GATINEAU – For those of us who have been to a few of these CRTC get-togethers, Marjorie Lemieux will likely stick in our minds for a while.
Dressed in a bright purple sweatshirt, the Rogers Cable customer was on the first consumer panel of the day (a group pulled together from submissions via the “Stop the TV Tax” campaign) for hearing 2009-614, the one called by the CRTC in response to cabinet’s call for a report on the implications of paying a fee for conventional TV.
“My name is Marjorie and I want to stop the TV tax,” she began, adding…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw will purchase for cancellation 1.5 million its outstanding Class B non-voting participating shares.
The transaction, which is expected to settle on December 9, has an aggregate purchase price of $29.74 million.
It represents about 0.36% of the Class B shares outstanding as at November 30, 2009.
www.shaw.ca
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – With a light dusting of snow outside and a grey beginning to yet another week of talking about paying for conventional television signals, you’ll hopefully forgive us for feeling just a little like this.
This is the fourth hearing inside of two years (and the second one in the past month!) whose focus is on compensating local TV broadcasters for their signals). This one, as CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein pointed out right at the start, will not set policy, but instead will inform a report to be filed in the new year with Canadian Heritage Minister…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Calling Canadians’ local television needs “fundamentally important objectives of Canada’s broadcasting policy”, the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said that the upcoming analog-digital transition could breathe new life in to community television.
In a statement issued prior to its appearance at Monday’s CRTC hearing, CACTUS said that independent community TV organizations, such as those in Valemont and Ash Creek, BC, could help remote private and public signals remain available over the air to all communities, regardless of size.
The group also contrasted the amount of original, local TV programming produced by independent community TV channel NACTV in…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Nickelodeon in Canada will offer over eight million households a chance to sample its kid friendly programming over the holidays thanks to a month long free preview.
From December 15 through January 18, the newly launched channel will be available on Rogers (channel 231), Shaw Direct (channel 182), Shaw (channel 135), Cogeco (channel 142) and Bell TV (channel 559).
Nickelodeon in Canada is a licensing agreement between MTV Networks International and Corus Entertainment.
www.nickcanada.com
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The next hearing into whether or not we’re going to adopt a new revenue model for conventional television broadcasters begins Monday and judging from the very few of the nearly 200,000 submissions we’ve read, Canadians are, well, ticked off.
Some are mad at their TV broadcasters, some at their cable or satellite companies. Some are mad at the Commission. Many are mad at any combination of them. Not many of them want to pay more for TV.
So at BNC 2009-614, the hearing into value for signal (yes, we hear you folks sticking to the “fee-for-carriage” terminology getting…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – At its annual board meeting, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters board of directors has given its new chair, independent radio broadcaster Elmer Hildebrand of Golden West Broadcasting, 45 days to come up with a new strategy for the group.
When contacted by Cartt.ca on Wednesday, Hildebrand asked for patience as he meets with various member companies to sort out next steps. However, several sources with both large and small broadcasters who spoke to Cartt.ca on condition of anonymity said the Association is almost certainly finished as an association representing TV broadcasters.
Simply put, Canwest and CTV too often want…
Continue Reading
By Christopher Maule, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University
THE BATTLE BETWEEN CANADIAN BROADCASTERS and cable companies taking place before the CRTC is about the past and the disappearing present and not about the future of traditional television and other forms of video.
If the protagonists and the Commission are to consider the public interest as reflected by how consumers spend their money and time, they need to look for ways to profit from what consumers want instead of struggling over what consumers have been forced to take.
Today, consumers use their Kindle and computers to read books and view pictures, use their iPhones…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Media companies looking to monetize their content with online subscription models would be advised to look for additional sources of revenue.
According to results from the Q3 edition of Digital Life Canada, Solution Research Group’s quarterly trend survey.
The research benchmarked consumers’ willingness to pay for various types of content online. Only 14% said they would pay for newspapers online; TV shows did better at 22%, and books seemed worthy of payment to 29%. At the top of the list was movies which had the most potential, with 37% indicating a willingness to pay.
Those currently paying for online or…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw intends to purchase for cancellation 1.5 million of its outstanding Class B non-voting participating shares for an aggregate purchase price of almost $28 million.
This represents approximately 0.36% of its outstanding Class B shares as at October 31, 2009.
The private purchase was made under an issuer bid exemption order issued by the Ontario Securities Commission. The transaction is expected to settle on November 26, 2009.
www.shaw.ca
Continue Reading
