TORONTO — Canadian family entertainment company Portfolio Entertainment announced today it has made a number of international deals across its slate of kids and family series with channels in Latin America, Portugal, Russia and Hong Kong.
Portfolio has secured its first sale of its new half-hour family Christmas special Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale and series of Where Oliver Fits shorts (pictured above, 9 episodes x 2.5 minutes) to Discovery Kids Latin America.
“We can’t wait for kids around the world to meet Oliver,” said Donnie MacIntyre, Portfolio’s vice-president of sales and business development, in a press release.
“His adventurous spirit…
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NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Metro Vancouver’s TransLink and Shaw Communications announced today the launch of free WiFi for customers on six RapidBuses, on three SkyTrains, at Edmonds Station and at Carvolth Exchange.
This marks the beginning of a system-wide rollout that will provide TransLink customers with free Shaw WiFi on all buses, SeaBus ferries, SkyTrains, transit stations and major transit hubs by 2026, according to an announcement on TransLink’s blog.
“We are proud to partner with TransLink so its customers can stay connected when they are on buses, trains or in transit stations across the Lower Mainland,” said Katherine Emberly, president…
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LOS ANGELES and TORONTO — Independent entertainment company Boat Rocker announced today it has struck a first-look deal with Canadian brothers, actors and producers Shamier Anderson (above, left) and Stephan James (right).
“Under the deal, Anderson and James, the stars of Boat Rocker’s highly anticipated series Invasion and Beacon 23, respectively, will develop and produce original television projects for the company under their Bay Mills Studio banner,” reads a Boat Rocker press release.
Anderson is starring in the Boat Rocker-produced series Invasion, created by producer Simon Kinberg, which will premiere on Apple TV+ on Oct. 22. James is an executive producer…
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TORONTO – WildBrain Television announced today its fall lineup for Family Channel and Family Jr., which include several exclusive Canadian broadcast premieres.
“This October, WildBrain Television is handing out treats for the whole family to enjoy,” a press release says.
New programming includes Game of Talents (pictured above), which will premiere exclusively on Family Channel on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Hosted by Wayne Brady (Let’s Make A Deal, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), the show “infuses the spectacle of a large-scale variety show with a clue-centered, high-intensity investigative game, pitting two teams of contestants against each other as they attempt to…
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Panelists talk C-10, competition and of course, the Rogers/Shaw deal
By Lynn Greiner
TORONTO – Every ISP Summit, a highlight session is the regulatory panel. The CRTC always seems to generate enough controversy to make the panel entertaining as well as interesting.
This year was no different.
Moderated by Monica Auer, executive director of the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, the panel featured two CRTC alumni who are less than impressed with the way the organization has operated recently.
Konrad von Finckenstein, a consultant and arbitrator, was CRTC chair from 2007 to 2012, and Timothy Denton, now chairman of the Internet…
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TORONTO – On Wednesday evening, Rogers Communications announced Tony Staffieri (above), the company’s chief financial officer, is leaving the company, effective immediately.
Paulina Molnar (below) has been appointed interim CFO. No explanation was given for Staffieri’s departure.
“On behalf of the Rogers team, I thank Tony for the many contributions he made to our company including ensuring the integrity of our financial reporting over the nearly ten years he served as our CFO,” said Joe Natale, president and CEO, in a press release. “We wish him well in his future endeavours and look forward to building on the strong foundation he…
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GATINEAU — The Competition Bureau on Tuesday issued a request for information (RFI) from market participants and Canadians in general to assist its investigation into Rogers Communications’ proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications.
“The Bureau is investigating whether the proposed merger is likely to result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition for mobile wireless, wireline internet and broadcasting services — which are provided by both companies,” reads the Bureau’s press release.
Specifically, the Bureau wants input to help it assess potential impacts on competition in the following areas:
Mobile wireless services to consumers
Consumer and small business internet services
…
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PIAC supports it and Cogeco remains silent
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On May 4, 2021, Data on Tap (dotmobile) filed an appeal to Cabinet of the CRTC’s review of mobile wireless services, which dealt with access by Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) to facilities of the three large wireless operators.
In a nutshell, the CRTC gave access only to players that already had facilities.
To that extent Québecor directly benefited from the policy and subsequently acquired more facilities at the last 3500 MHz auction, as did 11 other regional competitors.
And in their Sept. 22 comments on dotmobile’s petition, written in…
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TORONTO — Corus Entertainment announced today the Peacock Original series Frogger, a new game show based on the iconic 1980s video game, will premiere on its kids’ channel YTV on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“The new game show promises to test skill, strategy and strength as contestants go through incredible obstacle courses in hope of bringing home $100,000!” reads a Corus press release.
The competition series is hosted by Damon Wayans Jr. (above, left) and Kyle Brandt (right) and invites contestants from across the U.S. “to test their physical prowess and problem-solving skills on a variety of epic…
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While “deeply interested” in launching wireless services, will only proceed under the right circumstances
By Amanda Oye
It is no secret Cogeco wants to offer its customers wireless services. The question yet to be answered is when?
Cogeco has been trying to get into wireless since 2018. The company has made advancements towards this goal, including its recent purchase of 38 licences for $295 million in the 3500 MHz spectrum auction that closed in July.
Another step forward came a couple of years prior, in 2019, when Cogeco proposed a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator (HMNO) model to the CRTC…
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