And why we must address the real challenges facing Canadian broadcasting
By Kevin Goldstein
IN A RECENT CARTT.CA opinion piece, OUTtv CEO Brad Danks claims Canadian broadcasting policy is biased in favour of vertically integrated (VI) companies and has failed because it has not resulted in the exportable Canadian services that he suggests the CRTC intended with its 2015 Let’s Talk TV policy. Both these claims are at odds with reality.
First, it’s clear the international success intended by the CRTC was for Canadian programming, not Canadian programming services. And a large measure of that success has been achieved. Bell Media,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Some of the country’s largest carriers have lost an appeal challenging the process by which the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) set higher pole attachment rates they say could hamper the delivery of broadband services.
Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco, Quebecor and Bragg (Eastlink), among others, didn’t like the consultation process that saw the rate to attach their cables on structures jump from an annual rate of $22.35 per attachment set in 2005 to $43.63 across the province. They argued in the province’s divisional court in late September that the OEB had not provided them with the appropriate…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications’ top-end broadband service got even faster today.
The company launched Fibre+ Gig 1.5, which it says is “a new internet plan designed to provide gamers, streamers and other heavy data users the speed and bandwidth they need.
“We know that there’s a growing segment of people — including heavy gamers, content creators and super streamers — who need access to ultrafast internet services, and that need has only increased during the pandemic as many of our customers manage the reality of having multiple people working from home and sharing bandwidth,” said Paul Deverell, Shaw’s consumer division president,…
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By Matt Stein
THERE’S NO LONGER ANY question that telecommunications is an essential service. Turn off the Wi-Fi in your house and you’ll see what happens!
The pandemic, as we all know from personal experience and from our daily lives, our interactions with our customers and our employees, really underscore just how vital affordable, high-quality communications is.
Everybody says this. But think about whether or not the Canadian communications sector as a whole is delivering on that. Are Canadians getting what they need? The services, the speeds, the packages, the pricing, they demand? Are they being treated fairly?
Fair pricing, fair service, and…
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TORONTO — Corus Entertainment’s YTV today announced a new series called Kid Food Nation, produced in partnership with PC Children’s Charity, will premiere later this month on YTV and StackTV.
Hosted by YTV’s Spencer Litzinger and Tyra Sweet (pictured left to right), Kid Food Nation (4 episodes x 11 minutes) will air Monday, November 23 to Thursday, November 26 at 6 p.m. ET on YTV.
The series features “KFN Heroes” — young cooks with local know-how — and well-known Canadian chefs who will take viewers on a food tour to explore the science, ingredients and cultures of Canadian cuisine. Each episode…
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Company adds 60,000 wireless subs in Q4
CALGARY – While so many industries and companies have suffered through the Covid-19 crisis, Canadian telecoms like Shaw Communications have proven resilient because people need connectivity. This pandemic has shown that like never before.
The company’s fiscal 2020 results released Friday were in line with pre-Covid guidance, including adjusted EBITDA growth of 3.7% and free cash flow of $747 million, and included an addition of 60,000 new wireless subscribers in the fourth quarter (which includes Freedom Mobile and newly launched Shaw Mobile), ended August 31st. Wireless service revenue grew 17.4% to approximately $815 million…
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CALGARY – Westerners can now buy Shaw Fibre+ Gig along with Shaw Mobile at any of The Mobile Shop locations found in 52 Real Canadian Superstore and T&T Supermarket stores, the company announced Thursday.
“We’re working, learning and socializing more online with more devices than ever before, so everyone is looking to maximize their home internet value without sacrificing connectivity. That’s why we wanted to make it easier for Western Canadians to get the internet and wireless services they need at the same place they go every week for their groceries,” said Paul Deverell, Shaw’s president, consumer, in the press…
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CALGARY — In what it calls a first for Western Canada, Shaw Business today announced it has deployed an industrial-grade private LTE network custom-built for mining systems, which will used to provide greater coverage and connectivity at Teck Resources’ Elkview Operations in British Columbia.
(Private LTE networks have been deployed at mining sites in other parts of the country, including Agnico Eagle’s LaRonde mine in Abitibi, Quebec.)
Developed in partnership with Nokia, the 5G-ready private LTE network built exclusively for Teck was created to support the mining company’s RACE21 initiative designed to transform how the company mines by harnessing technology…
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CALGARY — As Shaw Communications continues to push its new wireless service, the company announced today it’s dropping the starting price of Shaw Mobile’s Unlimited Data plan to a very low $25, but it’s an exclusive rate available to subscribers of Shaw’s residential Fibre+ Gig Internet service.
Starting today in B.C. and Alberta, new and existing Shaw Fibre+ Gig Internet customers can get Shaw Mobile’s Unlimited Data plan with 25 GB of Fast LTE data (speeds are slowed if the 25 GB monthly threshold is surpassed) and unlimited nationwide calling and global texting for $25 per month. When Shaw…
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Will Canada’s big media companies even show up for the streaming wars?
By Brad Danks
LIKE MANY PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY, I wasn’t surprised to see Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi shut down last week after rapidly blowing through $1.8 billion in start-up financing. The business model had so many flaws it was just a matter of when it would implode, rather than if.
A staff member reminded me I predicted at Quibi’s launch that they wouldn’t last six months; they made it to seven so I was off by a month. However, predictions aren’t important. What is important is looking at the reasons…
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