Verizon Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that it has completed its acquisition of AOL Inc. The press release stated that “AOL is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon." Verizon had announced in May that AOL would be bought for about $4.4 billion US. Verizon also will be launching a mobile video service this summer, according to an article from Multichannel News. The service will launch in the United States before expanding to other countries, the article said....
DHX Media Inc. announced Monday the company was approved to list and start trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. “Listing on the Nasdaq represents a significant milestone in the continuing evolution of DHX Media,” CEO Dana Landry in a press release. “Many of our industry peers are listed on U.S. exchanges and we believe launching on the Nasdaq will provide us with greater access to a wider range of investors, positioning the company for future growth.” The company will continue trading the Toronto Stock Exchange, DHX added. ...
The CRTC on Monday said commercial-radio revenue in Canada was down 0.5 per cent for the 12 months ended last August, describing the trend as “stable from the previous year in spite of competition from satellite, online and...
The Federal Court has ordered wireless carriers to provide information being asked for by the Competition Bureau as it looks into whether Apple Inc. engaged in anticompetitive practices related to sales of its iPhone. BCE Inc.,...
Industry Minister James Moore said Friday that he will not run in this fall's federal election. Moore said in a statement posted to his personal website that he will finish his term as MP before "going home to British...
As wearable technology moves further into the mainstream, thoughts are turning toward how individual privacy can be protected with such devices that track and transmit information as personal as health data and real-time location....
U.S. technology giant Intel Corp. has purchased Vancouver-based wearables maker Recon Instruments, the company said in a blog post Wednesday. Recon makes smart eyewear for sporting activities such as cycling and running. Recon CEO Dan Eisenhardt said in the blog that, as a part of Intel, "we’ll have the resources to continue the mission we began with the creation of Recon in 2008, but with a level of efficacy and speed that’s beyond the reach of a pioneer in a new market." He said the company would stay in Vancouver, and its brand and staff would remain intact. Eisenhardt did not say what was paid in the transaction....
The soured relations between CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais and Commissioner Raj Shoan extend beyond Shoan's court fight against worker-harassment findings and into arguments over travel expenses, according to a report. The...
OTTAWA — Amid grilling before the House of Commons heritage committee on Wednesday, Keith Pelley, president of Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division, repeatedly stated that despite recent cuts to news...
Shareholders of broadcasting-technology maker International Datacasting Corp. have rejected the proposed sale of its key assets to a San Diego-based company. International Datacasting,...
Music-streaming revenue reported by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) increased from $3.4 million in 2013 to $21.3 million in 2014, the organization said in a press release Tuesday. Its...
BCE Inc.’s CTV News announced Tuesday it has partnered with Facebook Inc. for coverage of this year's federal election campaign. CTV said in a press release the partnership starts immediately and continues until the...
Canadian TV providers are worried the wording the CRTC proposed to prohibit policies requiring 30-day notice to cancel TV services could be interpreted to apply to the cancellation of individual...
The number of cellular Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections globally will nearly quadruple between 2014 and 2019, technology research group 451 Research LLC said Monday....
Canadian-based activist group OpenMedia is trying to drum up support against measures in Europe that would introduce fees for search engines and aggregation websites that use text excerpts to promote links to news articles. OpenMedia said in a news release that the European Union is considering a policy for the harmonization of copyright laws across...
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said in a report Monday that some targeted ads are tracking online behaviour related to “sensitive topics,” such as divorce and pregnancy, without opt-in consent. The report looked at behavioural advertising that “involves tracking consumers’ online activities, across sites and over time, in order to deliver advertisements targeted to the consumers’ apparent interests.” The research used automated software which looked...
The British Columbia Court of Appeal this week upheld an injunction against a certain company turning up in Google searches because the company is alleged to be infringing on the rights of another...
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) told the CRTC that evidence presented by other parties supports its case that Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.'s Shomi has not been distributed in line with...
The television channel of AOL Inc.'s Huffington Post, called HuffPost Live, has been approved for distribution in Canada, the CRTC said Friday. A notice on the commission's website, said an application put forward by the...
BlackBerry Ltd. declined Friday to comment on a report that it was considering using Google Inc.'s Android software in an upcoming smartphone. Reuters reported Thursday that four sources with knowledge of the matter said...
The federal government and the CRTC have been unsuccessful in their attempt to have documents in the Federal Court case CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan has brought against the CRTC shielded from public view, for the time being. It all relates to Shoan's attempt to overturn a CRTC decision that found the commissioner broke workplace-harassment rules, based on a third-party investigation. Federal Court Judge Jocelyne Gagné issued a directive on Wednesday that denied the government's request to have the documents in the case declared confidential because a motion requesting...
In supplementary comments on a House of Commons heritage committee report on the feature film industry, the federal NDP and Liberal parties said government should have access to information about revenues and viewership of...
DHX Media Inc. announced Thursday it has licensed the new Teletubbies series exclusively to Viacom Inc’s Nickelodeon division in the U.S. The press release said the popular children’s...
A union representing media workers is asking the CRTC to hold a public hearing within the next month on cuts to Rogers Communications Inc.’s OMNI stations, and to reinstate eliminated ethnic newscasts. Unifor filed a Part 1...
Shopify Inc. said Wednesday it is working with Facebook Inc. to allow Shopify's own clients to sell and advertise products using Facebook’s “Buy” button. Shopify said in a blog post: “For the last year, we've been working closely with the team at Facebook to create a solution for Shopify...
Peter Steinmetz is the new chairman of Re:Sound Music Licensing Co.’s board of directors, the organization said Wednesday. The organization, which is the copyright collective representing musical artists and labels in...
Telus Corp. said Tuesday it will close all Blacks retail outlets by Aug. 8. The company said in an emailed statement that despite changes implemented over the last year at these photography-centric stores, it has been...
The CRTC on Tuesday said it had approved some of BCE Inc.'s proposals for how to manage tangible-benefits payments relating to its acquisition of Astral Media in 2013, though one specific proposal...
Blue Ant Media Inc. announced Tuesday sales of more than 100 hours of nature and wildlife content from its factual, lifestyle, reality and documentary series catalogue for distribution in Eastern Europe and other international...
Com Dev International Ltd. on Tuesday announced a multimillion-dollar deal to develop satellite equipment. It said in a press release that it will develop multiplexers and switches that will be built over the next year in Cambridge, Ont. The initial work is valued at $4 million, and the full contract expected to exceed $9 million, Com Dev said. The buyer was not disclosed, though Mike Williams, president of products division, said in the release that it is "a long-standing customer."...
Over-the-top (OTT) messaging services are expected to see traffic levels triple globally by 2019 compared to last year's levels, but a lack of success in monetizing the product will lead to a decline in global revenue for the...
DHX Media Ltd., announced Tuesday that it will be premiering Degrassi: Next Class, a new series part of the Degrassi franchise, on Netflix Inc. The company stated in a press release that the show will be available on Netflix...
Apple Inc. announced Monday its new music streaming subscription service, called Apple Music. The company said in a press release that the service will be available via an app to subscribers in more than 100 countries starting...
BCE Inc.’s Bell Aliant announced Monday that its new data centre in Saint John, N.B. is now fully functional and open for business. The new $25 million data centre met the Tier III certification from the Uptime Institute,...
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais touted the merits of "click to retail" as the next big thing for the future of media during a speech Sunday at the Banff World Media Festival. According to speaking notes released by the CRTC, Blais said: “Now imagine creating a sit-com set in a clothing shop. Now imagine empowering the viewer to click on a designer dress that appears in the show and having it delivered to his or her home the next day. That’s 'click to retail' and it’s tomorrow’s next big media idea.” He said many independent producers are concerned about the CRTC’s recent decision on terms of trade and also because “online video services and Internet providers are not required to invest in content made by Canadians in the...
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) announced Monday the results of its board of directors election. The release stated that Jamie Brown of Frantic Films was re-elected as chairman of the board. It named the...
Netflix Inc. announced it will be expanding its video-streaming services to Italy, Spain and Portugal. The company announced in two separate press releases on Thursday and Saturday last week that it would be available in the...
Ottawa-based e-commerce company Shopify on Tuesday said it has teamed with social networking website Pinterest to provide businesses a new way to sell things directly to online audiences. Shopify...
In recent years, it has almost become conventional wisdom in the industry that sports content is a good way for broadcasters to buffer themselves from trends toward cord-cutting and online video, and...
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Thursday that rules regarding Canadian content for radio stations might change to help stations compete in the digital age. According to speaking notes for a presentation to the Western...
CBS Corp. said Wednesday that it will offer Showtime as an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service to customers of Apple Inc. in the United States, starting next month. The launch will coincide with the...
The CRTC said Thursday it will hold a public consultation to review the structure and mandate of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS). The consultation will include a public hearing, which will...
Some companies have disputed the notion put forward by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. that their video-streaming service Shomi has been made available to other service providers. In filings to the CRTC...
TORONTO — There has never have been a better time than now to be a consumer of television, it was said during a panel discussion Wednesday at the Canadian Telecom Summit, but it was also discussed how big changes are afoot, and those in the industry are facing uncertainty. Peter Miller, chairman of Interactive Ontario, which promotes the digital-media content industry, spoke about how now is the “golden age of TV” because consumers have never before had the ability to access whatever they want, when they want. Miller, acting as moderator for a discussion on where the TV...
BlackBerry Ltd. announced in a press release Wednesday that it will demonstrate its new automotive software, which allows for wireless updates, at this year's TU-Automotive Detroit auto show. The new software will help automakers reduce maintenance costs and expensive recalls, improve customer satisfaction, and keep...
Industry Canada announced Wednesday the new appointment of Robert Blair as the new chairman of the Copyright Board of Canada. Blair was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in November 2003 and served for 12 years as a...
The new Mobility Report published Wednesday by Ericsson predicted that Canadian smartphone data usage will grow five times between 2014 and 2020, the company said in a press release. Ericsson...
Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. both used Numeris data Tuesday to proclaim their sports channel is No. 1 in the market, a virtual tie that Rogers said was enabled by its hockey content....
DHX Media Ltd. announced Tuesday that its full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), will expand business offices to the Middle East, Turkey and Greece. The company said in a press release that offices are planned to open in Dubai and Athens. CPLG will partner with FWD Branding Ltd. and License2Brand to create CPLG Middle East, North Africa (CPLG MENA) and CPLG Turkey and Greece, respectively, the release stated. The company announced that Abdel Boazzati will join CPLG MENA and Anthe Louizos will join CPLG Turkey and Greece, both as managing...
The number of third-party applications for smart wearable devices is expected to surge from 2,500 last year to 349,000 by 2019, International Data Corp. said Tuesday. The research company said in a news release that most of these...
The Federal Court of Appeal on Friday dismissed the Canadian Media Production Association’s attempt to appeal the CRTC’s decision to eliminate terms of trade agreements, in what a former...
Google Inc. announced Monday changes to its privacy and security settings. It said in a blog post the changes will include an easier way of managing user privacy controls, as well as the creation of a new website that answers questions about privacy and security settings. In the past, account holders had to sift through several of the search...
BlackBerry Ltd. said Monday in a press release it reached a settlement agreement in its disputes with Ryan Seacrest's Typo Products LLC. The release said that Typo will permanently discontinue the sale of its...
In North America, Netflix Inc. now accounts for 36.5 per cent of peak period, downloaded network traffic, a new report from network management provider Sandvine Inc. said, up from 34.9 per cent...
As demand to be connected to the Internet on non-smartphone mobile devices increases, so do the sales of such products, according to Gartner Inc. The company said in a press release Friday that more than 112 million...
The CRTC said Thursday that it will review the application process and methods for determining tariff rates for large cable and telephone providers selling wholesale high-speed Internet access. The CRTC said it will review the...
An undue preference complaint against Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.’s streaming service will proceed despite the companies’ plans to widen its availability. On Wednesday, Rogers and Shaw...
International Data Corp. said Thursday that worldwide shipments of tablets and 2-in-1 devices will decline in 2015. It said in a press release that there will be an annual decline of 3.8 per cent from last year for 221.8 million units in 2015. That marks a downgrade from its previous forecast for 2.1 per cent growth. IDC said cellular-capable tablets and hybrids, on the other hand, are seeing growth. They are predicted to have average annual shipment growth of 5.6 per cent over the next five years, compared to WiFi-only devices that are expected to see average declines of 0.4 per cent over...
Optimal Payments PLC, an Isle of Man-based company that provides transactional technology, said Thursday it has bought Montreal-based Fans Entertainment Inc., which created a consumer mobile app for fans attending Montreal...
DHX Media Ltd. announced Thursday that it has signed a deal with Hulu to premiere Dr. Dimensionpants to its U.S. subscribers. Josh Scherba, senior vice-president of distribution at DHX, said in the press release that he is happy...
The president of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s Canadian unit is calling for policy-makers, businesses and academics in Canada to come together and help prepare the country for the coming of 5G networking technology. At a...
At some point this summer, Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Shomi streaming service will be made available to customers of other TV and Internet service providers...
Canada’s data usage over Internet protocol networks will triple by 2019 in comparison to what it was last year, according to Cisco Systems Inc.’s latest Visual Networking Index report that was released Wednesday. Canadian IP traffic will reach 4.1 exabytes per month by 2019, up from 1.5 exabytes last year, with average annual growth of 22 per cent, the report said. Canada's IP traffic is predicted to grow at about the same rate as global traffic, which is expected to triple to reach 168 exabytes per month by 2019, said a press release from Cisco. Cisco’s online report...
A number of Canadian broadcast distributors have taken issue with aspects of the CRTC’s proposed code governing the relationship between TV providers and their customers, including the requirement that distributors must...
Anglophone Canadians who use social networks spend an average of about three hours more each week online than Internet users in general, according to a report released Wednesday. Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of...
Stingray Digital Group Inc. announced Tuesday that its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange will include 22.4 million voting shares for total proceeds of $140 million. Based on these prices, market capitalization...
The CRTC is asking that certain information requested by commissioner Raj Shoan in a Federal Court case he has brought against the government not be released. A letter notes that Shoan, who was accused of workplace harassment...
Charter Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it is acquiring Time Warner Cable Inc. for $78.7 billion US, including the assumption of debt. At the same time, Charter Communications said in a press release that it is buying a...
BCE Inc. on Tuesday announced the release of a new Fibe TV app, which it said will allow customers to access this TV service anywhere, at any time, on any screen. The new app gives Fibe TV subscribers access to over 7,000 hours of on-demand programming and can be downloaded for free for Apple...
MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has launched a new app for Apple Inc.’s smartwatch that the company hopes will increase discoverability of channels available though its cable packages and appeal to early...
Quebec and Ontario are making the case to federal political parties for more financial support for CBC/Radio-Canada. The offices of Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec’s minister of Canadian intergovernmental affairs, and Madeleine...
Facebook Inc. said Monday that its users in Canada will receive Amber Alert notifications to help find missing children. Amber Alert notifications will be sent to residents living in the area where the child is missing, Facebook said in press release. Notifications will include photos and details about the missing child, and users will be able to share this information. The application was created in collaboration with police authorities in different provinces across Canada to help expedite the search faster, Facebook said. “The wireless industry applauds Facebook for leveraging...
OTTAWA — Streaming video services like CraveTV and Shomi can and must be regulated as broadcasting entities in order to ensure funding for Canadian programming, the Canadian Media Production...
CRTC vice-chairman of broadcasting Tom Pentefountas told those at the Future TV Advertising Forum in Toronto Thursday that the industry is entering "an exciting new era in broadcasting" that will allow many industry participants, including advertisers, to "excel in a fast-evolving environment."...
Ontario public broadcaster TVO said Friday it is terminating an agreement with White Pine Pictures Inc. for a documentary on Premier Kathleen Wynne and seeking to refund $114,075 that it says was paid to the company. TVO said in...
Copyright-enforcement company CEG TEK International said recently that it’s seen a significant fall in the piracy of its clients’ content in Canada over the past few months, which it attributes to the inclusion of...
Corus Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a deal with BCE Inc. to receive CTV programming for three TV stations in Ontario. It said in a press release CKWS-TV in Kingston, CHEX-TV in Peterborough and Channel 12 in Oshawa will start to get a slate of CTV programming on Aug. 31. Included are shows such as The Amazing Race Canada, MasterChef Canada and CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme, Corus said. Corus said more details would be announced closer to when the deal takes effect....
Kevin Crull, former president of BCE Inc.'s Bell Media unit, will join Sprint Corp. as chief marketing officer at the end of this month, Sprint said Wednesday. The company said in a press release that Crull will report to Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure and his responsibilities will include customer...
Music streaming provider Spotify AB said Wednesday that it has added video to its offerings, along with several other features. "We know there are times in the day you want to switch between music to catch up on the latest news, listen to your favourite podcast or simply watch something...
BCE Inc.'s Bell Media division on Tuesday said Stuart Garvie would be its next president of sales. Garvie will fill the position left vacant by Mary Ann Turcke, who last month replaced Kevin Crull as Bell Media's...
DHX Media Ltd. said Wednesday that it has reached a deal to license the global publishing rights to Twirlywoos, a TV show for preschoolers for which Halifax-based DHX produces, distributes and manages the marketing rights. The...
UpSnap Inc., a Toronto-based provider of mobile-ad services, said Wednesday that it grew its revenue in the first quarter and reduced losses. It said in a press release that overall revenue was up 33.1 per cent from a year earlier to $1.4 million. Revenue specifically from mobile advertisements rose 66.5 per cent over that time to $1.2 million, it...
IT-services company CGI Group Inc. said Wednesday it has teamed up with Baseline Telematics to use real-time vehicle metrics to help insurance company set their rates. CGI said in a news release it...
The CRTC said Tuesday it has approved the sale of a Quebec radio-station operator with certain conditions. Attraction Radio Inc. is buying Gestion Appalaches Inc., which operates CKLD-FM and CFJO-FM, both in Thetford Mines, as...
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) argued in documents filed Thursday in the Federal Court of Appeal that its challenge of a CRTC decision eliminating terms of trade should proceed...
Google Inc. said Friday that the testing of its self-driving cars will move from its own track to public roads in its home base of Mountain View, Calif. Google said in a blog post that cars on the public roads will not be able to drive faster than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). Operators will be on board the vehicles to take over the controls if necessary. The company said it's looking to see how the self-driving cars perform when confronted with certain challenges, such as where they will park if its destination is not accessible due to congestion or construction....
Mnubo Inc., a Montreal-based developer of an Internet of Things (IoT) application, said Thursday it has raised $6 million in venture funding. The company said in a press release it would use the financing to improve its product and conduct further development, which will involve hiring more people in its home base of Montreal and internationally. The...
Showing a piece of ID to prove who you are has remained, for the most part, one stubbornly analog interaction in our increasingly digital world. That’s now starting to change, in countries like Estonia and even some...
DHX Media Ltd. said Thursday that revenue for its third quarter ended March 31 almost tripled from a year earlier to $85.6 million from $29 million, thanks to a major acquisition and gains in its distribution and production...
Music streaming service Rdio Inc. said Thursday it is introducing a new mid-level service option in several markets, including Canada, for $3.99 a month. The company said in a press release that the new option, called Rdio...
Robert Dépatie, former CEO of Quebecor Inc., is resigning as CEO of restaurant operator St-Hubert Group, the company said Wednesday. Dépatie was named the next CEO of St-Hubert in December last year, and his role took effect in February. He announced his resignation as Quebecor's CEO in April 2014 after less than a year in that role, citing health reasons. He had spent 13 years with Quebecor in other roles. "My greatest wish when I left Quebecor was to retire and spend quality time with my family," Dépatie said in a new release issued by St. Hubert....
A U.S. affiliate of ABC has been denied by the CRTC its request to be removed from the list of non-Canadian television channels approved for distribution in Canada. The commission turned down an application from Hubbard...
Facebook Inc. said Tuesday it has introduced a new feature to its mobile app that allows news and public affairs publishers to have content posted directly on Facebook feeds and appear 10 times faster...
The CRTC said in a press release Tuesday it has opened an online discussion forum on a code of conduct for TV providers it proposed in March. At the time, the CRTC said the code would help better inform Canadians and help resolve...
Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. have named David Asch senior vice-president and general manager of their video-streaming service, Shomi. The move is effective immediately, the companies said in a press release Tuesday, adding that Ach “will oversee day-to-day...
Verizon Communications Inc. is buying AOL Inc. for an estimated $4.4 billion US, Verizon said in a press release Tuesday. AOL will become a subsidiary of Verizon once the deal is completed, it added. Verizon noted AOL’s...
Rogers Communications Inc. and Corus Entertainment Inc. are asking the Federal Court of Appeal to dismiss the Canadian Media Production Association's (CMPA's) challenge of CRTC's directive to eliminate the "terms of trade" agreement between the group and large broadcasters. Eliminating terms of trade...
Amazon.com Inc.'s Canadian unit on Monday announced the launch of an online shop for wearable technology. The company said in a press release that customers can now go to www.amazon.ca/wearabletechnology to shop for the...
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said Monday it is participating in an international "sweep" of websites and mobile applications to help safeguard the privacy of children. The office said in a press release Monday that it will participate in an international initiative by the Global Privacy Enforcement...
While many broadcasters and TV providers expressed support for the CRTC’s proposed changes to its wholesale code, which governs carriage agreements for TV channels, they took differing positions on whether the code should be mandatory and whether it should ban minimum penetration and revenue guarantees. In March, the CRTC said it would consult on a revised wholesale code of conduct, which would come into effect by September and “clarify the wholesale relationship between cable and satellite companies and broadcasters, and ensure the fair negotiation of terms and conditions for the...
