based telco said Wednesday that it will invest $650 million in Alberta this year to extend the reach and speed of its advanced wireline and wireless broadband services – including Telus TV.
"This massive commitment to the province is enabling one of the world’s leading wireless networks and the widespread availability of high definition Telus TV”, said president and CEO Darren Entwistle, in the announcement. “This year’s capital investment continues Telus’ longstanding commitment to providing Albertans with access to some of…
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TORONTO – Score Media is giving its coverage of the annual NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament the full court press.
Running from March 16 to April 5, the U.S.-based championship featuring 65 teams will be available on sports network The Score, with highlights and coverage also available on its website, its mobile app ScoreMobile and its Hardcore Sports Radio channel on Sirius satellite radio. Select games will also be available via Rogers’ and Shaw’s on demand platforms, and on Sun TV.
"For three weeks straight, fans will be hooked on NCAA March Madness and we’ll be right there guiding them…
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TORONTO – This year’s SCTE Canadian Summit boasted significant increases in both attendance (up more than 17%) and vendors (nearly 75%) over last year’s figures.
In addition to a diverse program agenda, highlights included the designation of Arris’ Moxi whole home media gateway as the ‘technology most likely to be deployed’ in the inaugural Innovation Showcase; and a first-ever pre-conference ‘Frontliners Night’ that was designed to broaden the industry knowledge of customer-facing personnel. The conference closed with a session on the advantages of implementing ‘green’ technologies.
“The substantial growth in attendees and exhibitors indicates a real understanding that today’s technology…
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TORONTO – Goldman Sachs is appealing an Ontario court’s decision to allow Shaw Communications to proceed with its takeover of debt-laden CanWest Global.
The move means that the bid put forth by Toronto-based investment fund Catalyst Capital, the Asper family and former Rogers execs Rael Merson and John Tory, is still in play.
In documents filed in court this week, Goldman Sachs, which financed CanWest’s purchase of specialty channels from Alliance Atlantis back in 2007, appears to be pulling out all the stops to protect its investment, while accusing the new buyers of trying to pick up the…
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TORONTO – Although they were hard pressed to admit it, cable operators at Wednesday’s SCTE Canadian Summit acknowledged that customer complaints to their call centres are often the best measurement of the quality of digital service being provided by their networks.
It isn’t that these cable ops are lacking network monitoring platforms, or don’t use the resultant diagnostic data to address problems detected by those tools. The bigger issue is that many of the existing measurement and diagnostic tools on the market tell only part of the story, said the speakers who took part in a panel discussion on digital quality issues.
Michel Lapointe, senior…
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