TORONTO – Thanks to integration expenses (of Microcell and Call-Net), Rogers Communications posted a loss of $66.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2005, ended December 31st..
While that’s a far larger quarterly loss than in Q4 2004, the wireless, cable, telecom, and media giant’s annual loss was 33.5% lower than last year at $44.6 million.
Revenue in the quarter was $2.12 billion, a 35.4% increase over the same period last year and operating profit was $513 million, a 14% jump. Revenue for the full year was $7.48 billion, a 33.4% increase while OP was $2.14 billion, a 23.6%…
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TORONTO – A story in today’s National Post which said Rogers Communications made a friendly, informal, $9.3 billion all-share offer to purchase Shaw Communications is wrong.
A terse two-sentence release put out by Rogers this morning says: "The purported meeting and offer described in the story did not occur."
Shortly after noon today, Shaw put out its own firm denial. "The Shaw Family has advised the company that it is not in discussions with any party to sell its controlling interest in the company. The purported meeting and offer described in the National Post story did not occur."
In…
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OTTAWA – Quebec cable company Videotron is claiming Star Choice is selling some systems on a two-for-one basis and that such practices run contra to the Broadcast Distribution Regulations.
In a complaint to the CRTC filed December 2nd, Videotron asked the CRTC to step in and put a stop to the practice, saying the Shaw Communications-owned DTH satellite company was giving itself an undue preference by allowing people to pay one subscription fee on more than one system, which contravenes section 9 of the regs.
Star Choice and Bell ExpressVu have allowed customers to purchase more than one system,…
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OTTAWA – American radio host Don Imus earned a rebuke from the CRTC on Friday thanks to comments made during his show on MSNBC Canada in the fall of 2004.
MSNBC Canada no longer exists, however MSNBC is on the eligible satellite list and Imus in the Morning is MSNBC’s 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning program.
The CRTC says it received over 100 complaints about comments made on the November 12 and November 19, 2004 programs. Shaw, Rogers and MSNBC, which owned Canadian version of the channel, shut it down later that month for economic reasons.
Imus and his co-hosts…
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OTTAWA – Shaw Cable is selling commercial advertising on its community channels during Western Hockey League games, says the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, which contravenes CRTC regulations.
While Canadian cable companies are allowed to offer sponsorships to local companies for some of its programming, like Joe’s Garage sponsoring a car repair program, for example, they are prohibited by regulation from selling commercial advertisements promoting products on their community channels.
During a WHL game last May, says the CAB’s complaint, Shaw aired 14 commercial messages, at least 11 of which contravened the regs by actively promoting certain products….
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REGINA – A comprehensive lineup of WHL games from across the province will anchor Access7 community channel programming.
Rick Fraser, vice-president, marketing for Access said the games are made possible through a joint agreement between Access, Shaw Communications and the league.
“We are pleased again in 2006 to work with our friends at Shaw and the WHL to bring our viewers more great WHL hockey action. Between our WHL game coverage across the province and our weekly show dedicated to the Regina Pats, our viewers can count on Access7 to provide the best in Major Junior hockey coverage,” said Fraser….
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VANCOUVER – Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw said today that no matter what the rumor mill might say, the company is not for sale.
When asked specifically if the company is for sale and if Bell Canada is asking to buy, Shaw (left) said: “Lots of people have rumored that. The family has no interest in selling it, so we don’t really have any comment because it’s not for sale.”
Okay, but what about Star Choice. Its marketing was very low-key heading into Christmas compared to its competitors, especially satellite compatriot Bell ExpressVu?
Shaw: “(Star…
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VANCOUVER – Shaw Communications executive chairman JR Shaw had to fight his emotions during a tribute to his friend Charlie Keating at this morning’s annual general meeting at the new waterfront Shaw Tower in Vancouver.
Keating, a Shaw board member since 1985 and founder of Access Cable of Dartmouth, N.S., died of cancer in the fall. The Shaw and Keating families are very close and Keating’s son Greg attended the meeting today. Access sold to Shaw in 1999.
“Most of us in this room knew him and most of us has the privilege of…
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CALGARY – Thanks to some accounting and tax changes, net income at Shaw Communications was $75.7 million for the first quarter, ended November 30, 2005 compared to net income of $44.7 million for the same quarter last year.
(The numbers include a tax recovery related to a reduction in enacted income tax rates as well as amounts related to the retroactive adoption of a Canadian accounting pronouncement. Excluding these non-operating items, net income for the quarter ended November 30, 2005 would have been $38.8 million compared to net income of $15.7 million last year.)
“Subscriber growth in the quarter…
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IT WAS A LUCKY DAY to be in Vancouver, what with the announcement by Shaw that it’s launching VOIP here and that Telus is spending $15 million on a shiny new headend.
So, we took the opportunity to have a short visit with Fred Di Blasio, vice-president consumer product marketing (he’s in charge of the Telus TV rollout, among other things) to get a bit more than what was in the press release on Wednesday.
What follows is a conversation between Di Blasio and www.cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien at the Telus Learning Centre in Burnaby, B.C….
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