GATINEAU – Shaw Cable must change the way it treats and markets Canada’s gay and lesbian category one digital specialty service Outtv, the CRTC ruled today.
The specialty service and Shaw have had a long and rocky history, dating to its launch in 2001 as Pridevision, back when it was owned by Score Media. Ownership of the channel has changed a couple of times since and the most recent owners, extremely frustrated at how the big western cableco has treated the channel, went to the Commission earlier this year for help.
Tuesday’s decision found that Shaw has subjected the…
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TORONTO – Facing a "moderate recession" in Canada, our cable and media companies seem well positioned to weather a deteriorating economy, says a recent analyst’s research report.
BMO Capital Markets financial analyst Tim Casey – who covers cable and media in Canada – admitted that while he was lowering his overall earnings forecasts “for the second time in three weeks” based on an “underlying thesis” of a “moderate recession in Canada” like the one we endured in the early 1990s, most companies seem well positioned to ride it out.
On the radio side, which is of course tied to…
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CALGARY – Cable, Internet and satellite giant Shaw Communications today announced that its consolidated service revenue for the three and twelve month periods ended August 31, 2008 was $806 million and $3.10 billion, respectively, improved 13% and 12% over the same periods last year.
Total service operating income before amortization of $370 million and $1.41 billion was up 13% and 14%, respectively, over the comparable periods. Funds flow from operations increased to $321 million and $1.22 billion for the quarter and year, respectively, compared to $273 million and $1.03 billion in the same periods last year, said the company….
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GATINEAU – The CRTC said Tuesday it will publicly disclose the aggregate financial data of large broadcast distribution undertakings (cable and satellite companies) and large conventional television and radio broadcasters.
“Although it was set out in Broadcasting Public Notice 2008-6 as its preliminary view, the Commission is now convinced, based on the comments received at the proceedings on the Diversity of Voices and the BDU regulatory frameworks, that the public disclosure of the aggregate financial data of both large BDUs and/or MSOs and large OTA television and radio broadcasters by ownership group would serve the public interest and would…
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EXTON, Pa. – Organization for the inaugural SCTE Canadian Summit is well under way and registration is now open for the event which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 3-4, 2009, at the Toronto Congress Centre.
SCTE Canadian Summit 2009 is designed to facilitate an exchange of technical information for Canadian engineering professionals to help them maximize opportunities and overcome challenges specific to the cable telecommunications industry in Canada both now and in the near future.
The program committee organizing it are senior technical executives from the big five multiple system operators in Canada. SCTE board of directors…
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TORONTO – CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada is providing Punjabi broadcasts for 55 games from its 2008-09 schedule at CBCSports.ca, as announced prior to the start of the NHL regular season.
Rogers and Bell TV have also been providing games to its subscribers, and starting Nov. 1, Shaw Digital Cable will also be making the Punjabi broadcasts available to its customers.
CBC’S Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi broadcast package provides Canadians with two games each Saturday night in Punjabi – including the 57th NHL All-Star Game in Montreal on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009 – for the 2008-09 regular season….
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OTTAWA – The CRTC today denied a request by Shaw Communications to add American cable specialty The Sportsman Channel to the eligible satellite list.
Shaw made the request back in January and the Commission denied it today, siding with those who intervened (WildTV, World Fishing Network, CTVglobemedia, CFTPA, the CAB) saying The Sportsman Channel’s programming overlapped far too much with Wild and WFN. Canadian channels are generally protected from the entry of foreign channels in their genres thanks to CRTC policy promoting Canadian broadcasting.
(Ed note: With 10 days to the delivery of the new BDU and specialty regulations…
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THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Municipally-owned telco Thunder Bay Telecom was granted cable TV and video on demand licenses by the CRTC today.
The small telco becomes the latest in a line of traditional Canadian telephone companies, large or small, to be granted such a license.
While it’s not known when the new service will launch, TBayTel will go up against incumbent MSO Shaw Communications in its northwestern Ontario properties, which include Thunder Bay and the surrounding area, as well as some other smaller communities.
www.crtc.gc.ca www.tbaytel.net
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CALGARY – Shaw Cable launched it last month, now sister distributor Star Choice will soon be offering the high definition photo service called The Frame, beginning Thursday.
The channel is a 24-hour HD, commercial-free photographic art service showcasing visual imagery from celebrated artists and photographers worldwide. “From exclusive fine art collections to award-winning photographs, The Frame will allow viewers to experience the world of illustrious photography and art in HD from the comfort of their own living rooms,” says the press release.
The Frame will offer photography and art lovers awe-inspiring images from 16 galleries to start with, including…
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CALGARY – This can be a spooky time to be a public company, given the volatility in the markets these days.
So when the swirling vortex of rumors begin – about anything – it’s hard to stop it. Just a bit of bad news can turn into many guesses and innuendo for some companies.
So it seems with Shaw Communications, anyway. Last week, company president Peter Bissonnette, 61, suffered what the company is calling “a mild heart attack,” has had a stent put in and is now resting at home.
People in the industry are putting that together with…
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