CALGARY – In a full page ad which is slated to run in tomorrow’s Globe and Mail, Shaw Communications says it believes over-the-air television has a bright future and it will purchase three stations CTV says it wants to close because it could not find a buyer for them, even for a buck.
The ad, (click here to see it) signed by CEO Jim Shaw, warns Canadians their broadcasters are seeking a bailout worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “They call this Fee for Carriage. Without mincing words, this is a tax. It is a direct tax on…
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TORONTO – About two hours after having been informed by Cartt.ca that an offer to buy three troubled TV stations was coming from Shaw Communications, CTV said it will accept the $3 offer.
An exclusive story broken by Cartt.ca this afternoon revealed that Shaw Communications was placing a full page newspaper ad in tomorrow and Saturday’s Globe and Mail, as well as The Hill Times on Monday morning.
The ad, signed by CEO Jim Shaw, warns Canadians their broadcasters are seeking a bailout worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “They call this Fee for Carriage. Without mincing words, this…
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CALGARY – Shaw is bulking up its video-on-demand (VOD) lineup and offering “value-based rental programs” for its digital boxes “as consumers nest at home during the economic slow-down”.
Shaw says that its VOD business is booming, and accordingly is extending its partnerships with the major film studios to offer VOD releases on the same day they arrive on DVD rental shelves. In fact it added the Mickey Rourke title The Wrestler to its lineup on Tuesday, the same date it was released on DVD and Blu Ray in Canada.
"We are experiencing an increased demand for VOD services, up 74% compared to…
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LAS VEGAS – Being the primary video source for customers is a far different thing than being there for them as a wireline, wireless or data provider.
Cable companies know this inherently thanks to decades of experience and many, many mistakes over the years. Cable’s first alert that there might be a network problem used to be when a customer called in to report they had no TV service and it might have taken a few calls (and please be there sometime between 8 and 8…) before the problem was fixed.
Nowadays, large cable companies have sophisticated network operations…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has officially renamed its direct to home satellite subsidiary Star Choice to Shaw Direct, as Cartt.ca reported last week.
The move builds upon the extension of the brand to include the divisions of Shaw Tracking, Shaw Business Solutions and Shaw Broadcast Services, the company explained in a press release.
"The renaming of Star Choice to Shaw Direct allows us to continue to offer our customers the same outstanding service while aligning all of our product and service offerings under one single brand," said Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette, in the release. "This will help…
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CALGARY – This year the Star Choice brand will begin to disappear altogether, Shaw Communications executives said today.
In its place will come a new brand, Shaw Direct, which directly ties the direct-to-home satellite company to its cableco owner.
Shaw CEO Jim Shaw made note of the impending change Wednesday afternoon during a conference call with financial analysts discussing Shaw Communications’ fiscal 2009 second quarter results.
Some of the analysts questioned (again) whether the DTH division was a core asset and if it was looking to sell Star Choice and its nearly 900,000 subscribers.
“It is core to us…
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CALGARY – “Solid” subscriber growth, including a “record” quarterly gain in digital subs, helped Shaw recognize a 10% jump in consolidated service revenue for its second quarter, compared to the same period last year.
Consolidated service revenue for the second quarter ended February 28, 2009 was $839 million, while service operating income of $381 million before amortization was a 9% improvement over the same time last year.
The company also reported funds flow from operations increased to $335 million compared to $304 million in the same year-over-year period. Free cash flow for the quarter was $138 million, flat compared…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications last week upped the responsibilities for five of its key executives.
Brad Shaw has been appointed senior vice president, operations for Shaw Communications, with responsibility for Shaw Cable, Star Choice, Shaw Broadcast Services and Shaw Tracking.
Jean Brazeau is now senior vice president, regulatory affairs, with responsibility for all regulatory matters related to Shaw Communications.
Jay Mehr is the new group vice president, operations, with responsibility for the overall leadership for Shaw’s Cable operations, including customer care, sales, technical operations and community program delivery.
Dennis Steiger is now group vice president, engineering, with accountability for…
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CALGARY – Shaw has added ‘Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) On Demand’ to its video-on-demand lineup.
The service features live events, single fights, classic programming, behind the scenes specials and athlete profiles.
"The UFC is one of the fastest growing sports organizations in the world. We are pleased to offer UFC On Demand to Shaw’s dedicated fight fans," said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications, in the press release. "With new content each month plus all current live events, UFC On Demand brings every must-see fight right into our customers’ living rooms."
www.shaw.ca www.ufc.com
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TORONTO – Revenue from television subscriptions in Canada will grow by 8% in 2009, forecasts Toronto’s Convergence Consulting Group.
“TV access revenue”, says a key portion of one of its 2009 editions of “The Battle for the North American Couch Potato” was $7.2 billion in 2008 (from cable companies, satellite and telco TV providers), most of which comes from Canadian MSOs.
“Cable has added basic TV subs every year since 2004, and the report forecasts the segment will effectively maintain its dominant TV subscriber market share – from 73% of TV subscribers at the end of 2008 to 71%…
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