DEJA VU IS A CURIOUS THING. It happens sporadically to most of us where we think "hey, I’ve been here before."
It often feels like that time is now in the media/telecom space: That we have been here before, riding a weird, growing technological and services wave. Just like the late 1990s and into 2000-’01 it seems like we have every company (some really big, some really small) going a million miles an hour in every direction all at once.
Back then, AOL bought (snicker…) Time Warner, CanWest bought The National Post and what was the Southam newspaper group…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has launched a public proceeding to set out rules regarding the installation of a network interconnection device (NID) when the incumbent local exchange carrier’s (ILEC) network is disconnected from the inside wire at the home of a residential customer who has elected to take a cable telephone service and no longer wishes to use any services provided on the ILEC’s network (Telecom Public Notice 2007-3).
The commission is asking for comment on whether a NID should be installed at the premises of a residential customer when no such device is present; should the cableco or…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is opposing a bid by Shaw Communications to get regulatory approval to both offer and charge customers for content and advertising from non-Canadian sources on its Shaw on Demand VOD service.
The CAB says Shaw’s proposal could result in U.S. studios, especially those vertically integrated with a non-Canadian TV channel, withholding VOD rights from Canadian programmers even though the same program airs on both a Canadian and non-Canadian TV station.
The organization of private broadcasters also charges the non-Canadian TV channels would expect to receive something of value, such as increased…
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GATINEAU – Leave it to the mavericks at Shaw Communications to best articulate how carriers feel about granting analog channels preferred status once digital migration occurs.
In its intervention, which opposes all of the applications, Shaw’s senior vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs Ken Stein writes: "Shaw considers that the Digital Migration proceeding and the subsequent gazetting of applications for mandatory digital carriage on basic has been a colossal waste of time and energy for Shaw. Shaw’s request for packaging flexibility to serve consumers and meet unprecedented competitive challenges, all of which will strengthen the system and protect it…
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THE SESSION ON WHAT TV distributors think of content and its changing place in their business plans was a popular session at the Canadian Film and TV Producers Association annual Prime Time conference in Ottawa three weeks ago.
As we noted in part one last week, the great big elephant not in the room was a cable company. Moderated by Peter Lyman, senior partner, Nordicity Group, the panelists included Chris Frank, vice-president, programming and pay-per-view, Bell ExpressVu, Michael Hennessy, vice-president, broadband and video policy, Telus (and former head of the Canadian Cable Television Association); Tom Laird, general manager, digital…
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CALGARY – DTH provider Star Choice said today it is launching the World Fishing Network, GolTV, and five new high definition channels.
On March 15, 2007, WFN and Gol will take their places on the Star Choice lineup while on March 22 superstation WGN HD and 24/7 HD channel HDNet will be turned on.
In May, the Shaw Communications-owned satellite company also plans to launch three new French HD channels from Astral Media: Canal Vie HD, Series+ HD, and Z télé HD.
Pricing and packaging of the HD channels will be announced later.
www.starchoice.com www.wfn.tv www.goltvcanada.com…
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ENTITLED "BDU CONTENT Strategies: Can Cable and Phone Companies Do Their Own Thing?", the session on what TV distributors think of content and its changing place in their business plans was a popular session at the Canadian Film and TV Producers Association annual Prime Time conference in Ottawa two weeks ago.
The elephant not in the room, however? A cable company. But one former cable guy spoke for the industry anyway. Moderated by Peter Lyman, senior partner, Nordicity Group, the panelists included Chris Frank, vice-president, programming and pay-per-view, Bell ExpressVu, Michael Hennessy, vice-president, broadband and video policy, Telus; Tom…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications launched its voice over IP services, Shaw Digital Phone and Shaw Digital Phone Lite, in Vernon, B.C., this week.
The service includes local phone service, popular calling features, anytime calling at 4 cents per minute within Canada and the US and 50 other international countries for as low as $29.95 per month.
Shaw Digital Phone is a primary home phone service that uses Shaw’s secure managed broadband network, not the public Internet, which enables Shaw to offer a consistent level of quality and reliability to its phone customers.
www.shaw.ca
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OTTAWA – With two major crises reaching public climaxes just before Canadian film, TV and new media producers gathered here for their annual Prime Time conference last week, the event could easily have become two long days’ journey into denouement.
Instead, although frequent quips proved tensions still simmer following the ACTRA strike and the uncertain future for the Canadian Television Fund, PT’s agenda (which included a speech from new CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein) focused on improving industry performance amid some encouraging 2005-’06 news.
Volume up The Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s annual Profile report says…
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TORONTO – At least one prominent financial analyst has serious doubts about the proposed purchase of Standard Radio by Astral Media.
In a research note published Monday, BMO Capital Markets Tim Casey said that because Standard is already known as a leader on margins and on cost containment, adding Standard to Astral is not such a good idea.
"We estimate the transaction will be earnings neutral in 2008 and modestly accretive to free cash flow," writes Casey. "We do not believe is enhances the long-term growth of the company." BMO Capital Markets downgraded Astral to "market perform."
"Based…
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