TORONTO — Moody’s Investors Service said this week it has placed the long term debt ratings of Shaw Communications on review for possible upgrade.
The rating action “was prompted by the company’s ongoing strong financial performance and solid credit protection measures,” says the Moody’s release.
The review will focus on Shaw’s future prospects in the context of its business and financial strategies, management’s commitment to strong and stable credit protection measures, liquidity planning, term debt refinance plans, and cable licence renewal. Moody’s will also review Shaw’s plans to exploit its recently acquired wireless telephony spectrum and anticipates that the…
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CALGARY – Shaw’s board of directors has appointed Michael O’Brien as lead director to replace retiring board member Don Mazankowski.
In this role, O’Brien will “provide independent leadership to the board and maintain and enhance the quality of the company’s corporate governance practices”, said the release announcing his appointment.
O’Brien has been a member of Shaw’s board since 2003, and served as chair of its audit committee since 2004.
Ron Joyce, co-founder of Tim Horton’s, is also retiring from the board after 9 years.
www.shaw.ca
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CALGARY – Thanks to a new box rental program, Shaw Cable has now surpassed the one-million mark when it comes to digital subscribers.
While that didn’t happen in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, ended November 30th, 2008, it has happened since, the company said late Wednesday.
Consolidated service revenue and service operating income before amortization of $817 million and $368 million, respectively, improved 10% and 11% in the first quarter of the fiscal year, compared to Q1 2008. Funds flow from operations increased to $312 million compared to $286 million in the same period last year.
During the…
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THE FINAL PUSH IS on for the inaugural SCTE Canadian Summit, to be held at the Toronto Congress Centre February 3-4.
The conference promises to be a key date in the engineering calendar for Canadian cable telecommunications engineers, technicians and vendors looking to share information and broaden their knowledge on challenges like switched digital, DOCSIS 3.0 and other myriad network issues.
While vendor tables have long been sold out, registration for the conference is still open and can be accessed by clicking here. As well, the deadline for nominations for the first-ever young Canadian Engineering Professional of the…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has sided with CTV in finding that Shaw Cablesystems and Bell TV did not perform simultaneous program substitution for the network’s HD broadcast of the 2008 Super Bowl last February. Star Choice was also named in CTV’s complaint, but was found to be in compliance.
While the Commission accepted Shaw’s explanation of technical difficulties, it has directed the cable company to resolve the issues in time for the 2009 Super Bowl broadcast. Bell TV has also been ordered to comply, and both BDUs must provide “written assurances” within the next two weeks to the CRTC and CTV, or…
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CALGARY – Shaw has launched The Big Ten Network in HD and SD, and the Golf Channel in HD, and both sports networks will be available in free preview mode until January 31, 2009.
The Big Ten Network covers the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions in the U.S., offering live coverage of football, men’s and women’s basketball, and other NCAA-sponsored sports, as well as other campus news and highlights.
The Golf Channel covers 47 PGA Tour events and world golf championships such as the Mercedes Championship, the Sony Open, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the European…
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YORKTON, SK – The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival has opened the nomination process for the 2009 Golden Sheaf Awards competition and is including community cable productions in 2009.
The Festival offers 21 category and three craft awards, plus the newly announced ‘Global Issues Award’ and the ‘Ruth Shaw Award’. Awards for community cable productions and student productions have also been added this year.
Entries for the 62 year-old festival will be accepted until February 1, 2009. Nominees will be announced in March, and the Golden Sheaf Statues awarded at the gala on May 23, 2009 in Yorkton, SK….
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TORONTO and VANCOUVER – Shaw Cable customers in Sportsnet’s Pacific and West regions will now get more programming in HD.
Shaw launched the regional Sportsnet HD channel feeds in place of the national one in these markets earlier this week, meaning those viewers can now watch programming that was previously blacked out due to regional restrictions. For example, BC viewers can now see Vancouver Canucks games on their Sportsnet HD Pacific channel, rather than an alternate channel.
The regional HD feeds are available only to viewers in Shaw markets that are fed via fibre. Shaw communities who receive satellite…
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TORONTO and VANCOUVER – Shaw Cable customers who watch Rogers Sportsnet HD on channel 211 will now receive Sportsnet West HD or Sportsnet Pacific HD on the same channel.
Effective immediately, Shaw Cable viewers will receive regular regional HD programming when scheduled, along with HD editions of sports highlight show Sportsnet Connected on weeknights.
www.sportsnet.ca
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TORONTO – It was an overflow house of hundreds of family, friends, politicians and Canadian business glitterati who gathered in Toronto’s St. James Cathedral on a grey, rainy Tuesday morning to pay their final respects to Ted Rogers, the founder of Rogers Communications and one of the leading lights of Canadian business.
Rogers died December 2nd of heart disease at the age of 75.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, former PM Brian Mulroney, Shaw Communications founder JR Shaw and his son, CEO Jim Shaw, Telus CEO Darren Entwistle, Bell Canada CEO George Cope, Astral chairman Andre…
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