Telus to make Netflix available for Optik TV users

Telus Corp. said Wednesday it will be making services from Netflix Inc. available through its Optik TV set-top boxes in the coming weeks.

Telus said in a press release that almost half of its Optik TV customers are Netflix subscribers, and this development removes "the inconvenience of having to switch hardware and source inputs or fumble with additional remotes" when watching Netflix on a television.

Netflix goes to Cuba

Netflix Inc. said Monday it is now offering service in Cuba.

"Bienvenida Cuba! Netflix is now available," Netflix said in a Twitter post.

The move follows the December announcement that the U.S. government is restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than five decades.

Shomi, CraveTV could be pulled if PIAC challenge succeeds: analyst

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) on Friday asked the CRTC to prohibit Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. from restricting the availability of their streaming services, a move that could lead the companies to kill the services outright if it succeeds, according to Cannacord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose.

Redbox shutting down Canadian movie rental service

The movie rental service Redbox will shut down its 1,400 kiosks in Canada, owner Outerwall Inc. said Thursday.

In its latest quarterly report, Outerwall said the Canadian business is “not meeting the company’s performance expectations” and took a $1.5-million US write down.

In a posting on the company’s Canadian website, Redbox said the last day to rent movies would be Feb. 13 and the last day to return them would be March 5.

Videotron launches original content for Club Illico streaming service

MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron hopes that producing original content exclusively for its Club Illico streaming service will help the company attract and keep subscribers, said Videotron CEO Manon Brouillette.

At a Monday press conference in Montreal, the company announced it would launch Blue Moon, the first original series for Club Illico. The scripted series, about a woman taking over her father’s private security firm, will premiere in 2016 and, a press release emphasized, was designed to be binge-watched.

5% of Rogers, Shaw customers trying Shomi: SRG

More than half of Rogers Communications Inc.'s and Shaw Communications Inc.’s customers are familiar with their Shomi streaming service, but just five per cent are using it, according to a survey. ‎

According to a study from Solutions Research Group (SRG), 54 per cent of Shaw and Rogers’ customers had heard of the service within a month after it was launched but were not using it, while five per cent said they were testing it out, and 41 per cent had not heard of it.

Mobile-TV ruling could be harbinger of streaming regulation: Klass

The CRTC’s ruling on Thursday that BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc.-owned Videotron can no longer exempt their mobile-TV services from data charges could have implications for the regulation of streaming services such as CraveTV and Shomi, according to the man behind the original complaint.

Analyst says Rogers downgrade related to hockey

Canaccord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose says concern over hockey viewership is among the reasons he downgraded the stock of Rogers Communications Inc. this week.

In a research note Wednesday, the telecom industry analyst pointed to a Toronto Star article that said the National Hockey League all-star game attracted 1.48 million viewers on Sunday, down from 2.54 million when the previous all-star game was played in 2012. The two-year layoff was the result of the Olympics last year and a player lockout in 2013.

Seevibes expands to Toronto

Montreal-based social-TV audience measurement company Seevibes is opening an office in Toronto, the company said in a press release Wednesday.

Shomi gets rights to original Amazon content

Canadian video streaming service Shomi said Thursday it has secured the Canadian rights to original content made for Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime streaming service in the U.S.

VMedia secures Blue Ant content for cloud-TV service

VMedia Inc. said it has secured its first specialty-TV channels for the cloud-based PVR service it makes available to IPTV customers.

The company said in a news release Thursday that it has reached a deal to include Blue Ant Media Inc.'s Bite, T&E and Cottage Life channels on its cloud PVR, from which programming is available on an on-demand basis for up to seven days after the initial broadcast.

TMN Go now available to Shaw customers

Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday that TMN Go is now available to its cable customers in northern Ontario and satellite-TV customers throughout Eastern Canada, allowing them to watch The Movie Network, HBO Canada, Showtime and TMN Encore content on-demand on televisions, computers, tablets and smartphones.

The availability is limited to Eastern Canada customers because BCE Inc.'s The Movie Network does not have broadcast rights in the West, Bell Media spokesman Scott Henderson confirmed.

Netflix wants to complete global expansion in 2 years

Netflix Inc. can expand to pretty well everywhere in the world while staying profitable over the next two years, the company said in a letter to shareholders Tuesday.

“Acceleration to 200 countries is largely made possible by the tremendous growth of the Internet in general, including on phones, tablets and smart TVs,” it said, noting its streaming service is already available in “about 50” countries.

YouTube to host own Super Bowl halftime show

For the first time, Google Inc.’s YouTube streaming service is hosting a live Super Bowl halftime show of its own that will stream during the break of the NFL championship game on Feb. 1.

Hosted by Harley Morenstein, Montreal-based creator of the Epic Meal Time web series, the halftime show will be live-streamed on the same Ad Blitz channel on which YouTube hosts its Super Bowl-related content, such as pregame and halftime advertisements from major brands as well as behind-the-scenes footage and other extra content.

Small ISPs raise fuss over new Shaw wholesale price proposal

Small ISPs are speaking out against an “egregious” new pricing proposal from Shaw Communications Inc. for wholesale access to its Internet lines.

The Calgary-based incumbent introduced new prices for a new set of retail Internet plans on Jan. 6, and filed a CRTC application on the same day to update its rates for third-party Internet access.

Live sports, the lynchpin of traditional TV, making inroads to OTT

As new over-the-top (OTT) services continue to be launched both in Canada and the United States, online alternatives for live sports have also been increasing.

But in a world where live sports continue to be crucial for the traditional television system — and the kind of revenue only available through that system is necessary to pay for expensive sports rights — it seems companies will have to continue a balancing act between the two technologies.

Most seniors not adopting smartphones: survey

While a majority of senior anglophone Canadians have cellphones, a minority have smartphones, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).

The report, released Wednesday, showed 63 per cent of anglophone Canadians 69 or older had cellphones, compared to 88 per cent of those younger than 69. It found that 18 per cent of seniors had smartphones, while 72 per cent of non-seniors have such technology.

The report also said 20 per cent of seniors had tablets, compared to 46 per cent of non-seniors who had them.

TiVo OTA product gets full release in U.S.

TiVo Inc. said Wednesday it is widening availability in the United States of a PVR for capturing over-the-air programing, a product it released on a limited basis in the fall.

The TiVo Roamio OTA is meant for people who do not have a cable- or satellite-TV subscription but wish to have the same functionality as other TiVo devices for recording and finding their favourite shows, the company said in a press release.

Dish launches online TV service in U.S.

Dish Network Corp. is launching an over-the-top (OTT) television service that will allow subscribers to access 12 specialty channels for $20 US a month.

The U.S. satellite-TV service provider said in a press release Monday that the product, called Sling TV, will be available on TV sets, computers, tablets, smartphones and game consoles in the first quarter of 2015.

FCC expected to vote on net neutrality next month

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on a net-neutrality proposal in February, the Washington Post and other news outlets reported late last week.

The Post said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told other commissioners before the new year that he intended to have a draft proposal ready for internal review next month and wished have a vote on the matter within weeks. The report noted that the FCC's monthly meeting that month is Feb. 26.

CRTC decisions, new streaming services top TV agenda for 2015

It seems all eyes are on the two newest services in the Canadian TV industry.

This fall, the country’s biggest telecom and media companies launched streaming services meant to compete with Netflix Inc.’s, and how they end up performing in the coming weeks and months is “the thing that everyone’s watching,” said broadcasting consultant Peter Miller.

Wearables, OTT, IoT to rise in 2015: IDC

Greater consumer interest in wearable technology, growth in over-the-top (OTT) television subscriptions and greater prominence of the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the top trends in technology expected for next year in Canada, International Data Corp. said Monday.

ISPs aspiring to launch TV services face uncertainty

Small Internet service providers looking to provide TV service should hold off on investment because of the uncertain future of the broadcast television market, according to 3Macs analyst Troy Crandall.

At the recent CRTC wireline hearing, representatives from the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium, a trade group for small ISPs, told the commission that wholesale rates need to drop in order for their members to offer other services, including television, to customers.

Extent of TV piracy unclear, might be rising among youth

On Wednesday, the Australian government said it would allow the blocking of foreign websites that offer illegal downloading and streaming, the same day that the file-sharing website Pirate Bay was taken offline after a raid by Swedish police.

They’re only two of the latest headlines about an international issue that also affects the Canadian TV industry. But despite its high profile, the extent of the problem is, perhaps surprisingly, hard to detail.

Sports, news push mobile-video viewing in Q3: Ooyala

Sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Wimbledon tennis championship helped push mobile video in the third quarter of 2014, with mobile and tablets views making up 30 per cent of all worldwide online video, according to the latest report from online video company Ooyala Inc.

The company said in the report that mobile views in the third quarter doubled from the same period last year and quadrupled since the same period in 2012.

Early problems emerge with Shomi service

Some TV-industry analysts who are among the early adopters of Rogers Communications Inc.'s and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Shomi are detailing problems they've experienced with the streaming service in its first weeks.

Mandated wholesale access to FTTP wouldn’t deter investment: Shaw

GATINEAU, Que. — Shaw Communications Inc. on Friday took a different tack than other large Internet service providers that have spoken before the CRTC’s wholesale wireline hearing this week, endorsing mandated wholesale access for fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections.

What happens to VOD in an OTT world?

The launch of new streaming services from Canada’s biggest TV providers adds yet another option for viewers who want to catch up on or try out a new show, raising the question of whether they will complement — or compete with — existing services like video-on-demand (VOD).

Shomi teams with Twitter on marketing

Shomi, the online streaming service owned by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said Friday it has partnered with Twitter Inc. for a marketing campaign.

Fixed-line Internet data downloads surge 30%

The latest report on Internet usage from Sandvine Inc. shows average monthly data downloaded on fixed-line Internet accounts in North America was up about 30 per cent in the second half of 2014 compared to a year earlier.

The report, released Thursday, showed the average customer in North America downloaded 57.4 GB per month, up from 44.5 GB a year before.

Shomi adds Disney content

Shomi, the new streaming service from Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., announced Wednesday that it had signed a content deal with the Walt Disney Co.

Under the terms of the deal, Shomi will offer a selection of Disney’s film library, as well as current and past TV shows from ABC and affiliated content holders, according to the press release. Shomi said the deal makes it the exclusive streaming provider of ABC’s popular current shows Scandal and Revenge.

TV-everywhere not on public’s radar: study

Canadian broadcast distributors need to do more to increase awareness and usage of their TV-everywhere products, according to Gord Hendren, president of Charlton Strategic Research, which produced a report on the subject.

Hendren said in a phone interview that the study found 47 per cent of respondents were aware of TV-everywhere as a concept, while 25 per cent of Canadians are using such services, across all Canadian TV providers. In comparison, the study found, 35 per cent of Canadians subscribe to Netflix Inc.’s service.

Telus supports Bell complaint about GamePlus

Telus Corp. has filed a letter with the CRTC that supports BCE Inc.'s complaint against Rogers Communications Inc.'s online hockey streaming products.

Bell gets rights to Monty Python for streaming service

The video-streaming service to be launched by BCE Inc. has obtained rights to episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the company said Monday.

Bell said the streaming service, currently code-named "Project Latte," reached an exclusive deal with Eagle Rock Entertainment for all episodes of the show, which ran from 1969 to 1974.

Regulating Netflix the least of CRTC’s concerns: Blais

The CRTC is concerned with “much bigger issues with greater ramifications down the road” than the question of whether it will regulate over-the-top (OTT) services like Netflix, CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Thursday.

As the CRTC makes decisions on issues raised at the Let’s Talk TV hearing earlier this fall, “‘regulating’ Netflix is the least of our concerns,” Blais told the Vancouver Board of Trade in a speech, according to speaking notes provided by the CRTC.

Multi-screen Internet access growing: MTM

Five times as many Canadians now own the four principle media for accessing the Internet — computers, smartphones, tablets and Internet-connected televisions — than was the case in 2012, according to the latest Media Technology Monitor report.

The percentage of Canadians with those four screens is now at 17 per cent of all Canadian Internet users, said the report from MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. More than 90 per cent of those who have access to four screens use the Internet on all of them.

OTT expected to cause Internet capacity crunch

Netflix isn’t the only game in town anymore.

Shomi streaming service starts Tuesday

Shomi, the online streaming service being offered by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., will launch Tuesday, the companies said Monday.

It will be available initially to TV and Internet subscribers of Rogers and Shaw, and both companies said in separate press releases Monday that their customers are being offered free trials for a month before the $8.99-a-month fee kicks in.

Shomi signs deal for BBC content

Shomi, the video-streaming service being launced next week by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said Friday it has signed a deal with BBC’s commercial arm that will grant it exclusive access to some BBC series.

The deal includes exclusive rights for Shomi to the Canadian premiere of the series A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories and Way To Go, and exclusive rights to other shows, including The Honorable Woman and Top of the Lake, it said in a press release Friday.

Rogers takes aim at youth with Vice partnership

When Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence wore a leather jacket to the announcement of his company's latest project —a $100 million joint venture with Vice Media Inc. —the unconventional outfit emphasized how the new partnership was aimed at appealing to a younger demographic.

YouTube considering subscription models: report

Google Inc.'s YouTube streaming service is exploring possible subscription models, according to report by Re/code.

The technology news website reported Monday that YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said during an on-stage interview at the Code/Mobile conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that having users pay a fee in order to avoid advertisements "is an interesting model. … We’re thinking about how to give users options.”

Amazon introduces OTT stick for TVs

Amazon.com Inc. said Monday it is introducing a new over-the-top streaming device called the Fire TV Stick.

The device is just a few inches long, plugs directly into a television’s HDMI port and picks up a home's WiFi signal to stream video from services including YouTube, Hulu Plus and Pandora. It runs on Amazon’s proprietary operating system based on Google Inc.’s Android.

Shomi signs deal with Warner Bros.

Shomi, the online-streaming partnership of Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said in a press release Friday that it has reached a deal with Warner Bros. that gives it the rights to a number of Warner Bros. movies and TV series.

The deal involves exclusive rights to series like 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men and the upcoming iZombie, Shomi said, and “second-window” rights to shows like Veronica Mars and The West Wing.

Rogers-Netflix collaboration benefits both, experts say

While the announcement that Rogers Communications Inc. and Netflix Inc. are working together on an original TV series marked an unprecedented collaboration between the two rivals, it’s a logical move, experts said Monday.

CBS launches OTT video service

CBS Corp. is the latest U.S. media company to say it will start providing consumers with an online option for accessing video content without the need to subscribe to a television service.

The company said in a press release Thursday that CBS All Access is available immediately to U.S. residents for $5.99 US a month. The service is accessible through CBS.com and the CBS app for devices running on Apple Inc.'s iOS or Google Inc.'s Android. Other connected devices will be announced in the coming months, CBS said.

Netflix subscriber growth slower than forecast

Netflix Inc. said Wednesday that subscriber growth in both the United States and internationally was less than it expected in the third quarter.

"We added about a million new members in the U.S., ending Q3 with 37.22 million members, with lower net additions than our forecast and versus the prior year," Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.

It added that it saw an additional two million members internationally to bring that number to 15.84 million members, also less than forecast.

EU countries could be next for regulator-Netflix conflict

When CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais faced off against Netflix Inc. in September, his ordering of the U.S.-based streaming service to give the CRTC information it had previously refused to provide added fuel to a debate about whether the CRTC can — or whether it should — regulate online video services.

HBO offering standalone OTT service in 2015

Home Box Office (HBO) Inc. will offer an over-the-top service that does not require a paid TV subscription in 2015, CEO Richard Plepler reportedly said on Wednesday.

Multiple media outlets reported that Plepler, speaking at an investors conference for HBO’s parent company, Time Warner Inc., said the “standalone” service would launch in the United States next year and it will work with “current partners.”

VOD figures pad overall TV viewership numbers: TVB

The Television Bureau of Canada has released what it says are the first statistics on viewership of broadcast distributors’ video-on-demand (VOD) platforms, which show an additional four to nine per cent of viewers use VOD to watch TV series.

Mulcair denounces Glover statements on Netflix regulation

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Tom Mulcair on Wednesday denounced Heritage Minister Shelly Glover's statements that ruled out regulation for online video services such as Netflix and YouTube, which were made while a CRTC hearing considering the future of television was ongoing.

Mulcair did not say what his position on the regulation of online video was when asked by The Wire Report after an NDP caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.

Rogers sells out ads for first week of NHL season

Rogers Communications Inc. has sold out advertising for the opening week of the NHL hockey season, which begins Wednesday, Rogers spokeswoman Jennifer Kett said in an email.

“For NHL opening week alone, we’ve closed more than 25 integrated sponsorships and counting, and Rogers Hometown Hockey activations are fully sold out with great partners like Scotiabank, Dodge, McDonald's, Samsung, and Xbox,” she said, adding there is “increased interest from corporate Canada.”

Rogers launches second-screen hockey app

Rogers Communications Inc. announced it is releasing a new hockey app that will give customers access to new camera angles and additional content like interviews and analysis.

“Exclusive to Rogers’ customers, and it is the ultimate second-screen experience,” said Rogers Media president Keith Pelley at the launch event in Toronto on Monday. “It allows our customers to select replays, to pick camera angles, to be the producer, to be the director.”

The benefits of being ruled by the CRTC

In the past, an aspiring broadcast distributor had no choice but to go to the CRTC and get a licence before they launched their cable or satellite business. Now, in theory at least, they can bypass the entire process by launching an over-the-top (OTT) TV service.

While they would have more flexibility and freedom from regulation, such as Canadian content contributions and quotas, they also wouldn’t benefit from the rules that benefit licensed service providers, such as guaranteed access to content.

Shaw offers TSN, Sportsnet TV-everywhere apps

Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday its customers can now access TV-everywhere products for BCE Inc.’s TSN and Rogers Communication Inc.’s Sportsnet specialty channels.

Netflix gets 4 Adam Sandler movies exclusively

Netflix Inc. said Thursday it has reached a deal to premiere four movies that will star and be produced by comedic actor Adam Sandler.

Cineplex refuses to show movies in conjunction with Netflix

Cineplex Inc. says it will not show movies at the same time they are made available by Netflix Inc.

Netflix hits 100,000 subs in France

Netflix Inc. has gained more than 100,000 subscribers in France two weeks after launching in the country, according to a newspaper report on Tuesday.

French newspaper Le Figaro attributed the figure to anonymous sources and drew a comparison to an online streaming service from French broadcaster Canal+, owned by Vivendi SA, which has 520,000 subscribers three years after launching.

Stingray ditches Galaxie brand, launches new app

Stingray Digital Group Inc. is getting rid of its Galaxie brand for audio channels on subscription-TV services, putting all its services under the Stingray brand, and launching a new streaming app, the company said in a press release Tuesday.

Stingray said the move will allow it to group all its services in a single brand, including Stingray Music, Stingray Concerts and Stingray Music Videos.

Netflix announces first original movie

Netflix Inc. said Tuesday it would have its first original movie next summer.

It said in a press release that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend will premiere on Netflix simultaneously with showings in Imax theatres around the world on Aug. 28 next year. The movie is the next chapter in the Ang Lee martial arts series.

CRTC to remove Netflix, Google input from Talk TV process

The CRTC said Monday it will remove all evidence presented by Netflix Inc. and Google Inc., including oral and written presentations, from the Let’s Talk TV process, following the companies’ refusal to provide the CRTC with information the regulator had requested.

“A company’s refusal to comply with requests and orders duly made at a public hearing is a serious matter,” it said in separate letters to Netflix and Google.

Government blamed for CRTC predicament on Netflix

The federal government’s pursuit of a consumer-driven broadcasting policy instead of a more comprehensive digital strategy has left the CRTC in a difficult position when it comes to regulating Internet video services, says at least one telecom expert.

C.D. Howe warns against pick-and-pay TV

The C.D. Howe Institute released a report on Thursday that said the CRTC's proposal to mandate pick-and-pay television is "deeply misguided" and would be "irrelevant at best" and "harmful at worst."

The report argued that with increasing competition to TV service providers from alternatives, such as the video streaming offered by Netflix Inc., making a profit from channel bundling will become difficult and market forces themselves will force the conditions for more choice for consumers.

CRTC in tough spot after Netflix refuses to disclose: experts

Experts say that while CRTC must somehow respond to the refusal of Netflix Inc. to give the commission information it had been ordered to provide by CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais during a hearing last week, the government's stated refusal to tax and regulate online-video services cannot be ignored.

Netflix refuses to provide info to CRTC

Netflix Inc. will not produce some of the information CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais ordered from it last week.

“While Netflix has responded to a number of the CRTC's requests, we are not in a position to produce the confidential and competitively sensitive information ordered by the commission due to ongoing confidentiality concerns,” Netflix spokeswoman Anne Marie Squeo said in an email Monday evening.

Commish dissents on CRTC’s undue-preference decision

The CRTC has dismissed an undue-preference complaint against BCE Inc. filed by a company that plans to launch an over-the-top (OTT) TV service, though the decision was not unanimous.

Blais threatens to revoke Netflix’ exemption order

GATINEAU, Que. — During the sometimes-contentious appearance by Netflix Inc. on the last day the CRTC’s two-week hearings on the future of television, CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais repeatedly ordered the U.S. streaming company to provide information to the commission, and at one point threatened to revoke Netflix’ digital-media exemption order if it does not comply.

TekSavvy asks CRTC for help to launch TV service

GATINEAU, Que. — Independent ISP TekSavvySolutions Inc. told the CRTC Tuesday it is considering becoming a TV distributor, on the same day that it announced a “partnership” with Hastings Cable Vision Ltd., an eastern Ontario cable provider.

Shaw promotes Barbara Williams

Shaw Communications Inc. on Tuesday announced it is promoting Barbara Williams and giving her two new titles.

The company said in a press release that Williams is now president of Shaw Media and executive vice-president of broadcasting. She was previously Shaw Media's senior vice-president of content.

Disney says pick-and-pay hurts TV broadcasters

GATINEAU, Que. —Walt Disney Co. on Monday warned the CRTC against a move toward pick-and-pay television.

Susan Fox, Disney’s vice-president of government relations, told the commission that having broad distribution benefits channels by allowing them to maximize advertising revenues, gives them the certainty necessary for long-term planning and allows them to “redirect consumer marketing and retention expenditures into higher quality and more diversified programs to better serve viewers.”

No tax on Netflix, YouTube: Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday his government is determined not to tax Internet services such as Netflix and YouTube

In a wide-ranging speech in Ottawa to kick off the new parliamentary session, he also mentioned the government's support of a pick-and-pay TV system and a planned ban on extra fees for paper billing.

Telus calls Shomi service undue preference by Rogers, Shaw

GATINEAU, Que. — Telus Corp. says it is “very concerned” Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. are using the beta-test phase of their recently launched over-the-top (OTT) service to give themselves an undue preference.

Rogers VP predicts end of TV broadcasting, as we know it

GATINEAU, Que. — You can’t assume that young people who have never had subscription-TV service will eventually get it, Ken Engelhart, Rogers Communications Inc.’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, told the CRTC on Thursday.

New TV service provider approved for Ont., B.C.

Gold Line Telemanagement Inc. has been granted licences to operate broadcast distribution services for markets in Ontario and British Columbia, the CRTC said Thursday.

Postings on commission's website said the company was approved for one application for the Ontario markets of Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton-Niagara, Oshawa, London, Kitchener and Windsor, and another for the B.C. markets for Vancouver and Victoria.

Shelly Glover rules out Internet-TV regulation

Heritage Minister Shelly Glover says the government will not allow new taxes or regulations on Internet-based television services.

Glover, the federal minister responsible for the CRTC, said so in a statement sent Monday night that responded to a presentation in the CRTC's Let's Talk TV hearings earlier in the day from Kevin Finnerty, Ontario's assistant deputy minister for tourism, culture and sport. Finnerty suggested that new media broadcasting services be regulated and required to contribute to Canadian content.

Local TV needs another revenue stream: Bell

GATINEAU, Que. — BCE Inc. executives asked the CRTC Wednesday to put in place a “local specialty” model for local television stations, which it said are no longer financially sustainable.

“The economics of an advertising-only revenue stream can no longer pay for the costs,” Bell Media president Kevin Crull told the CRTC during the third day of its two-week Let’s Talk TV hearings into the future of television.

Sony cloud TV service to carry Viacom channels

Viacom Inc. and Sony Corp. said Wednesday they have reached a "landmark agreement" that sees at least 22 Viacom channels being carried on Sony's cloud-based TV service when it launches.

The two companies said in a press release this will be the first time U.S. media giant Viacom has allowed its channels to be used on an Internet-based TV service.

Regulating OTT could set ‘dangerous precedent’: Google

GATINEAU, Que. — A move by the CRTC to regulate over-the-top (OTT) video platforms could set a precedent for regulators in other countries, a Google Inc. lawyer told the commission on the first day of its two-week Let’s Talk TV hearing on the future of television services in Canada.

“The extension of conventional broadcasting regulation to online platforms would certainly be a significant impediment to the development of the platforms,” Google Canada counsel Jason Kee told the commission.

Broadcast revenue rises as TV subs drop: CRTC

The latest numbers from the CRTC show Canadians are watching more television on more devices, though fewer people are subscribing to TV services and young adults are tuning out.

The broadcasting portion of the CRTC's annual Communications Monitoring Report was released Thursday.

The report showed that revenues for the overall broadcasting industry in 2013 rose by 1.3 per cent to $17.1 billion. However, the proportion of Canadian households with a television subscription of any kind fell to 84.9 per cent from 85.6 per cent a year earlier.

Rogers NHL streaming plan result of OTT shift: analyst

Rogers Communications Inc.'s launch of a hockey streaming product shows the company wants to "build up its OTT [over-the-top] capabilities" as more TV viewers move away from linear television and toward streaming options, RBC Dominion Securities analyst Drew McReynolds said.

Netflix announces new Facebook feature

Netflix Inc. on Tuesday announced a new recommendation feature that works through Facebook Inc.'s social network.

The provider of online TV services said in a blog that, after viewing a program, users will be asked it they want to recommend what they have just seen to their friends and family. They choose those who are sent recommendations by accessing their friends list from Facebook.

Conspicuous by its absence in TV review: OTT services

In a little more than a week, the people who make and produce, broadcast and distribute, analyze and report on the Canadian television industry will gather in Gatineau, Que., to spend two weeks talking about its future.

Netflix petitions FCC against Comcast-Time Warner merger

Netflix Inc. on Tuesday said it has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block the proposed merger between Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc.

The petition submitted to the American regulator and attached to an online news release said the combination of these two U.S. cable giants would create "the nation's largest onramp to the Internet."

Rogers’ mobile TV now counts against data cap

Rogers Communications Inc. has changed the pricing of data used by its Anyplace TV app, writing on its website that as of Aug. 18, standard data charges would apply to customers who use the app while on its wireless network.

Pay-per-view could stick around or go the way of the VHS

In 1985, a Los Angeles Times article explained that U.S. TV providers were planning to compete with “the burgeoning home-video business” that had “savaged” them by launching national pay-per-view (PPV) networks, which the Times explained was a “relatively new technology” allowing viewers to order programs much in the same way as “they buy movie theater tickets--or as they rent videocassettes.”

TV providers divided on set-top ratings system

Canada’s biggest television providers are divided over the future of audience measurement via the next generation of set-top boxes.

As part of their submissions in the CRTC’s ongoing Let’s Talk TV consultation, BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., Quebecor Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. all weighed in on the creation of a new audience measurement system based on set-top box (STB) data.

Inaction against VPN usage ‘may speak volumes’: lawyer

Users of Netflix Inc.’s Canadian feed who feel like watching a few episodes of 30 Rock, Louie or Les Revenants will find themselves out of luck.

But in a world where Canadians know these shows are available on Netflix’ U.S. service, accessing them can be as easy as installing an app or browser extension. Perhaps it’s no wonder millions of subscribers have chosen to.

Web operators must pay SOCAN for music videos

Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and Netflix Inc. must pay Canadian songwriters and publishers for music videos viewed on their services, the Copyright Board of Canada ruled on Friday.

The board certified two tariffs from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) that cover both official music videos and user-generated content on the Internet viewed online from 2007 to 2013.

Netflix subscriber growth slows

Netflix Inc.'s quarterly results, released Monday, showed the lowest level of global subscriber growth in a year.