CRTC approves three non-Canadian channels for distribution

The CRTC has approved the addition of Lifestyle Network, Cinema One Global and TV Record to the list of non-Canadian programming channels authorized for distribution, it said in a notice Friday.

Lifestyle Network is an English-language home and lifestyle channel targeted at Filipinos living in Canada, TV Record is a Portuguese-language general interest channel and Cinema One Global is a Tagalog-language channel, the commission said.

BCE Inc. applied to add the three channels to the list authorized for distribution, the CRTC said.

Netflix profits rise in Q4

Netflix Inc. reported on Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit had grown about sixfold from a year earlier.

The over-the-top television service provider said its net earnings for the three months ended Dec. 31 were $48.4 million US, up from $7.9 million US in the same quarter of 2012.

Revenue grew about 24 per cent to $1.18 billion US from $945.2 million US a year before, according to data released by the company.

Broadcasters turn to ‘stacking’ rights to gain edge over OTT competition

If 2013 was the year that the idea of binge-watching as a phenomenon hit the mainstream, then 2014 may be the year that traditional broadcasters seriously get into the game.

Broadcasters in Canada and the U.S. are buying up the rights to offer complete seasons of television shows on their websites, mobile TV and video-on-demand platforms, in an effort to help curb cord-cutting and to open up new advertising opportunities, including targeted ads.

Verizon to buy Intel’s cloud-TV division

Verizon Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has reached a deal to purchase Intel Corp.’s Intel Media division, which is focused on developing cloud-television products and services.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Quoting anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported the sale price is less than $200 million US.

Solange Attwood joins Blue Ant

Independent broadcaster Blue Ant Media Inc. is launching an international distribution unit and has appointed Solange Attwood its new senior vice-president of international operations, the company said in a release Monday.

Attwood will lead the development and launch of the division, the company said.

Bell Media makes two VP appointments

BCE Inc.’s Bell Media division on Thursday announced Nanci MacLean as the new vice-president of production and Justin Stockman as the vice-president of specialty channels.

Rogers to launch specialty channel FXX

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division is launching a new premium specialty channel on April 1, the company said in a release Tuesday.

Rogers said FXX would be “a younger-skewing funnier extension of FX Canada” and would be targeted at the 18-34 demographic.

Until June 30, it will be available on a free preview “via select distributors”, Rogers said, and will broadcast “FX original scripted series, acquired movies and series, and original Canadian programs.”

Seniors bigger users of radio, TV: report

Canadian seniors are bigger users of traditional media such as television and radio than younger people, while they are less frequent users of newer media and less likely to own smartphones and tablets, according to a new report.

DirecTV drops Weather Channel in U.S.

A fee dispute between U.S. satellite-TV provider DirecTV and the Weather Channel culminated in the latter being taken off of the service on Tuesday.

Bloomberg reported David Kenny, CEO of the station’s parent firm, Weather Co., said DirecTV is seeking a reduction of 20 per cent in the carriage fees it pays for the Weather Channel. The Weather Channel is seeking an increase of one cent per subscriber each month, he added.

Shaw earnings increase as TV subs decline

Shaw Communications Inc. reported a gain in first-quarter earnings amid some declines in both its cable and satellite TV-service subscriptions.

The broadcaster and provider of TV, Internet and phone service said in a release Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended Nov. 30 was $245 million, up from $235 million a year earlier. It attributed the rise to higher operating profits and lower interest payments, which were somewhat offset by higher income taxes.

Corus earnings rise on TV subscriptions, ads

Television and radio broadcasting company Corus Entertainment Inc. reported higher first-quarter earnings compared to a year earlier as it recorded gains in TV advertising and subscription revenue.

Phablets to drive mobile data growth, cord-cutting at ‘tipping point’: Deloitte

Increased sales of larger, “phablet” smartphones will drive growth in mobile data consumption in 2014 as more consumers use the bigger devices to watch more mobile TV, consulting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLP said in its annual media and technology predictions.

In predictions released Tuesday, Deloitte said larger smartphones with screen sizes between five and 6.9 inches will account for 25 per cent of global smartphone sales in 2014, totalling about 300 million phablets sold worldwide, or about twice as many as in 2013.

Cheaper data for mobile TV not an undue preference, BCE says

BCE Inc.’s mobile TV product is a distinct broadcast distribution business and its pricing structure does not disadvantage competitors' over-the-top video services any more than the pricing of home TV services offered by other Internet service providers (ISPs), the company said in regulatory filings.

Rogers developing OTT service

Rogers Communications Inc. is spending more than $100 million to buy rights from both American and Canadian content owners in order to launch its own over-the-top video service, Cartt.ca reported Thursday.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Rogers spokeswoman Andrea Goldstein told the Wire Report: “As previously reported, Rogers is looking at opportunities to deliver an over-the-top service. There are no additional details at this time.”

Rogers renews partnership with MLB

Rogers Communications Inc. said Wednesday it has renewed its long-standing partnership with Major League Baseball, extending its Sportsnet channel's multi-platform broadcasting rights to hundreds of games a year for the next eight seasons and extending its exclusive Canadian right to sell the MLB Network through Rogers’ digital-television service.

Sony to launch ‘cloud-based’ TV service

Sony Corp. will launch a “cloud-based” TV service in the U.S. this year, Andrew House, president and group CEO of Sony subsidiary Sony Computer Entertainment, said Tuesday in a speech at the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas.

The service will offer both live TV and video-on-demand service, House said, adding Sony plans to begin testing the service later this year.

‘Penetration-based’ subscription rates needed in pick-and-pay regime: experts

Carriage negotiations between broadcasters and the broadcast distributors who deliver their channels to consumers will focus on finding the right “penetration-based” price rates in a future pick-and-pay TV model, industry insiders and experts said.

RDS reaches 12-year deal with Montreal Canadiens

BCE Inc.’s RDS French-language sports channel announced a 12-year regional broadcast deal with the Montreal Canadiens that it says makes it the team’s official broadcaster through to the 2025-26 season.

RDS said it includes rights to 60 regular season games each season, in addition to some pre-season games, in the designated broadcast region. RDS spokeswoman Renee Rouse said in a telephone interview that region consists of Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and eastern Ontario.

CRTC lets CHEK-DT Victoria draw from TV fund

The CRTC has approved an application by 0859291 B.C. Ltd. to have its CHEK-DT television station in Victoria added to the list of stations eligible to receive funding from the Small Market Local Production Fund.

Must-offer status prompts Sun News to renegotiate carriage agreements

The CRTC is granting must-offer status to Canada’s national all-news specialty services and will require broadcast distributors to offer those channels on a standalone basis, though not necessarily in “news neighbourhoods,” the commission said.

BeIN Sport to launch in Canada

BeIN Sport, a sports specialty television network owned by Qatari Sports Investments, which is affiliated with the Qatari-government owned Al Jazeera Media Network, has partnered with the Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. to launch in Canada, the companies said in a release Wednesday.

BeIN Sport, which launched in France and the United States in the summer of 2012, has the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights to cover the Spanish and Italian soccer leagues, La Liga and Serie A, respectively.

Regulators could react to Rogers/NHL deal: Moody’s

Moody’s Investors Services said Thursday that Canadian regulators could "respond" to Rogers Communications Inc.’s recent $5.2-billion, 12-year broadcasting deal with the National Hockey League.

In a report, Moody’s said “it is not clear how Rogers plans to distribute and monetize NHL content.” Given this uncertainty, it said if consumers are adversely affected, “regulators will respond.”

ICI begins broadcasting

International Channel/Canal International (ICI) launched on Dec. 11, said Sam Nouruzi, vice-president and general manager of the channel.

The channel is now available on television services offered by Quebecor Inc. subsidiary Videotron and on BCE Inc.’s Fibe TV, Nouruzi said in a brief telephone interview Friday.

He said the programming for the ethnic station will be in 15 languages and represent 18 different communities, consisting mostly of local programming.

Bell launches free previews for 10 channels

BCE Inc. is making 10 of its French-language specialty channels available on a free preview from Dec. 12 to Jan. 12.

The company said in a release Thursday that the channels offered will be Canal Vie, Canal D, Ztélé, Historia, Séries+, VRAK TV, Disney Junior (French), MusiquePlus, MusiMax and RDS Info.

Leafs withhold vote for Rogers/NHL deal: Star

The Toronto Maple Leafs franchise was the one National Hockey League club not to vote in favour of the 12-year, $5.2-billion broadcast and digital-rights agreement between the league and Rogers Communications Inc., the Toronto Star reported.

TV recommendation apps creating data-mining, retention opportunities

It’s a familiar refrain — a viewer flipping through hundreds of channels, complaining there’s nothing to watch.

Consumers today have access to more content than ever, not only through a growing number of TV channels, content from which they can save on personal video recorders (PVR), but also through on-demand video and over-the-top (OTT) alternatives.

Bell Media, NFL expand agreement on football coverage

BCE Inc.’s Bell Media division on Monday said it has expanded an existing agreement to provide coverage of the National Football League in Canada.

Bell Media said in a release the new deal adds to an existing arrangement that gives TSN access to NFL football games on Sunday and Monday nights.  The company said that, as of next fall, it will have rights to Sunday games at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on both CTV and TSN channels.

It will also have the Canadian rights to all playoff games and the Super Bowl, Bell Media said.

CRTC consulting on eight license applications

The CRTC is consulting on one application for a television station licence and seven applications for radio station licences, the commission said.

VMedia launches ‘pick a pack’ TV in Ontario

VMedia Inc., a provider of Internet-protocol television services in Ontario, announced Monday it is launching a "pick a pack" service called UChoose.

VMedia is offering customers who subscribe to its basic or basic-premium packages, which cost $25 or $40 per month respectively, according to its website, the option to choose which channels to include in their TV service.

Customers can choose from a selection of more than 60 channels, such as DIY Network, Deja View, National Geographic and others, it said in a release.

Telus launches video-on-demand recommendations

Customers of Telus Corp.’s OptikTV now have access to new recommendation and rating features when they use the company’s video-on-demand (VOD) service, the company said Thursday.

“When Optik TV viewers visit Video On Demand, they will now see personalized movie recommendations … based on movies they’ve already watched. Also, customers can now see selections similar to the one they are looking at,” Telus said in a release.

It added that it will also offer movie ratings based on the Rotten Tomatoes review site.

CRTC dismisses OMNI cuts complaint

The CRTC said Thursday that it dismissed a complaint related to staff and ethnic programming reductions at Rogers Communications Inc.’s OMNI television stations, though it requested the company submit licence-renewal applications for its OMNI stations early.

U.S. analysts sound alarm over pick-and-pay

As Canadian regulators move toward a possible pick-and-pay TV regime in Canada, some industry analysts in the United States are warning of the effect such a move toward “unbundling” would have south of the border.

A research note released this week from Needham Insights media analysts Laura Martin and Dan Medina said unbundling TV channels would have the potential to destroy between $80 billion US and $113 billion US in consumer value, as 124 channels would dissapear, and 56 would survive.

Netflix expands CBC licensing deal

Netflix Inc. and CBC/Radio Canada have expanded their licensing agreement, adding CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries, as well as new seasons of series like Republic of Doyle and Heartland, to Netflix’s streaming service.

“Beginning this December and continuing through 2014, new shows and seasons will be available to Canadian members,” Netflix said in a release Wednesday.

New lifestyle channel launching

Knight TV Inc. will launch a new specialty channel focusing on food and lifestyle on Dec. 11, the company said Tuesday.

The channel, called Gusto TV, will be available on a few preview through BCE Inc.’s Fibe TV and satellite television services.

“Gusto will air prime time cooking and culinary travel programming every evening, plus fun and exciting lifestyle, home, fashion, health and wellness shows throughout the day,” the company said in a press release.

V Media Group acquiring two Bell specialty channels

V Interactions Inc. is acquiring the French-language specialty channels MusiquePlus and MusiMax from BCE Inc.’s media division.

Bell Media was required to divest the channels as part of its acquisition of Astral Media Inc.

“With today's announcement, Bell Media has now entered into agreements with buyers for all of the properties it was required to divest,“ the companies said in a release Tuesday.

The deal must still be approved by the CRTC and the Competition Bureau, they added.

4K TV imposes hurdles on telcos, broadcasters

As the holiday shopping season begins, shoppers in electronics stores might find their eye caught by a new type of television set—one that offers a more detailed, crisper and richer picture than its high-definition brethren.

Cogeco to launch pick-and-pay TV outside Quebec next year: Audet

MONTREAL—When Cogeco Inc. introduced its pick-and-pay cable-TV offering in Quebec a decade ago, it had to find a balance between profitability and satisfying customers, and the challenge will be the same in English Canada as the company introduces pick-and-pay there, said Louis Audet, Cogeco president and chief executive.

NHL deal to help Rogers in pick-and-pay regime: analysts

Rogers Communications Inc.’s new 12-year deal for the broadcast and multi-platform rights to National Hockey League games is a $5.2-billion bet that Canadians will pay to maintain access to NHL games if they’re forced to choose between costly sports specialty channels in a future pick-and-pay environment, industry analysts said.

NDP proposes ban on some sports blackouts

The NDP introduced a private members bill that would ban TV blackouts for some live sports events.

MP Glenn Thibeault introduced in the House of Commons Tuesday Bill C-552, which would ban blackouts for live sports events taking place in venues “constructed with the help of public financing."

U.S. broadcasters praise CRTC television review, government talks

A group called the U.S. Television Coalition said Tuesday it is encouraged by the CRTC’s current review of the way television is regulated in Canada as well as by bilateral talks happening between the Canadian and U.S. federal governments.

“Together, these developments offer an opportunity to end the unfair treatment of our American TV stations in Canada,” Susan Wenz, program director at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, said in a statement issued by the group.

Bell launches CTV Go

BCE Inc. has launched CTV Go, an online service that allows viewers to watch live and on-demand programming from its CTV and CTV Two channels.

The company said in a release Tuesday that the service includes “livestreams of both networks’ complete schedules,” access to 60 individual program titles and live streams of events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars.

Viewers can access the service using smartphones, tablets and computers, it added.

Seevibes expands to France

Montreal-based social media measurement group Seevibes acquired French social media measurement firm TvTweet and is opening an office in France.

The company said in a release Monday that the move would “jump-start its development in Europe.”

Does the emergence of Fibe signal the end of satellite TV?

Millions of Canadians still receive their television service from signals beamed to space and back, even as the country’s dominant provider of satellite TV has given many of them a reason to switch to something else.

CRTC’s TV review needs to consider impact of OTT: Dépatie

The CRTC’s public consultation on the future of television services needs to take into account the impact over-the-top services have had on the TV ecosystem, said Robert Dépatie, Quebecor Media Inc.’s president and chief executive.

In a letter sent to media this week, Dépatie said that online, over-the-top services, such Netflix Inc., aren’t regulated by the CRTC and so do not have to fund or produce Canadian programming, unlike companies like Quebecor’s Videotron Ltd. subsidiary.

Bell launching new French-language channel

BCE Inc. will launch a new French-language specialty channel on Dec. 12, the company said Thursday.

Called “Investigation,” the channel will focus on “on the world of crime and investigation and forensic techniques,” it said in a release.

Bell said it would launch the channel with a “freeview” on its Bell TV and Fibe TV services, with other providers to be announced soon.

Government to wait for CRTC report before making decisions on pick-and-pay, Glover says

The federal government will wait to see the results of a CRTC report on how best to implement a pick-and-pay television model before deciding whether to get involved in the process, Heritage Minister Shelly Glover said.

“We can’t make any decisions until we see the [CRTC’s] report because I want to make sure we have a complete picture,” Glover said in an interview Thursday. “They’re going to do their report and we’re going to wait for it … absolutely I’ll be depending on their expertise.”

Rogers launches Recommendation App, Kids Zone

Rogers Communications Inc. on Wednesday announced two new features for customers of its NetBox 3.0 service, one that helps viewers decide what to watch and another that provides a selection of kids programming.

IPTV drives up TV subscriptions: report

After three straight quarters of declining television subscriptions in Canada, publicly traded companies gained a record number of Internet-protocol television (IPTV) buyers, according to a report by Boon Dog Professional Services Inc.

The company said Tuesday that the major TV service providers added a net 14,145 additional subscribers at the end of three-month reporting periods concluding in August or September, depending on the company’s fiscal cycle.  That was entirely due to a gain of 122,245 IPTV subscribers.

ATN reports higher Q3 profit

Asian Television Network International Ltd. reported higher earnings and revenue for the three-month period ended Sept. 30 in comparison to a year earlier.

The Markham, Ont.-based broadcaster, with more than 40 specialty TV stations for different cultural communities, said net earnings were $523,645 in the third quarter, up from $474,965 a year earlier. Revenue was up 9.7 per cent to $6.9 million.

Private over-the-air broadcasters struggle to regain lost advertising revenues

Five years after the 2008 global financial crisis caused a 10 per cent decline in Canada's TV advertising revenues, private conventional broadcasters are still feeling the pain.

“If you look at the conventional numbers, the recovery isn't there,” Theresa Truetler, president and CEO of the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB), said in an interview last week.

“It's not a simple answer. There's a whole bunch of factors at play here.”

Cord-cutting won’t reach tipping point within five years: PwC

A tipping point of cord-cutting or “drastic cord shaving” for TV services won’t happen within the next five years, a new report by PwC said.

 “As long as consumers believe they’re getting value for money, they’ll likely continue to pay for content, especially when access is easy,” it said, adding that companies need to make sure consumers can find and access their content.

Competition issues likely holding up beIN Sport, analysts say

For a channel that has exclusive Canadian broadcast rights to big-ticket international sports events, beIN Sport doesn’t have the greatest track record in this country.

The channel, a sports specialty television network owned by Qatari Sports Investments—which is affiliated with the Qatari-government owned Al Jazeera Media Network—isn’t available anywhere on television in Canada, and competition from existing sports channels may have something to do with it, broadcasting analysts said. 

CRTC dives into TV review, says public complaining about channel packaging

The CRTC officially launched its public consultation on television services, asking the public for input into questions related to the Conservative government’s promise to unbundle television channels.

Distributors may face higher regulatory risk: analyst

Canada’s broadcast distribution companies may be facing more regulatory risk than investors perceive, Canaccord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose said in a note to clients on Tuesday.

Unbundling to overhaul broadcast distribution system, insiders say

The Conservative government’s promise to “unbundle” television channels and move toward a pick-and-pay model will involve a complex series of changes to the broadcasting system, affecting everything from regulations to the carriage agreements between broadcasters and TV providers, broadcast executives said.

Tories pledge TV unbundling, more rural broadband, no paper billing fees

The Conservative government said it will reduce wireless roaming fees, enhance rural broadband accessibility and unbundle TV providers’ channel packages as part of a series of pledges to protect consumers.

“When Canadians make decisions about how to spend their money, they must be assured of a voice, a choice, and fair treatment,” said Governor General David Johnston, who delivered the government's speech from the throne on Wednesday on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Pick and pay will be pricey, watchdog group says

Consumers will “feel pain in the pocketbook” if the government continues with plans to unbundle cable TV packages, watchdog group the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting said.

In a release Wednesday, Friends said cable companies are “almost certain” to raise prices if the federal government requires them to offer pick-and-pay TV services, under which TV subscribers would pay a monthly fee for basic television channels, plus per-channel fees only for the additional services they want.

Want pick-and-pay? You may end up paying $9 for TSN, consultant says

If TV subscribers are about to receive individual channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as the Conservative government says it will mandate, they may be surprised at the standalone pricing for some of their favourite channels.

Broadcast consultant and former CRTC commissioner Michel Arpin said that for an idea of the cost of individual channels with high-value programming like sports or movies, observers may want to look at current standalone pricing for pay channels like The Movie Network (owned by BCE Inc. division Bell Media).

Million-plus Canadian households don’t pay for TV: SRG

In the second quarter of 2013, the number of Canadian households with no paid TV subscription “who rely solely on Internet for video entertainment” rose to 1.1 million, consulting firm Solutions Research Group said.

That’s an increase from 750,000 four years ago, the company said in a research note Tuesday.

Bell supports U.K.-style broadcast system, blocking U.S. networks

BCE Inc., Canada's largest broadcaster, would support the establishment of broadcasting rules similar to those of the United Kingdom, where American channels cannot be aired and broadcasters can license and air shows exclusively, the company said.

Nielsen’s online ad campaign measurement now in Canada

Nielsen Co. made its online campaign rating system commercially available in Canada.

The company said in a release Monday that the rating “measures the audience of online advertising, providing reach, frequency and gross rating point (GRP) metrics as well as demographics such as age and gender.” 

The ratings are already available in the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Italy, the release said.

Sun News outperformed projections, ramped up subscribers: Giganomics report

Sun News Network has performed better than forecasted, reaching 4.9 million subscribers in 2012 and almost matching the channel's subscriber revenue projections under a business model involving mandatory carriage, Giganomics Consulting said in an analysis prepared for Cogeco Cable Inc.

Citing CRTC data, Giganomics said subscriber revenues for Quebecor Media Inc.'s Sun News Network indicate that, in 2012, the channel outperformed its 2010 forecast by more than 150 per cent when operating as a standard specialty channel.

Advertisers increasingly interested in ‘second screen’ initiatives: report

Advertising agencies are increasingly interested in the “new phenomenon” of second screen initiatives, “and are looking to hone in on second screen experiences that can generate real-time, personalized, geolocalized behavioural data,” a new report commissioned by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) said.

Eastlink launches pick-and-pay TV add-on

Eastlink introduced a new pick-and-pay option that will allow customers to add individual channels to their TV service packages, the company said.

In a release Tuesday, Eastlink, a Bragg Communications Inc. subsidiary, said it launched a new “Personal Picks” television option on Monday, which allows its TV subscribers to “choose and pay for the channels they want.”

Cord cutting ‘accelerates’ in Q2, Boon Dog says

Canadian cord cutting picked up in the second quarter of 2013, as Canada’s publicly traded TV providers lost a combined 19,624 subscribers, Boon Dog Professional Services Inc. said.

TV ratings systems evolving to remain industry ‘currency,’ experts say

Part of the process that helps determine the fates and ad rates for television shows in North America has remained essentially unchanged for decades.

Thousands of television viewers across Canada and the United States pick up their pencils or pens and sit down with a paper booklet. They fill in the blanks with the names of the shows they watched recently, and then pop the booklet in the mail.

CRTC denies 13 mandatory carriage applications, approves three

Citing the affordability of television services, the CRTC denied 13 applications for mandatory carriage on basic TV, granting just three new must carry licences to nonprofit channels.

Among the 13 denials were two high-profile applications for mandatory carriage: Sun News Network and for an all-Canadian film service called Starlight: The Canadian Movie Channel.

A la carte would drop U.S. TV revenues almost 50%: analyst

The American television industry's annual revenues of $150 billion US would be cut nearly in half if broadcast distributors moved to an a la carte model, said a report by research firm Needham & Company.

Laura Martin, an Internet, entertainment and consumer analyst with Needham & Company, said in a July 11 report that a move to unbundled, or a la carte, TV services would cost the industry $70 billion US in annual revenues as advertising dried up and subscriptions for less popular channels fell.

16% of Canadians have cut the cord, report says

New research by comScore Inc. said 16 per cent of Canadians have cut the cord, the Canadian Press reported Thursday.

The study, commissioned by Google Inc., found that 35 per cent of respondents watch only TV, while 45 per cent watch TV and stream content online, CP said.

Younger Canadians are cutting the cord in higher numbers, with a quarter of those aged 18 to 24 and one-fifth of those aged 25 to 34 cutting the cord, while only 15 per cent of those over 35 had done so, CP reported.

Cogeco says its carriage fees with Bell Media rose 37% from previous agreement

MONTREAL—The “horse trading” of content and channel carriage rights between large, vertically integrated broadcast companies increases wholesale carriage fees for independent distributors, putting them at a competitive disadvantage, Cogeco Cable Inc. executives told CRTC commissioners.

Company executives, appearing at a CRTC hearing Wednesday, said Cogeco’s carriage agreement with Bell Media, when renewed last year, rose 37 per cent from the previous multi-year deal.

Afromedia urges carriage support for unlaunched channels facing competition

The CRTC should help existing Canadian specialty channels secure carriage agreements before allowing competing, foreign channels into the country, Brampton, Ont.-based broadcaster Afromedia Communications Inc. said.

In an intervention filed with the commission last week, Remi Awojide, Afromedia’s director, said the CRTC should reject a request by Soundview Entertainment Inc. to add four U.S.-based Afrotainment channels to the list of foreign channels that can be distributed in Canada.

Télé Santé+ licence approved

Télé Santé+ was approved for a new Category B specialty channel licence, the CRTC said.

Following value-for-signal, LPIF decisions, analysts question future of CTV Two

BCE Inc. will not make any moves to downsize its stable of local television stations while its proposed acquisition of Astral Media Inc. is under consideration by the CRTC, even if the company wishes to drop some money-losing stations, analysts said.

Sun News lobbying for mandatory carriage as CRTC looks at new applications

Quebecor Media Inc. hired firm Ensight Canada to lobby the federal government for mandatory distribution of its all-news specialty channel Sun News Network, the federal lobbyist registry shows.

Ensight Canada consultant Michelle Mackenzie registered Oct. 10 to lobby the Heritage Department and members of the House of Commons to receive “mandatory distribution on analog and digital basic service in Canada” for Sun News, according to the registry and as first reported by The Lobby Monitor.

Bell, VMedia closer to carriage agreement

BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media gave independent Internet protocol TV (IPTV) provider VMedia a “draft agreement” for carriage of Bell-owned specialty channels, VMedia said in a document filed with the CRTC this week.

Online to overtake TV ad spending in 2016: report

Online platforms will overtake television as the most popular source for Canadian advertising dollars in the next four years and the trend is not necessarily bad for traditional TV broadcasters, said Conference Board researcher Michael Burt, one of the authors of a new report.

The report by the Conference Board of Canada, released Tuesday and commissioned by the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), said the Canadian online advertising market will grow at an average rate of 11.7 per cent from now through 2016, when it will be worth $4.501 billion.

PIAC calls for review of TV services prices

The CRTC should launch a proceeding to examine the rates consumers pay for their television services after a new survey found increasing dissatisfaction among Canadian TV subscribers, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said Wednesday.

Shaw agrees to carry Travel+Escape

Blue Ant Media Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. have reached an agreement to offer the Travel+Escape specialty channel over Shaw’s cable and satellite-TV packages, Blue Ant said Tuesday.

Blue Ant said in a release that the deal will bring the adventure-themed channel into 1.8 million Shaw subscribers’ homes, and will increase the number of Travel+Escape subscribers to 2.7 million.

Blue Ant said the Travel+Escape channel will debut with Shaw Cable on Sept. 5 and Shaw Direct on Sept. 6.

New specialty channel would cater to Quebec diversity

The CRTC has approved a licence for a French-language, Category B specialty channel that would cater to Quebec’s diverse communities, the commission said Thursday.

U.S. TV subscribers should be refunded for channel blackouts: Rockefeller

American cable and satellite TV subscribers should receive refunds for channels they lose access to during blackouts related to retransmission negotiations, the chair of the U.S. Senate’s commerce and science committee said Tuesday.

“Overheated rhetoric alleging greed and bad faith is of little comfort to someone paying for services they are not getting,” Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller said during a meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to discuss the state of the U.S. broadcast distribution market.

CBC to decommission 607 analog transmitters, not 620

CBC to be unavailable on antennas in 604 communities

CBC/Radio-Canada's programming, including local news shows, will become unavailable using TV antennas in 604 communities across Canada under the broadcaster's plan to shut down its analog transmitters, according to a count by The Wire Report.

NAC TV applies for local TV funding

NAC TV, a local access television station in Neepawa, Man., asked the CRTC to receive funding from its Small Market Local Programming Fund (SMLPF), the independent broadcaster said in a May 18 letter to the commission.

Google TV launching in Canada with 150 TV-optimized apps

Canada's over-the-top television landscape will become more competitive this summer as Sony Corp. launches Google Inc.'s Google TV product in the country for the first time.

Sony Canada said in a release Monday it will sell a new device called the NSZ-GS7, or Sony Internet Player with Google TV, for $200 in Canada. It will be available from Canadian retailers in August and pre-orders can be made online starting June 27 on Sony's website, the company said.

MLSE deal gives Bell, Rogers, unfair leverage to hike carriage rates, independents say

A joint bid by BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. to purchase a controlling stake in Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) will give the two companies unfair leverage to hike their sports channels' carriage fees, independent broadcast distributors said in documents filed with the CRTC this week.

TV app development a new opportunity for media companies: Report

Canadian digital media companies tend to be small and face problems finding private-sector financing, but new opportunities like TV app development continue to arise, new consultants’ reports released by the Canada Media Fund said.

Telus to expand Optik footprint in eastern Quebec

Telus Corp. will spend about $30 million a year for at least the next three years to bolster its fibre-based Internet protocol television (IPTV) service in parts of eastern Quebec where it operates as the incumbent telco, Clement Audet, the company’s vice-president of the consumer market in Quebec, said in an interview.

Revenues up, profits down at large broadcasters’ specialty channels

Canada’s six largest private broadcasters' specialty channel revenues collectively rose by $193.8 million in 2011, or 8.53 per cent, as pre-tax profits fell by $40 million, an analysis of aggregated CRTC data shows.