OTTAWA – Both Rogers and Shaw Cable have applied to the CRTC again to alter the rules surrounding local ad avail time on U.S. cable channels.
Currently, American channels such as CNN, A&E, The Golf Channel and others make two minutes an hour available for cable companies to sell local availability time. In the U.S., it’s a multi-billion-dollar sales industry.
In Canada, MSOs are not allowed to sell the time by the CRTC. They must give 75% of the time to Canadian specialty channels (who have to also pay MSO costs) and to use the remaining 25% to promote…
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REDMOND, Wash., and LOUISVILLE, Colo. – An agreement announced Wednesday between Microsoft and CableLabs means Microsoft’s dream of easily delivering high-quality TV signals to PCs is right around the corner.
The world’s biggest software company and the North American cable industry’s research and development organization today announced they have reached an agreement that will allow Microsoft and PC manufacturers to bring to market digital-cable-ready Windows Media Center-based PCs in the holiday 2006 time frame.
These Media Center PCs, capable of supporting a CableCARD module, will allow consumers to enjoy one-way cable programming, including premium high-definition cable content, on their…
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TORONTO – Think Broadband Solutions was officially launched this week by Tri-Vision Electronics.
The new, wholly-owned subsidiary “will focus on new telecom and wireless business opportunities and to complement Tri-Vision Electronics Inc.,” says the company.
Think will provide in-country equipment sales and supply, logistical support, niche product research, design and development, in-house and offshore manufacturing capabilities and equipment test, repair and refurbishment. Progress is well underway to represent major brand names in Canada, says the press release.
In fact, the company announced yesterday that it will offer Andrew Corporation subscriber access cable products including CATV coaxial cable and connectors for…
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CALGARY – Shaw Internet customers now have another way to share their digital photos with the introduction of the company’s latest Internet enhancement, Shaw Photo Share.
"The digital photography revolution continues to be one of the biggest phenomena in personal computing, and we’ve built a service that allows our customers to get the most out of it,” said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications, in a release.
Using Shaw Photo Share, customers log in at photoshare.shaw.ca and select digital pictures to be uploaded. Photo Share automatically resizes the selected pictures and then provides the sender with an option to…
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VANCOUVER – With its labour woes (hopefully) finally behind the company, Telus CEO Darren Entwistle said Thursday the company is moving quickly on two new technologies: its new wireless EVDO network, and its digital television solution, Telus TV.
During a quarterly conference call with financial analysts, Entwistle said beginning next week, Telus will launch its EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized) high speed wireless network in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The new net will allow wireless data speeds of more than 700 Kbps, about six times faster than its current offering.
And launching this month, is Telus TV, its…
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TORONTO – On Tuesday CHUM announced the launch of the CHUM Prairie Bridge Finance Program (CPB).
The new program is part of CHUM’s nearly $20 million commitment in programming benefits to Alberta and Manitoba as a result of its acquisition of Craig Media Inc., and will provide “much-needed gap funding in the form of recoupable loans for eligible television and film projects,” says the CHUM release.
The CPB initiative will make available $500,000 in gap financing to Alberta and Manitoba-based production companies. This is in addition to the previously announced $6.9 million in licence fees and other expenditures to…
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WINNIPEG – It’s still early days for high definition in Canada but with costs for broadcast equipment and the sets themselves coming down, it won’t be early for long.
Randall Dark, one of the speakers at the HDTV session Tuesday at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters annual convention in Winnipeg, runs HD Vision Studios and says he sees no reason why the whole industry can’t more quickly move into HD.
In the U.S., where he’s based, it’s taken off “like a rocket ship,” and if broadcasters and the production industry don’t move on HD, “you will lose market share,”…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications became the first BDU in Canada to add Turner Classic Movies to its channel lineup, both on Shaw Cable and Star Choice.
TCM has actually been on the eligible satellite list for about eight years but because of movie copyright ownership issues, Canadian cable and satellite companies have been reluctant to carry a channel which would then need to be blacked out often.
However, executive vice-president Tom Karsch told www.cartt.ca in an interview on Tuesday that the channel has been working on new deals to gain the North American rights to its classic movies (primarily…
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CALGARY – Shaw Cable has added Wild TV to its on demand lineup.
The category two hunting and fishing digi-net which is available as a full channel on Access Communications and MTS TV, has made its content available on Shaw On Demand.
The move, “makes watching your favorite hunting and fishing show as easy as using your remote,” says the Wild press release.
The independent specialty channel is appealing to fans to make some VOD buys and take in some of Wild TV’s VOD shows and programming segments like, The Moose is Loose, Elk Fever, Bears and Bruins and…
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CALGARY – To the chagrin (but maybe not the surprise) of Canadian broadcasters, Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw said Thursday that pushing digital cable is not at the top of the company’s priority list.
During its quarterly conference call with financial analysts to discuss its third quarter results, Shaw was asked why its strategy when it comes to marketing digital cable is so different when compared to Rogers. While Rogers carries just about every channel under the sun and strongly markets digital cable, Shaw has been far more reluctant to add many of the new category two channels…
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