CANADA’S CABLE AND SATELLITE companies want one thing when it comes to high definition television: More.
More HD channels. More HD content. More HD Canadian content. In the larger markets at least, HDTV set owners are increasingly tuning to their HD channels only, taking advantage of their big, bright, new toy. They, in turn, are beginning to apply some pressure on their cable company or satellite provider to make more channels available.
“Demand is high,” says the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance’s legal counsel Chris Edwards. “Everyone is looking to get as much high def as they can get.” The…
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THE SCORE HAS SEEN its share of challenges.
Launched in 1997 as Headline Sports as part of the 17-channel tier III, it struggled from the outset. It had no background, so it had to knock extra-hard on the doors of leagues and teams to get them to listen.
Then, since it had no live event programming of its own, TSN, for one, wouldn’t give the sports news channel any highlights from sports properties it owned, like the Canadian Football League. Clips like that are normally traded and the sports channel newcomer had nothing to trade with, said TSN at…
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TORONTO – The outlook for Canada’s traditional fixed-line telecom industry in 2006 is poor, while things are looking better for wireless services and the cable industry, according to the latest credit ratings report by Standard and Poors.
Competition for wireline business will hurt incumbent telcos (Aliant, Bell Canada, Manitoba Telecom Services, and Telus) as the cable operators and other players enter the telephony market, the report says. Likewise, though, the cablecos (Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, and Videotron) will face more competition from telephone operators providing video services via DSL. “The blurring of boundaries between wireline, wireless, and cable will continue,”…
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LAST WEEK’S ANNOUNCEMENT of BCE’s divestiture of all but 20% of its ownership holding in Bell Globemedia left one enormous burning question.
What is the company going to do with the $1.3 billion in proceeds from its sale of control of one of Canada’s largest media companies? BCE CEO Michael Sabia told an analyst conference call last week that the company won’t be announcing what it plans to do with the money until February.
Here, in no particular order, is the www.cartt.ca Top 10 List of things BCE could do with its new pile of money, when it…
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OTTAWA – On Thursday the CRTC told Telus that it can avoid using an SRDU for its Telus TV service and granted the telco some flexibility when it comes to the U.S. 4+1 signals it chooses.
However, the Commission denied the company’s request distribute the same Part 2 Eligible satellite services and Canadian distant signals on the same basis as the incumbent in the market without the need for a further regulatory process. It also said no to Telus’ desire to add the same audio programming services as the incumbent, without the need for a further regulatory process.
Telus…
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IF YOU WANT AN EARLY look at what the communications infrastructure in Canada is going to look like, it might be worth studying Saskatchewan.
The incumbent telco, SaskTel, has embarked upon an ambitious, aggressive, costly push to modernize its network, driving fibre deep into its communities, taking dead aim at the two large cable companies in the province with its MAX high speed Internet and digital television service.
The reason why this might offer a glimpse into the future is that this is a province where the “normal” economic guidelines the rest of the communications companies in Canada are…
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WINNIPEG – Over 750 employees will be let go in early 2006 as part of a multi-faceted push to cut costs at MTS Allstream.
Calling it the “Transition Phase II Plan” which will “position the company to grow profitably in the rapidly changing telecommunications industry,” the Winnipeg-based provincial telco – and CLEC when outside of Manitoba through its Allstream division – announced today it “is targeting a minimum of $100 million in expense savings over the next two years,” in the press release.
"We have a long tradition of successfully capitalizing on change at our company," said CEO Bill…
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TORONTO – Telus has signed a 15-year agreement with Hamilton Health Sciences to deliver the process and information technology components of its human resource services.
Valued at $137 million, the agreement will see Telus implement a technology and an application upgrade to Hamilton Health Sciences’ HR management system, as well as assume the day-to-day management and delivery of its HR services including payroll, recruitment, compensation, occupational health and safety and benefits.
Through the partnership, 73 Hamilton Health Sciences employees join Telus. Employee relations, labour relations consulting and advisory staff, along with strategic HR leadership staff remain employees of Hamilton…
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MISSISSAUGA – “After months of suffering with substandard phone service, British Columbians can now fire their phone company in favour of a better choice,” said Vonage Canada on Wednesday – taking a shot at the incumbent, Telus, and its recent labour woes.
The U.S. VOIP company announced the availability of its flat-rate service to six new communities in British Columbia beyond Vancouver and Victoria, where Vonage is currently available. These new communities are: Penticton, Abbotsford, Kamloops, Kelowna, Richmond, and Vernon.
"Over the last couple of months residents of BC have seen a considerable reduction in the level of service…
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VANCOUVER – Wireless and wireline operations at Telus Corp. will be combined under one executive roof, the company announced this morning.
The integration (which the company had taken stabs at in the past, sources told cartt.ca) really moved forward quickly with the departure of Telus Mobility president George Cope to Bell Canada a month ago, and “is consistent with Telus’ national growth strategy to provide integrated solutions that differentiate Telus from its competitors,” says the press release.
“The change positions Telus to leverage the ongoing convergence between wireless and wireline technology and Telus’ continual focus on operational efficiency…
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