OTTAWA – Shaw Communications’ DTH company Star Choice must distribute French news channel Le Réseau de l’information (RDI) to all digital subscribers living in Anglophone markets as part of its digital basic service, the CRTC has ruled.
The CBC filed a complaint with the Commission in May, alleging that Star Choice refused to offer RDI as part of its ‘English Essentials’ basic service package in Anglophone markets, despite “repeated efforts” on its part to secure carriage. The CBC argued that this is contrary to objectives in the Commission’s Distribution Order 2007-3, set out as appendix 4 to Broadcasting Decision…
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TORONTO – GameTV is launching on Shaw digital cable.
"GameTV brings an impressive programming mix of ‘winning’ shows, from reality TV to classic game shows to Hollywood movies and our popular Watch & Win segments – so we know viewers in Western Canada are excited about our launch on Shaw," says Mark Rubinstein, president of digital media for Insight Sports.
"Now, they’ll have 24/7 access to GameTV’s exciting lineup, a lineup that is even bigger and better this Fall.”
Game TV is the former Casino and Gaming Television.
www.igametv.com www.shaw.ca
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CALGARY – Shaw will making changes to its channel lineup in all markets beginning Tuesday.
The changes are designed to give Shaw customers “a better viewing experience” by grouping high definition (HD) channels together, the company announced.
The release also hinted that Shaw will be adding more HD events, movies and sports to their lineup in the near future, but only mentioned one by name: The Frame, Shaw’s own commercial-free HD art service showcasing the work of international artists and photographers, will available later this week.
"Ensuring our customers have the best viewing experience is always a priority at…
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LOUISVILLE, Colo. – CableLabs announced today that it has released a family of specifications that defines a common set of interfaces for converged video and broadband services in a modular cable network headend.
The Modular Headend Architecture (MHA) specifications include the existing DOCSIS Modular CMTS specifications as well as a series of new specifications that define interfaces for narrowcast MPEG digital video services such as video-on-demand (VOD) and switched-digital-video (SDV).
The new digital video specifications result from an effort involving headend equipment manufacturers and cable operators. The specifications provide “a point of harmonization” between the Time Warner Cable-led Interactive Services…
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CALGARY – The Shaw family, the controlling shareholders of broadcaster and animator Corus Entertainment recently purchased 820,000 class B non-voting shares of the company.
Given Wednesday’s closing price of $13.11, the shares would be valued at $10.75 million.
The Shaw Family, and entities owned or controlled by them, holds 7,283,014 shares of the company, now valued at about $95.5 million.
A year ago, that stake would have been worth $189.4 million (when Corus’ share price was $26).
“The Shaw family also advised the company it would continue its practice of purchasing shares on a regular basis,” reads the press…
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ON THE SURFACE, the 2008 Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention went off with nary a hitch.
Speeches and panels were mostly interesting, attendance was stable compared to last year and the country’s broadcasters did their usual good job in celebrating their best and brightest while we were all entertained by various musical acts over about a 42-hour span at the Westin Hotel.
Behind the scenes though, it’s a much different story. Now, while no one would go on the record with me about any of this, it became quite clear while talking to many people on the show floor…
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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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