The CRTC approved three AM radio stations' conversions to the FM band in Thompson, The Pas and Flin Flon, Man. In three separate decisions Tuesday, the commission approved applications from Arctic Radio Ltd. to convert AM stations CHTM in Thompson, CJAR-AM in The Pas and CFAR-AM in Flin Flon to the FM band. In its decision for CHTM, the CRTC said Arctic Radio plans to maintain CHTM’s adult contemporary music format and target listeners aged between 25 and 34. Both CJAR and CFAR, the commission said, requested the conversion to rebroadcast CHTM’s new FM programming. In the decision for CJAR, the CRTC said the new FM station would broadcast at the 102.9 MHz frequency, and CFAR would operate on the same frequency, the commission said. All three licences expire Aug. 31,...
Two theatre event projects and five film projects will receive funding from Quebecor Media Inc.’s Event and Film Production Assistance Program, the company said Tuesday. In a release, Quebecor said a total of $1,155,000 will go to selected producers and distributors, including Juste Pour Rire TV Inc., Productions Select TV Inc., Corporation ACPAV Inc., LGDT-3D Inc., Forum Films Inc., Les Films Séville and Les Films Christal. Quebecor said the independent fund is established through subsidiary Videotron Ltd. and aims to support Canadian content for television. Since September 2010, Quebecor said, the fund has provided about $4.3 million in assistance to 23 film projects and six events....
Canadian officials will finish up a round of trade talks in Singapore this week for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. Meetings are taking place March 4-13 with negotiators from member countries Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam, as well as 300...
Forensic copyright firm Canipre Inc. engages in online file “spoofing,” copyright takedown requests, and investigations to support “speculative invoicing” of filesharers through out-of-court copyright settlements, Canadian Business reported. In an article published March 8, the magazine reported...
Proposed new specialty channel, Starlight: The Canadian Movie Channel, hired a consultant to lobby the CRTC and the federal government to support its application for mandatory distribution, according to federal lobbying registry. A registration posted on the lobbying commissioner’s website last week showed government relations consultant Jennifer...
The CRTC approved a new developmental French-language FM radio station in Val-des-Lacs, Que. In a decision Monday, the CRTC said it approved Radio Vallacquoise Inc.'s application to operate a low-power developmental community...
A stand-alone “Watch-Canada” platform to make premium Canadian content available online is not the best way to promote and distribute Canadian content due to problems with content licensing, said Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the Canada Media Fund (CMF). “It appears that a standalone portal is not the best way to approach it. There are many other options that we are going to consider in partnership with several others,” Creighton said Thursday in a panel discussion at the Canadian Media Production Association’s Prime Time conference in Ottawa. The CRTC, Telefilm Canada and the CMF announced the creation of a new working group in January to promote Canadian film, television and digital media. “One of the investigations we’re going to...
The CRTC opened a consultation and set a public hearing for Shaw Communications Inc.’s proposed acquisition of specialty channel TVtropolis General Partnership. In a notice of consultation posted on the commission’s website Wednesday, the CRTC said Shaw’s application to acquire TVtropolis, currently jointly-owned by Shaw and Rogers...
The Conservative government implemented its new policy on international co-productions for film and television shows, said Paul Calandra, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage. In a speech Thursday at the Canadian Media Production Association’s (CMPA) Prime Time conference in Ottawa, delivered on behalf of Heritage Minister...
Twenty-seven per cent of Canadian Netflix subscribers watched House of Cards, a Netflix Inc. original series, within the first 27 days of its release, Solutions Research Group said in a research note Thursday. SRG said the number of House of Cards viewers could double in the future with 34 per cent of Netflix viewers saying they heard of the show and...
The CRTC said it approved a licence application from Fabrique de la Paroisse de Saint-Gérard to operate a French-language religious FM radio station in Weedon, Que. In a decision Friday, the commission said the new station...
Broadcasters should tap into social media conversations about TV shows as an “effective promotional apparatus,” a new report commissioned by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) said. The report, released Thursday and called “The Second Screen and Television: Benefits & Impacts,” co-published by the CMF and Evolumedia Group, said...
About 50 per cent of Canadian TV viewing happens outside the Canadian broadcast system and cannot be monetized by Canadian broadcasters, said Kevin Crull, president of BCE Inc. division Bell Media. In a panel discussion Friday at the Canadian Media Production Association’s Prime Time conference in Ottawa, Crull said...
Astral Media Inc.'s acquisition by BCE Inc. will benefit independent producers by providing them with more opportunity and funding to create Canadian content, Astral president John Riley said. At the Prime Time Conference in...
The future of all television growth will be on mobile and the television industry must embrace digital technologies as opposed to fighting innovative Internet companies, media expert Robert Tercek said. In a keynote speech Thursday at the Prime Time conference in Ottawa hosted by the Canadian Media Production Association...
Organizations that represent the Canadian television and film industry said they support some specialty channel applications for “must carry” mandatory distribution. The CRTC launched a public consultation in January on more than 20 broadcasting applications filed under section 9(1)(h) of the Broadcasting Act, which allows mandatory distribution of specialty channels by broadcast distributors “on such terms and conditions as the Commission deems appropriate.” Media and production groups are supporting a mandatory carriage application for a new specialty channel called Starlight: The Canadian Movie Channel, as well as the Aboriginal Peoples Television...
BCE Inc. aims to purchase “mature” broadcasting assets from Astral Media Inc. that operate in a fragmented media market where it is increasingly challenging to sell more TV subscriptions and raise prices, Astral said in regulatory filings with the CRTC. Bell seeks to purchase the broadcast company in a...
Rural BCE Inc. satellite TV subscribers in five provinces and the Northwest Territories now have access to community television stations for the first time, the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said. In a release Tuesday, CACTUS said Bell TV satellite subscribers in British Columbia, Manitoba, the Northwest...
Cable TV “pioneer” Omer Girard, who co-founded the Canadian Cable Television Association and fought for cablecos’ right to access telcos’ poles, has died. In a release Tuesday, Girard’s family said the cable executive founded Transvision Magog in 1957 and went on to launch five cable businesses over the next 10 years. In...
Google Inc. is working on a new subscription-based music service to compete with Spotify Ltd., Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported in late February. In news reports on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, the news agencies said Google was in negotiations with major record labels to licence music for a new online service. The company is targeting a...
Industry Minister Christian Paradis is not referring to Bill C-56 as legislation to implement the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In question period debate in the House of Commons Monday, NDP MP Chairmaine Borg said the federal government’s new, anti-counterfeiting bill was a “back door” move to ratify ACTA. Paradis did not use the word ACTA, and said the bill aims to support and protect Canadian families from potentially dangerous counterfeit products. “We must ensure that the legislation is updated and appropriate in order to equip the authorities with effective tools to fight counterfeiting, which is exactly what was introduced on Friday,” Paradis said. Bill C-56, the Combating Counterfeit Products Act, was tabled in the House...
CBC/Radio-Canada provides a “safe and comfortable” work environment for its employees, Hubert T. Lacroix, president and CEO of the public broadcaster, said at a committee meeting to discuss how to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace. Lacroix appeared as a witness Tuesday before the House of Commons...
BCE Inc. division Bell Media asked the CRTC to expand its programming categories for five of the company's specialty channels, according to regulatory filings. In four applications filed with the...
The CRTC will expedite its consideration of an Astral Media Inc. complaint against Quebecor Media Inc.’s Videotron Ltd. subsidiary and its new on-demand video service, the commission said. In a complaint filed with the commission last week, Astral said Videotron’s new illico Club Unlimited subscription service violates the...
Rogers Communications Inc. reached a new multi-year distribution agreement with AMC Networks Inc. and will continue offering the American broadcaster's flagship AMC station to its digital cable customers, the company said. The agreement, which Rogers announced in a release Friday, comes less than a week after AMC took its carriage dispute with...
BCE Inc.’s agreement with the Competition Bureau to sell off 12 pay and specialty channels as part of its proposed $3.38-billion acquisition of Astral Media Inc. is a “big step...
Government legislation tabled in the House of Commons Friday will position Canada to ratify the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) as other countries back away from the deal, the...
Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Group TVA Inc. recorded a net income of $9.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, TVA said Thursday. In a financial report, the company said net income for the period ended Dec. 31, 2012, was lower than the fourth quarter of 2011, which totalled $11.5 million. Operating income for its television segment in the fourth quarter, TVA said, was up by 5.6 per cent to reach $19.1 million. TVA...
Canadian broadcaster Channel Zero Inc. was shut out in its efforts to secure licences to run a series of over-the-air, local broadcast stations in the United Kingdom. In May 2012, U.K. broadcast and telecom regulator Ofcom said it would accept applications for 21 over-the-air broadcast licences to foster the creation of local television stations in...
Ontario's film and television industry contributed $1.28 billion to the provincial economy and 29,00 full-time jobs in 2012, the provincial Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport said. In a release Friday, the ministry said Ontario’s domestic film and television production accounted for 68 per cent, or $871.9 million, of the provincial industry’s 2012 total. Foreign productions, it said, represented $270.6 on the year, up 80 per cent from $150.2 million in 2011. In all, the ministry said economic activity in the province’s film and television industry has increased by 90 per cent since 2008. “The 2012 results prove that once again Ontario is the place to be for film and television production and reinforces a reputation that continues to grow,” Micahel...
The identification of an IP address associated with movie file sharing is not enough to pinpoint an individual file sharer, says a new affidavit filed on behalf of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) as part of Voltage Pictures LLP’s legal request for the names of 1,100 TekSavvy...
A $2 monthly price hike is enough to push TV subscribers away from the regulated broadcast system if the CRTC forces broadcast distributors to carry more channels on basic service, the country’s largest broadcast distributors said, citing new national polling data. In comments filed...
Astral Media Inc. filed a complaint against Quebecor Media Inc.’s new illico Club Unlimited on-demand video service, arguing that it violates CRTC regulations by competing directly with Astral’s pay TV channel Super Écran. In a six-page complaint filed with the CRTC Wednesday, Astral said the new...
Astral Media Inc. launched a new iOS mobile application with content from channels The Movie Network, HBO Canada and TMN Encore, the company said. In a release Wednesday, Astral said the mobile app, called TMN Go, will offer more than 1,500 hours of content from those channels at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to them through TV...
Canadian media producers operate in a global market and must have strategies for “discoverability” to be successful, the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) said in a new report Wednesday. The report, called “Discoverability: Strategies for Canadian Content Producers in a Global Online Marketplace,” looked at the role of social media and online marketing tools to create and maintain successful online marketing campaigns. “What this report tells us is that the marketplace for Canadian content is now truly global, thanks to the Internet. As a result, the competition for audience attention is fierce,” Michael Hennessy, president and CEO of the CMPA, said in a statement. “The Canadian system has been fine-tuned to ensure the development and...
There are no “significant deficiencies” in CBC/Radio-Canada’s practices governing its operations and resources, the Office of the Auditor General said in a report released Wednesday. The “Special Examination Report,” covering the period October 2011 to June 2012, said that CBC can improve on its human resources management...
Sportsnet, owned by Rogers Communications Inc., secured the Canadian multiplatform rights to IZOD IndyCar Series, a release said Tuesday. Rogers said in a release that it secured a five-year agreement for the exclusive Canadian...
The Federal Court of Appeal ruled from the bench at a hearing in Toronto Tuesday, dismissing BCE Inc.'s challenge of the CRTC's use of a “reverse onus” rule in its process for complaints about anti-competitive practices. Bell had challenged a CRTC order issued in December 2011, which the commission...
TORONTO—Rogers Communications Inc.'s broadcast division is unhappy with the industry's terms of trade agreement with independent producers and will seek a bigger share of production...
AMC Networks Inc. launched an online campaign encouraging Canadians to support the broadcaster during its carriage negotiations with Rogers Communications Inc. In an advertisement posted at a new website, www.keepamccanada.com, AMC said Rogers customers are “about to lose” access to popular shows that air on its channels, including The...
The CRTC approved a new adult contemporary radio station for the Clarence-Rockland area of Ontario. In a decision Monday, the commission said it received an application from Evanov Communications Inc. subsidiary Dufferin Communications Inc. to operate an adult contemporary music station on the 92.5 MHz FM frequency. In the decision, the CRTC said the...
CBC/Radio-Canada continued to be the largest recipient of assistance from the CRTC's local TV fund in 2012, receiving $47 million, followed by BCE Inc. stations with $23.7 million, according to a financial statement for the...
The CRTC approved a licence to operate Category B service called The Italian Food and Cooking Channel. In a decision Friday, the commission said it received an application from Tony Della Penta on behalf of a company to be incorporated for a service targeting Canadians aged 25-to-54 with origins in Italy. The channel, the commission said, could...
The CRTC approved an application from Fairchild Television Inc. for a licence to operate a new Category B Cantonese-language channel. In the decision Friday, the CRTC said 90 per cent of programming on Fairchild Television II can be in the Cantonese-language with the other 10 per cent dedicated to English, French, or both. The licence expires Aug. 31, 2019, the CRTC said....
Satellite TV revenue in Canada is expected to grow 2.1 per cent per year over the next five years, a new report from analyst firm IBISWorld says. The report released Wednesday, titled “Satellite TV Providers in Canada,” said the Canadian satellite TV industry has benefitted from a rise in consumer adoption of premium programming packages,...
Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Videotron Ltd. unveiled a new online video service Thursday offering mostly French-language movies and TV shows. Called the illico Club Unlimited, Videotron said in a release that the new service is available by subscription in Quebec and Ontario for $10 per month. Content is available online and within the next few days...
Canada's broadcast regulator should remove The Score’s “must offer” licence designation given that the channel has benefitted from wide distribution for more than a decade, Bragg Communications Inc. said in a regulatory filing. “When one considers that The Score has been...
Apple Inc.’s iPad devices dominated the Canadian tablet market in fall 2012 with 16 per cent of Canadians owning one, followed by BlackBerry’s PlayBook tablets and those running Google Inc.’s Android operating system, each in the hands of four per cent of people in Canada, a new report by Media Technology Monitor (MTM) said. In a...
The CRTC approved an application by Stingray Digital Group Inc. for a new specialty channel that would air “seasonal” nature videos and images over music, the commission said. In a decision released Wednesday, the CRTC said it authorized Stingray to operate The Seasonal Channel as a “national, niche, no spoken word specialty Category B service.” It said the channel, which is not licensed to air any music videos, can show “still pictures and moving video of nature scenes with appropriate music that would change based upon the season to create a soothing video environment.” The licence expires on Aug. 31, 2019....
Nostalgia Broadcasting Cooperative Inc. received a licence to run a new community FM radio station catering to Winnipeg’s senior citizen community, the CRTC said. In a decision Wednesday, the CRTC said it approved Nostalgia’s application for an English-language station that would air 126 hours of weekly programming, including 100 hours of...
Google Inc.’s online application store is providing app developers with detailed personal information of customers who purchased their products, an Australian developer said. In a blog post...
Transcontinental Inc. appointed Ted Markle as president of its media division TC Media, the company said Tuesday. In a release, Transcontinental said Markle joined the company in 1999 and held the position of vice-president of planning, production and information technology until 2004. “From 2004 to 2011, he piloted the implementation of many...
Internet service provider Distributel Communications Inc. is trying to “raise the bar” in the way copyright owners seek Internet subscriber information through the courts, Mel Cohen, Distributel’s president and founder, said in an interview. Distributel, an independent Internet...
The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) will be allowed to intervene in a case seeking to determine if Teksavvy Solutions Inc. must turn over 1,100 of its customers’ names to Voltage Pictures LLP, the Federal Court said Thursday. In the ruling dated Feb. 13, the court said “CIPPIC shall be permitted to produce...
President and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., Nadir Mohamed, will retire in January 2014 to usher in a “new generation of leadership,” Rogers said Thursday. In a release, Rogers said...
The CRTC added high-definition 3D channel High TV 3D and a Chinese-language business news channel to the list of foreign services that can be distributed in Canada. In a decision released Thursday, the commission said it approved an application by Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. to allow the distribution of High TV 3D, a entertainment and lifestyle channel that broadcasts in a high-definition 3D format. The commission also...
Blue Ant Media Inc. appointed Sam Linton as its executive in charge of production, Blue Ant said Wednesday. In a release, Blue Ant said Linton has more than 24 years of experience in production and programming. He previously held the position of vice-president executive producer at Toronto-based RTR Media Inc., the release said. Blue Ant...
A Conservative MP’s private members’ bill that asks for increased accountability at CBC/Radio-Canada was debated in the House of Commons during second reading on Tuesday, and could be moved to committee in the weeks ahead. First tabled by Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber in November, Bill C-461, called the CBC and Public Service Disclosure and Transparency Act, aims to prevent CBC from denying access to information requests based on an exception for records related to its “journalistic, creative or programming activities.” It seeks to modify an exemption in the Access...
A “generational gap” between telcos and over-the-top service providers is threatening to stifle innovation in a “radically altered” telco sector, the International...
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (ACCT) appointed Julie Bristow and Don Carmody as board members, ACCT said last week. In a release on Feb. 7, ACCT said Bristow, executive director of studio and unscripted content at CBC/Radio-Canada, and Carmody, one of Canada’s “most successful” producers, have joined its board of directors. “The addition of a box office champion and...
Hindi Women’s TV was approved as a new specialty Category B service, the CRTC said Tuesday. In a decision, the commission said it received an application from Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. to operate a national, niche, third-language ethnic service that would offer information and entertainment programming in the Hindi-language. The CRTC said the...
Télé Santé+ was approved for a new Category B specialty channel licence, the CRTC said. In a decision Monday, the commission said it received an application from numbered company 9262-8148 Québec Inc....
Small ISP Distributel Communications Inc. is opposing a court motion by NGN Prima Productions Inc. and Riding Films Inc. for the names and addresses of Internet customers connected to the filesharing of three films through peer-to-peer networks. In a document filed with the Federal Court last week, Distributel said NGN and Riding are seeking the names of customers associated with Distributel IP addresses that have copied and distributed the films Recoil, Crash Site and Dawn Rider. Distributel, an independent ISP that provides services in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, said in...
The federal Conservative government reappointed Carolle Brabant as executive director of Telefilm Canada, Heritage Minister James Moore said Friday. In a release, Moore said Brabant, who was first appointed to the federal agency in March 2010, was reappointed for a new, three-year term. "I am very pleased to have a person of Carolle Brabant's...
Telus Corp.'s Ted Woodhead has been promoted to the position of senior vice-president of federal government and regulatory affairs, filling the vacancy left by former Telus official Michael Hennessy. Woodhead, formerly the vice-president of telecom policy and regulatory affairs, told The Wire Report in an email that he was promoted in...
The federal privacy commissioner is developing a set of “best practices” for companies and other organizations that want to collect online user data as it works to resolve issues with a number of “leaky” websites, the commissioner’s office said. In September, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said research conducted...
The CRTC issued letters to Telus Corp. and three smaller broadcast distributors saying they failed to meet a commission deadline for turning down the volume on TV commercials. In four separate letters dated Feb. 5, CRTC chief...
CBC/Radio-Canada reached licensing arrangements to share coverage of the 2014 Olympic Games with Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. CBC said in a release Thursday that it will share coverage...
BCE Inc. reported a fibre footprint of 3.3 million homes by the end of the 2012 fiscal year and higher wireless revenues driven by smartphone sales. Canada’s largest communications company on...
Quebecor Media Inc. appointed France Lauzière as senior vice-president of its new Contenu QMI division, the company said Wednesday. In a release, Quebecor said Contenu QMI is a new division that brings together the...
Twitter Inc. said it acquired Bluefin Labs, a Cambridge, Mass. company that analyses social media commentary about TV shows and advertising. “We believe that Bluefin’s data science capabilities and social TV expertise will help us create innovative new ad products and consumer experiences in the exciting intersection of Twitter and...
Google Inc. won an Australian High Court case Wednesday related to the liability of online intermediaries. The case was between Google and statutory body the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which had argued that some of Google’s sponsored search results were “misleading and deceptive representations.” A panel of five judges ruled unanimously in favour of Google’s appeal of a lower Federal Court decision in Australia. “Google did not author the sponsored links; it merely published or displayed, without adoption or endorsement, misleading representations made by advertisers,” the High Court decisionsaid Wednesday. "Others will definitely be looking at this ruling,” Peter Lee, CEO of the Internet Industry Association of...
The CRTC approved Ethnic Channels Group Ltd.’s application for a licence for a new Category B specialty channel offering programming for Mandarin-speaking children and youth. In a decision Tuesday, the CRTC said the national, third-language ethnic specialty channel would bring programming to viewers in preschool to age 17. Called Mandarin...
Super Bowl ratings in Canada fell ten per cent year-over-year to an average audience of 7.33 million viewers for Sunday’s game, according to BBM Canada data released by CTV Monday. In a release, the BCE Inc.-owned...
Google Inc. reached an agreement with a group of publishers in France that involves the company creating a 60-million euro fund to support digital media publishing initiatives for French readers, Google said on its blog Feb. 1....
Tampa Bay, Fla. radio station WSUN-FM isn’t aiming for today’s common hybrid radio model of talk content supporting music influenced by listener requests. The station is taking audience...
Sharply increased spending on English-language fictional TV helped to push production volume in the Canadian film and television industries to a new high in 2011-2012, says a new report commissioned by the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ) and the Department of Canadian Heritage. According to the report, titled “Profile 2012: An Economic Report on the Screen-based Production Industry in Canada,” production volume in the Canadian “on-screen” industries increased to about $5.89 billion in 2011-2012, up 5.6 per cent over the previous “all-time high”...
The Conservative federal government will allow the CRTC’s decision-making panel to shrink in size and has told some sitting commissioners that their expiring terms will not be renewed, industry...
The CRTC has added Now Mango to the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada, the commission said Thursday. In a decision, the commission said it had approved an application by Fairchild Television Ltd. to add the general interest Mandarin- and Cantonese-language channel to the authorized foreign services list....
Rogers Communications Inc. subsidiary Rogers Media appointed Sam Dynes as its director of production for its in-house productions unit, Rogers said Wednesday. In a release, Rogers said Dynes will oversee all production logistics and operations at Rogers’ Citytv entertainment and lifestyle brands. She will report to Jordan Schwartz, vice-president...
YouTube plans to offer paid subscriptions to a new set of online TV channels, Ad Age reported. YouTube, owned by Google Inc., has approached some content providers and TV channels about the creation of new online YouTube channels...
An increasing number of Canadians own media-rich smartphones and tablets as fewer watch television over the Internet exclusively, a new report by Media Technology Monitor (MTM) said. “Despite...
TheScore Inc. reported higher revenues and losses in the first fiscal quarter of 2013 as the company invested in developing a new mobile platform, the company said. In an earnings report released Tuesday, theScore said its $1.5 million in revenues over the three-month period that ended Nov. 30, 2012 was 50 per cent higher than the $1 million in...
Rogers Communications Inc. subsidiary Rogers Media appointed Bob Babinski as its executive producer and local content manager for Citytv Montreal, Rogers said Monday. In a release, Rogers said Babinski will oversee City Montreal’s Breakfast Television morning show and Connected Montreal, a 30-minute weekly sports show. Rogers noted that Babinski...
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc.’s (APTN) proposed 40-cent carriage fee will help the company expand its online presence and reach 50 per cent of aboriginal youth over a new seven-year licence term, APTN CEO Jean LaRose said. APTN is among six broadcasters seeking to renew their mandatory distribution...
The Asian Television Network International Ltd. (ATN) will offer its ATN channel in high definition beginning March 1, ATN said Wednesday. In a release, ATN said it is currently working to deploy its flagship channel in high definition after bringing its new broadcasting station in Markham, Ont. into full operation. ATN said it was implementing other programming changes, and would not renew Hindi programming service ZEE TV’s licence, which expires on Jan. 31, 2013. Shan Chandrasekar, president and CEO of ATN, said in a statement that the channel is not being renewed due to a lack of airtime. The company said it is working to secure more reality TV programs and plans to introduce Canadian premiers of Indian movies and produce and exhibit Canadian feature films based on South Asian themes. ATN also plans to produce and feature South Asian Canadian dramas in the languages of Hindi, Punjabi, English and Tamil, and invest in Canadian independent production, the company said. ...
CBC/Radio-Canada said it will open its new Kitchener, Ont.-based FM radio station on March 11 to serve residents of the Waterloo region. In a release Tuesday, CBC said the new station, which will include a “digital...
The Federal Court of Appeal will hold a February hearing on BCE Inc.’s challenge of the CRTC’s “reverse onus” rule for complaints about anti-competitive practices, according to court documents. Bell is...
Hockey fans are watching televised NHL games in record numbers following a 113-day lockout, allowing broadcasters to slowly claw back lost revenues, broadcasters and industry experts said. Jeffrey...
Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Videotron Ltd. appointed Sylvie Charette as its new vice-president of branding and interactive media, the company said. In a release Tuesday, Videotron said Charette will play a leading role in promoting the company's brand in Quebec “in order to maintain its stature” in the province. The...
Newfoundland Capital Corp. Ltd.’s subsidiary Newcap Inc. is considering selling its western broadcasting assets, Newfoundland Capital said Tuesday. In a release, Newfoundland Capital said the assets include 32 radio stations, six repeater licences and two television stations, primarily in Alberta. The company said it had not yet determined how the proceeds would be used, but added that possible uses could include “reinvesting in geographic areas closer to its base in Atlantic Canada, reducing debt or returning capital to its shareholders.” The company added that it does not have an agreement in place to sell the assets, and said a the process may not result in a sale. According to Newcap's website, the company operates Alberta radio stations CFXW-FM,...
Broadcasters will face a tough task convincing the CRTC that their channels offer a distinct and unique public service in order to gain guaranteed access to Canadian homes, industry experts say. “It’s a long-shot for everybody and rightfully so,” Pierre-Louis Smith, principal and...
CBC/Radio-Canada, Quebecor Media Inc. and ZoomerMedia Ltd. are among 21 broadcasters seeking CRTC mandatory distribution orders for carriage of their specialty channels, the CRTC said. In a notice of consultation posted on the commission website Monday, the CRTC said it will consider 22 applications for mandatory distribution of channels under section...
Startup activity across Canada is spreading to smaller, unlikely cities. While well-known tech startup hubs like Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Vancouver and Montreal continue to thrive, more entrepreneurs are looking at lesser-known options like Calgary and the small coastal town of Lunenburg, N.S., to launch tech companies....
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) awarded $4.2 million to 19 Canadian companies as part of its Experimental Stream fund for innovative projects, the organization said Wednesday. In a release, the CMF said the funding is part of the second round of the 2012-2013 Experimental Stream that will help projects through development and marketing support. It said 12...
Rogers Communications Inc.’s OMNI.2 conventional television station will feature ethnic-focused content “exclusively,” OMNI said Friday. In a release, OMNI said the Ontario-based station willl feature an additional 35 hours of ethnic-focused content as of Jan. 21. The content will include multilingual documentaries, exclusive coverage...
The CRTC approved applications by Paul Girouard for three more Category B specialty channels, the commission said Thursday. In the first decision, the CRTC said the national, English-language Flying Television channel would be dedicated to all aspects of flight including airplanes, pilots and stories about air travel. In a second decision, the...
Corus Entertainment Inc. is creating more educational content for its Oprah Winfrey Network Canada (OWN Canada) channel in order to meet the channel’s CRTC licence requirements, John Cassaday, the broadcaster’s president and CEO, said in a call with analysts. The CRTC said in December that it was looking at possibly revoking Corus’...
Growth in sports news websites has changed the competitive environment for the sports specialty channel genre and created a need for more relaxed regulations on The...
In March 2009, Waterloo, Ont.-based Research in Motion Ltd. acquired Certicom Corp., a Mississauga, Ont. technology security company, in what seemed a rather routine purchase of a Canadian tech startup. The purchase stands out today because a Canadian company bought a Canadian startup, which is rare. Of the roughly 165 Canadian companies bought out between 2004 and the end of 2012, most of them startups, RIM's purchase of Certicom was the only acquisition by a Canadian company in that eight-year period, according to a list of acquisitions compiled by the Branham Group and published this month on the website of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). The remainder were acquired by larger companies based in the United States, as well as in Europe, Japan, the United...
