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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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,”…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT a family-owned cable company will bring in an outsider to run it. Especially a telco guy.
But, when that cable operation is in the middle of turning into a telephone company, too, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. Until June of this year, John Piercy was working as a consultant to Hamilton’s Mountain Cablevision, working out the kinks in its telephony offering, leading up to this past summer’s launch.
That’s when Owen Boris (Mountain’s founder) and his son Les asked Piercy (right) to come aboard full time as president. Les is…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Maintaining it’s long-standing support of Bullying Awareness Week, Astral Media’s Family Channel is launching its 2005 "Take the Pledge" campaign.
The week is November 14 to 20, 2005, and its focus is to encourage kids to stick up for each other rather than silently watch if they see someone being bullied.
During the week, special programming will air on Family to challenge kids to take "The Pledge," an empowering statement that exemplifies the Bullying Awareness Week message that bystanders can be part of the solution to the problems of bullying.
Containing such lines as "I can help…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Asian Television Networks has acquired the exclusive Canadian rights to the Videocon Cup, a twelve game cricket series with India vs. South Africa and India vs. Sri Lanka beginning today and running through to the end of November 2005.
ATN also announced the launch of ATN-ZEE Cinema, a popular Indian movie channel, ATN-ZEE Gujarati, a regional Language channel, ATN-Aastha, a Spiritual, devotional and faith based channel with yoga, fitness, aromatherapy and live telecasts of major festivals of India, and ATN Bangla, the longest running independent satellite channel from Bangladesh.
All three launched October 19th on Rogers Cable.
ATN…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – G4techTV Canada announced today that digital cable and satellite subscribers of Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw, Videotron, Star Choice, Bell ExpressVu and Sasktel will get a free preview of the channel through November – and a chance to win a $5,000 digital makeover.
Viewers can win by spotting the G4techTV contest icon. Every time the icon is spotted, viewers can enter online (www.g4techtv.ca) by naming the show where they saw the icon. At the end of November, G4techTV will pick one lucky winner to win a $5,000 digital makeover for the hottest tech and gaming gadgets. Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced today that it has signed a two-year programming agreement with Corus Entertainment’s radio division to broadcast the Grey Cup championship game across Canada this year and next. This year, Corus Radio will broadcast the 93rd Grey Cup game from Vancouver’s BC Place on Sunday, November 27th. This exclusive agreement, administered by Deep Sky Sound Marketing Ideas, Corus Radio’s national marketing and programming division, extends Corus’ involvement in broadcasting the CFL as the official rights holder for six of the nine CFL teams.
The Grey Cup game will be covered…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Brian Cooper, president and COO of Insight Sports, has resigned. This announcement comes a week after the company announced it hired Ron Bremner as CEO.
In an e-mail to friends and employees, Cooper said he has resigned to pursue other interests.
Six-year-old Insight (which is majority owned by investor and entrepreneur Larry Tanenbaum) owns a piece of the NHL Network and will soon launch soccer channel GolTV, Casino and Gaming Television (CGTV) as well as the World Fishing Network. It’s also behind the new pay television applicant Spotlight TV and owns a piece of Score Media.
“We’re…
Continue Reading
