CALGARY – Shaw has re-launched its video-on-demand website to make it easier for its customers to order movies and sporting events
In addition to the new look and feel, Shaw said in a press release that its digital TV customers will also experience improved search capabilities, filtering and sorting.
Shaw also announced that Super Channel subscribers will be able to access Super Channel VOD through the new website beginning November 3, 2009.
www.vod.shaw.ca
Continue Reading
TORONTO, November 16, 2009 – Last week, home improvement specialty channel DIY Network Canada launched a consumer advertising campaign to build awareness of the brand new channel and notify existing and potential subscribers of a free preview currently available through Rogers, Bell TV and Shaw Direct.
DIY, a Canwest channel, launched last month, replacing the Fine Living, as Cartt.ca reported.
The national three week campaign consists of print, radio, on-air and online executions targeting adults 25-54 “with a bulls-eye of 35-year-old males and their partners,” says the release.
Humorous…
Continue Reading
IF YOU JUDGED BY the various ad campaigns, Facebook pages and Twitter streams, you’d be thinking that the hearing beginning today in Gatineau is only about whether or not conventional broadcasters should get a fee for their signal.
Well, granting the broadcasters the right to negotiate a fee for carriage of their local TV signals is a foregone conclusion. I’m convinced this will happen. The term “negotiation for value” – which has begun to replace “fee-for-carriage” in the industry lexicon – was coined by CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein himself earlier this year and while I’m not necessarily opposed to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – We choked a little on our coffee when we read the co-signers, but a letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement – to be printed Monday in an ad in the Hill Times newspaper – urges him to respect the Telecom Act as he reviews the CRTC’s decision on Globalive’s lack of Canadian ownership.
Signed by western competitors Telus and Shaw Communications, along with the Canadian Film and Television Producers Association (which often doesn’t see eye-to-eye with carriers) and wireless newbie Public Mobile, the letter reinforces to the Minister that the CRTC was and is right to tell Globalive…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Communications has issued $650 million worth of senior unsecured notes which the company said could be put towards investments in wireless.
The net proceeds of the offering will be also used for “general corporate purposes, working capital and capital expenditures”, Shaw said in a statement. The senior notes will be made available in Canada and the U.S. and closing is scheduled for November 9, 2009.
Moody’s Investors Service assigned a rating of Baa3 to the notes. Shaw’s senior unsecured debt rating is also Baa3 and its ratings outlook is stable.
"We believe that a wireless product is strategically important to…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Canada’s self proclaimed “Latino superstation” TLN Telelatino turns 25 this month, and will debut new programming and grassroots community initiatives to celebrate the milestone.
The trilingual Spanish, Italian and English network will air late night talk show Lopez Tonight starting Monday, featuring Mexican comedian, actor, writer, and producer George Lopez. TLN also announced that it is the new exclusive Canadian rightsholder of the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) with games from 48 European soccer clubs.
“November will be a special month for us," said president Aldo Di Felice, in the announcement. "It will embody and celebrate TLN’s quarter century as a leader in delivering…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – While data will account for 19% of wireless service revenue – and all of 2009 service revenue growth in Canada – a 2% decline in Canadian wireless service ARPU is predicted by Convergence Consulting Group.
Growing adoption of smartphones/data devices, “which we estimate will reach 23% by year-end 2009 (and break 50% in 2014), is helping to drive data revenue growth,” says the report, as voice revenue has moved into negative territory.
As for the new entrants (and taking into account that Globalive likely won’t be in the market in the short term), “based on what we project new…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Communications has closed its acquisition of Mountain Cablevision from the Boris Family who has owned Mountain Cablevision for the past 50 years.
The transaction was subject to approval of the CRTC which was granted on October 22, 2009.
The purchase price was approximately $300 million, $120 million of which was paid through the issuance of 6.14 million class B non-voting participating shares of Shaw, with the balance paid in cash.
www.shaw.ca
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications and Bragg Communications are in discussions on potential system swaps, Cartt.ca has learned.
A source with direct knowledge of the talks said late Wednesday on condition of anonymity that the two companies are negotiating a deal in which the primary assets exchanged would be Bragg’s Delta Cable and Coast Cable systems in southern B.C. (and potentially some of EastLink’s other operations in Western Canada, too) in exchange for Rogers’ systems in St. John’s, Corner Brook and Gander, Nfld.
The deal would certainly make sense for Bragg’s EastLink cableco since it owns many small systems throughout Newfoundland &…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA and CALGARY – Shaw is now Canada’s largest cable company after receiving CRTC approval to proceed with its purchase of Mountain Cablevision.
As reported by Cartt.ca, Shaw offered to buy the Hamilton-based BDU back in July. Rogers tried to block the acquisition citing a near decade-old non-compete arrangement it had with Shaw, but that argument was dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court last month.
The Commission officially approved Shaw’s application on Thursday, meaning that Mountain’s ownership and control will be changed to 1474888 Alberta Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Shaw Communications Inc. Approximately 135 employees, 41,000 cable customers, 29,000…
Continue Reading
