ANYONE WHO HAS spent longer than five minutes in this industry knows that the lead question Canadian viewers most often have for us is: “Why can’t I get HBO here?” (Actually, it’s very often “why the he** can’t I get HBO?!!)
Finally, we can tell them, “we do have HBO in Canada.” It’s not the exact HBO Americans get because it does have a 30% Cancon requirement, but it’s a lot closer than the way the dominant American pay channel’s programming has historically been available here.
As reported by Cartt.ca Monday morning, Astral Media (owners of The Movie…
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TORONTO – Count CBC and The Score in the camp that doesn’t mind if Rogers ever carries TSN2.
The two broadcasters say TSN doesn’t have the regulatory authority to launch the new channel in the way it has been pitched and launched. (While the early launch was a struggle over money and channel placement, the larger carriers are bringing TSN2 aboard.)
TSN2 launched earlier this month – a re-named and bulked up version of the TSN Alternate feed, as Cartt.ca has reported. While TSN Alternate was fired up only when the sports service had conflicts with live…
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TORONTO – In seven years, newcomers to the wireless game in Canada will have about 8.2 million Canadian wireless subscribers (about 24% of the market), says a new report published Tuesday by Toronto’s Convergence Consulting Group.
And just about all of those subs will be tied to three big new wireless players, Globalive, Shaw Communications and Videotron.
At the end of 2015, those three companies “will each have a 7% share,” says the report.
Approximately 75% of new entrant subscribers will be consumer postpaid. Those customers currently comprise 53% of all Canadian wireless subscribers, but the company estimates that…
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TORONTO – While Bell TV announced on the weekend it has added TSN2 to its channel roster, watch for more pressure to come on a couple of other Canadian carriers from their local football fans later this week.
Bell TV (formerly ExpressVu) is the first of the “big four” carriers (Shaw/Star Choice, Rogers and Videotron being the others) to begin carrying TSN’s secondary channel. TSN2 will air live games when the main network has something of a higher priority scheduled, as well as some taped shows and tape-delayed games.
As reported earlier this week by Cartt.ca, TSN has been…
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TORONTO – They’ll probably crack eventually, but so far, the big four of Canadian video distribution, Shaw Communications, Rogers Communications, Bell TV and Videotron have resisted adding the new TSN2 to their channel lineups.
As usual, it’s a fight over money (that and to a lesser extent, packaging and capacity).
TSN2 was the “alternate feed” of the main TSN network, a sometimes on, sometimes off, dumping ground that the sports network used when it had conflicts with two live events. Most of the carriers had it somewhere on the dial and didn’t mind making space for that channel since…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada just set the bar much higher on the customer service front in most of Canada by launching a pair of new residential service programs.
The big telco/Internet/wireless/TV company today announced “same day next day” service for fast and free servicing of Bell TV, Bell Internet and Bell Home Phone, and “express install” for premium next-day installation of all three home services, if customers make that choice. (Shaw Cable offers a same day next day service already.)
"These two new service initiatives support our number-one strategic imperative – improve customer service – and our focus on…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC on Friday approved Shaw Communications’ request to add Big Ten Network to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis.
The Big Ten Network is an American college sports channel (a joint venture between the 11-school sports conference and Fox Cable Networks) which shows live games and other programming about the various NCAA sports teams in the Big Ten.
Shaw applied to the Commission for the channel on January 9, 2008 and despite some objections, the Commission concluded “BTN is a very ‘niche’ service, broadcasting U.S. collegiate sports from only one…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC will put off a review of its benefits policy until after the federal government renders its views on the Canadian Television Fund.
The Commission issued a public notice in July, asking for comments on altering its benefits policy so that some money could be directed to new media initiatives. Currently, when one broadcast company buys another, a certain percentage of the transaction (10% in the case of television companies) must be set aside for public benefits, which are mostly for the production of Canadian content.
However, a number of recent transactions (such as Goldman Sachs’…
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CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – The Campbell River Television board of directors said today that its members have spoken and they want to sell the cable co-operative to Shaw Communications.
The board has the preliminary results from the August 23, 2008 special meeting and “members who exercised their right to vote were in overwhelming support” of selling CRTV to the big western cableco, said the release. As a co-op, 75% of members must vote in favour of a change in ownership.
“At this point in time, the process of handing CRTV over to Shaw becomes a housekeeping issue,” says the…
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MONTREAL – CanWest Broadcasting is rebranding Lonestar, a Western-themed cable channel, as MovieTime, a digital offering of popular Hollywood movies. CanWest says that MovieTime, which goes live Oct. 6, will feature more than 250 Hollywood movies.
Catering to adults 25-54, MovieTime will offer viewers unparalleled access to an extensive collection of contemporary hit movies.
"There are few things that generate as much excitement, delight and passion as people’s most-loved movies and with MovieTime, we are thrilled to give audiences a one-stop channel to catch all their favourite hits," says Barb Williams, executive vice-president, content, Canwest Broadcasting.
Canwest says Movietime reflects its on-going…
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