QUISPAMSIS – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA) has added its voice to those speaking out against the proposed merger of Bell and Astral.
Describing the matter as “profoundly a consumer issue”, CCSA president Alyson Townsend said that should the deal be approved, Canadian TV viewers will continue to be denied the ability to buy and pay for only the channels they really want. In addition, small cable and telephone TV distributors presently serving rural and remote communities in Canada would most likely be put out of business or gobbled up by Bell.
Citing her organization’s experience as a member of the…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has green-lit the sale of sports channels owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) to a company co-owned by Rogers and BCE, effectively closing the $1.32 billion transaction that will see the two communication companies take a majority stake in the sports and entertainment giant.
While the transaction involved several sports-related properties including the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, the CRTC's review was limited to the five television services owned by MLSE – Leafs TV, Gol TV and NBA TV Canada, as well as un-launched services Mainstream Sports and Live Music Channel.
"When deciding…
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SO IT?S NOT JUST Quebecor, Cogeco and EastLink demanding the CRTC say no to Bell Canada'?s $3.38 billion purchase of Astral Media after all. Telus, Rogers, MTS Allstream, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and others want this latest edition of the ongoing vertical integration story erased.
(An earlier version of this story said Friends of Canadian Broadcasting were also opposed to the merger. That us not the case and Cartt.ca regrets the error.)
Still, other groups such as ACTRA, the Writers Guild, the CMPA and Directors Guild, while not ultimately opposing the…
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VANCOUVER – Add Telus to the list of stakeholders opposing Bell’s planned purchase of Astral Media.
The telco issued a statement Tuesday backing the ‘Say No To Bell’ coalition, and voicing its concern over the “unprecedented concentration of market power in the broadcasting sector would have on Canadian consumers”.
“All Canadians should be able to access the content they want through the provider they choose; we all benefit from competition between a variety of organizations and no one company should be in a position to take away choice or access to content for consumers,” said president and CEO Darren Entwistle,…
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TORONTO – Popular Bollywood entertainment channel, ZEE Cinema, launched on Rogers Digital Cable and Telus Optik TV in Canada this month.
Zee Americas has entered into a long-term distribution agreement with Toronto’s Ethnic Channels Group for ZEE Cinema in Canada. The deal provides Ethnic Channels Group the rights to distribute the service on cable and satellite platforms here.
“This is exciting for us in that for the first time ever we are able to focus our marketing and unlock the strength of…
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WHILE LISTENING, PERPLEXED, to Tuesday’s “Say No To Bell” press conference led by Quebecor Inc. Cogeco Inc. and Bragg Communications, I tweeted “Horse is out of the barn, is lost in the woods and the barn is on fire.”
Many of us are fond of using the “horse is out of the barn” cliché when it comes to big media mergers, noting it’s far too late now to close the door on any of it. That is undeniable, and the proposed Bell Media purchase of Astral Media is just about the last of them. The Canadian barn…
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VANCOUVER – Telus has expanded its 4G LTE network across metro Vancouver.
The telco said Thursday that the service is now available in Burnaby, New Westminster, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, South Delta and Vancouver. Additional B.C. communities, including Southern Vancouver Island, Whistler, Prince George, the Okanagan and Peace River region, are expected to receive access later this year.
“With an LTE device our customers can enjoy the fastest wireless technology available in the world today – we are continuing to expand this new technology, community by community, so that by the end of the year, nearly 90% of B.C. residents are…
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WIND MOBILE PARENT COMPANY Globalive has said again the CRTC must hold a public hearing to find out for sure if the ownership of Telus is Canadian enough.
Back in June, Globalive sent a petition to the CRTC which said Telus’s recent aborted attempt to convert to a single share structure showed the Vancouver-based telco may not be complying with Canada’s telecom ownership rules and therefore it may well be in breach of the Telecom Act. So, a full public hearing must be held to determine whether or not Telus is Canadian enough.
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VANCOUVER – Strong wireless and wireline data growth drove Telus to a very good second quarter, the big telco announced this morning.
Second quarter (ended June 30, 2012) revenue increased 4% to $2.7 billion while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 5% to $1 billion, the company reported. Earnings per share rose 2% to $1.01, or 6% when excluding income tax adjustments and a gain on the Telus Garden real estate development.
Quarterly growth was primarily generated by a 7% increase in wireless revenue and 13% increase in wireless EBITDA, plus strong revenue growth of 8.5% in…
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TORONTO – Asian Television Network (ATN) has launched Movies OK, a 24 hour Bollywood movie channel from News Corp's STAR Network, boosting its Hindi cinema-entertainment offerings in Canada.
The family-friendly channel offers a range of titles including blockbusters, modern classics and contemporary cinema through its affiliation with STAR and through the movie library acquired from Viacom.
The channel is currently offered by Rogers, Bell and Telus.
www.asiantelevision.com
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