New mega-streamer to launch here on same day and date as U.S.
BURBANK, Calif. – The Walt Disney Company announced Monday its direct-to-consumer streaming platform Disney+ will launch in Canada and The Netherlands on November 12th, the same day as its much-anticipated U.S. launch.
It will then debut in Australia and New Zealand one week after that.
However, with the Canadian rights to certain Disney content still owned by Canadian companies, we wondered what the Disney+ offer will actually look like here, because it will be a different. Netflix subscribers and CBS All Access subscribers, for example, know the content libraries found…
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Bell to cut rural broadband rollout by 20% in response; Other carriers equally disappointed, angry
MONTREAL – Bell Canada spent the weekend crunching numbers (update: Rogers did the same) and announced today that last week’s CRTC decision to slash the rates paid by independent third party internet access (TPIA) providers – retroactively, too – will have a cost which will be paid by rural Canadians.
Bell said Monday morning it has estimated the impact of the CRTC’s decision to lower wholesale fees, retroactively, to be $100 million, and in order to pay for that, it will reduce…
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GATINEAU – In a long-awaited decision, the CRTC today set final rates for wholesale access to the high speed wired networks of Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Telus, and Vidéotron.
The process had started in May 2015 and interim decision was rendered in October 2016. That said, this is a fight that has been going on for more than a decade.
The rates released today (which are paid by independent third party ISPs like TekSavvy and Distributel) are lower than the interim rates and retroactive to 2016. The monthly capacity rates are 15% to 43% lower…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced today Freedom Mobile is expanding to Cranbrook, B.C.
“For the first time, people living in the East Kootenays can choose a wireless provider that offers greater value for their hard-earned buck,” said Paul McAleese, Shaw Communications’ wireless president, in the press release.
As Freedom Mobile extends services to Cranbrook, residents can get a special introductory offer on Freedom Mobile’s Big Gig Unlimited plans and they can take advantage of limited-time Absolute Zero handset offers, adds the release.
In Cranbrook (a town of about 20,000 in southeastern B.C.), customers can sign up for Freedom Mobile services at…
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GATINEAU – Canada’s three largest wireless carriers aren’t going to meekly back away from the CRTC on this issue.
While they often grit their teeth and accept the cards the Commission deals, it seems Rogers, Telus and Bell are going to double down when it comes to 36-month device financing plans.
Friday, the Regulator told the carriers to pull those offers from the market and Rogers and Telus have told us they will comply for now (and also that it’s going to take a couple of days at least to do so). However, they are spoiling for…
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GATINEAU – A program Shaw Communications offered a decade ago to grease the wheels of its acquisition of Canwest's television assets will end before the CRTC makes an official final decision on demands that it be renewed.
It's called the Local Television Satellite Solution, a free basic satellite subscription that was provided to people in areas that would have lost over-the-air TV service as a result of the digital television transition in 2011. It was funded with $15 million from the $180 million in tangible benefits Shaw proposed as part of its $2 billion acquisition of Canwest back in 2010.
The…
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LOUISVILLE, Colo. – CableLabs, the cable industry’s standards setting and research and development body, has appointed Mariam Sorond as its new senior vice president and chief research and development officer.
In this role, she will lead R&D, directing the execution and adoption of new technologies for CableLabs’ members and the industry and will help drive technical thought leadership, vision and strategy for the future of connectivity. She will report to president and CEO Phil McKinney
“We’re thrilled to welcome Mariam to CableLabs, bringing her depth of experience and expertise to our members and the industry,” said McKinney. "As we advance…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications and eStruxture Data Centers today announced an agreement which will see eStruxture acquire the assets of Shaw's Calgary-1 data center.
The Canadian company acquired all contractual relationships residing in the facility and the existing operational and sales teams with the deal. The addition of Shaw's Calgary facility complements eStruxture's existing portfolio of five data centers in Vancouver and Montreal. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"We're excited to announce the acquisition of the newest, most state-of-the-art data center in Calgary, and welcome Shaw's existing data center employees and customers to eStruxture," said Todd Coleman, president…
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TORONTO – Ken Stein, former senior vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs at Shaw Communications, died last week of cancer. He was 76.
After a career as a senior public servant, where he worked closely with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as deputy secretary to the federal cabinet for a stretch, Stein was hired in 1991 as president of the former Canadian Cable Television Association. He then joined Shaw in 1995 and remained a key builder of the company until his retirement in 2011.
He also served on the board of the Shaw Rocket Fund and was the long-time chairman of…
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CALGARY – Freedom Mobile continued its network expansion today with the official announcement it has launched in Kelowna, B.C.
Kelowna residents can sign up today as a Freedom customer at the Orchard Park Mall (2271 Harvey Avenue), Mission Park Shopping Centre (3155 Lakeshore Road), as well as Walmart (1555 Banks Road) and Loblaws’ The Mobile Shop (2280 Baron Road). Freedom Mobile will extend wireless services to residents in communities throughout the Okanagan in the coming months. Click here to see where launches are coming next.
Kelowna residents can also get a special introductory offer on Freedom…
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