Rogers must make 4K channel available to Telus: CRTC

The CRTC has resolved a dispute between Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. over 4K content, telling the companies in an April 5 letter that Rogers has to provide its 4K content to Telus immediately.

Debate resumes on CBC-privatization bill, vote deferred

OTTAWA — A Conservative backbencher’s bill to privatize CBC/Radio-Canada found a little more support from party colleagues in the House of Commons Monday, but it likely won’t be enough to push it to committee stage.

Ad pulls from YouTube show money shift to TV: Corus CEO

The fallout from Alphabet Inc.’s placing of advertisements next to unfavourable content is in line with an ongoing trend of some advertisers shifting money from digital back to traditional television, broadcaster Corus Entertainment Inc.’s president and CEO Doug Murphy said Thursday.

CCTS complaints continue downward trend

There were fewer complaints accepted by the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) in the second half of 2016 than in the comparable time period a year earlier, according to the CCTS mid-year report, released Thursday.

The organization accepted 3,995 complaints between August 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017, compared to 4,562 complaints the year before, about a 12.4 per cent decline.

Shaw expands BlueSky availability, marketing

Shaw Communications Inc. has made its new IPTV platform available across Western Canada and will launch an “extensive mass marketing campaign” to promote the service, it said in a press release.

Letter to Joly urges media-production reps in new CRTC posts

Nearly two-dozen representatives from the screen-based media industry, such as the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and the Writers Guild of Canada have signed a letter urging the Heritage Minister to select new CRTC commissioners that reflect their industry.

The letter, dated March 28, notes the upcoming appointment of four commission positions, including chairperson, and the historical dearth of representatives from the arts and culture sector.

Karine Moses and Debbie Drutz move up at Bell Media

BCE Inc. has announced two new appointments in its Bell Media division. 

Ontario court bars FBI from handling Canadian data in piracy case

Ontario’s highest court has reversed an order by a lower court to allow a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation team to investigate and prepare a report on seized data in a copyright infringement case.

The case involves the now-defunct file-sharing site MegaUpload, its founder Kim Schmitz and data from 32 servers in an Equinix Inc. data centre in Toronto retrieved in 2012 by the RCMP. At the request of the FBI, the Minister of Justice in 2013 applied to have the servers transferred to the United States.

CMF budget down 5.8% due to decline in BDU contributions

The annual program budget for the Canada Media Fund (CMF) for 2017-2018 is smaller than the previous year due to a decrease in contributions from broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs).

The CMF said in a news release Friday that the budget for the upcoming year will total $349.7 million, which "reflects a stable contribution from the Government of Canada and an expected decline in contributions from Broadcast Distribution Undertakings to the CMF for the year to come."

Too soon to see benefits of BlueSky TV: Barclays

Despite being well received in some western markets, it’s too early to determine how Shaw Communications Inc.’s BlueSky TV is working out for the company, according to Barclays Capital.

“We expect it will take more time before we see the benefits of the new TV platform on [average revenue per user] and churn, as it will require greater consumer awareness and deeper penetration of the product,” analyst Phillip Huang said in a Monday note.

Canada’s VR industry is nascent, but set for growth

Though virtual reality is still in its early days, it holds promise for Canada’s media industry — including for broadcasters as a new way to draw eyes to live events, such as sports, according to Nordicity’s Kristian Roberts.

For example, it could be used to allow a viewer to watch the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup finals from some of the best seats in the house, he suggested.

Verizon planning new online TV service: report

Verizon Communications Inc. is working on delivering an online streaming television package this summer, according to Bloomberg.

The report, published Thursday and citing anonymous sources, said the telecommunications company has been signing streaming rights from TV network owners “in preparation for the nationwide launch of a live online TV service.”

Sundance Now launches in Canada

AMC Networks Inc. is making its Sundance Now over-the-top (OTT) service available in Canada.

“Sundance Now launches with hand-selected and award-winning documentary, art-house and independent films from around the globe,” the U.S. company said in a press release Thursday.

The service costs $6.99 a month, or $4.99 a month with a year’s subscription, according to its website.

Bell, Rogers to increase sports channels prices for bars

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are removing TSN, RDS and Sportsnet from traditional TV subscriptions for business customers with a liquor license and offering the channels separately at an additional cost, according to a National Post report.  

The measures, which exclude Quebec, will take effect May 1 and will increase the cost of the sports channels depending on the seating arrangement at the business, according to Bell’s website.

Cogeco launches 4K PVR

Cogeco Inc. has launched a new 4K personal video recorder (PVR) to allow its subscribers to record and watch content at four times the resolution of high-definition TV.

Court dismisses appeal of set-top box sales ban

MONTREAL — The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Monday a challenge to an injunction on the sale of pre-loaded set-top boxes.

“In our view, in light of the uncontradicted evidence, including the advertisement that these pre-loaded set-top boxes are a way to access free TV content and avoid cable bills, the Federal Court was entitled to draw the inferences that it did,” Justice Johanne Gauthier said in her decision.

TV subscriber losses steady, wireless adds at record high in 2016

Following a year in which cord-cutting increased sharply, the trend seems to have levelled out somewhat in 2016, with Canada’s publicly traded telecoms losing 220,990 TV subscribers, compared to the 178,910 who eliminated their service the previous year.

Channels from India, Michigan approved for distribution

A pair of channels originating from India and the United States have been approved for distribution in Canada, the CRTC said Friday.

Soccer league allowed to block servers in Kodi STB case: UK court

England’s biggest soccer league has been granted a court order to block computer servers that host and deliver content to a set-top box (STBs) application that allows users to watch its games for free, according to a BBC report Wednesday.

“For the first time this will enable the Premier League to disrupt and prevent the illegal streaming of our matches via IPTV, so-called Kodi, boxes,” a league spokesperson told the BBC.

Nick Solowski joins Blue Ant

Blue Ant Media Inc. has appointed Nick Solowski as its new director of international sales and acquisitions.

He will be responsible for licensing Blue Ant content in various international markets, including the U.S. Hispanic market, Australia and New Zealand, the company said in a Wednesday press release.

Kate Blank, who has been promoted to senior director of international sales, will “continue to oversee content licensing across France, Asia, German-speaking Europe and Eastern Europe,” the release noted.

Corus to sell cookie data to advertisers

Corus Entertainment Inc. is now selling to advertisers users’ cookie data to better target audience members, the company announced Monday.

In a press release, Corus said it’s the “first major Canadian broadcast publisher to offer first-party data to advertisers,” allowing buyers to “target audiences based on anonymous cookie data.”

Stingray acquires NatureVision

In a move that it says positions it as the “leading 4K content provider on TV,” Stingray Digital Group Inc. announced it purchased NatureVision TV, which specializes in nature programming.

Rogers moves to ‘rapid price deflation’ of 1GB Internet: Barclays

Rogers Communications Inc. is offering a cable and Internet package that includes speeds of 1 Gbps at a heavily discounted price in what Barclays Capital says is a surprising move.

Blais defends SimSub decision

Canada has one of the “world’s most open cultural markets” and the CRTC’s decision to ban simultaneous substitution during BCE Inc.’s broadcast of the National Football League’s championship game doesn’t raise trade issues, chairman Jean-Pierre Blais told a pair of Canadian politicians who petitioned the CRTC reverse its decision.

Bell can’t drop French-language music channels from legacy package: CRTC

BCE Inc.’s proposed repackaging of Groupe V Media Inc.’s French-language music channels partially violates the Wholesale Code, the CRTC said Friday.

In a decision posted to its website, the regulator said Bell’s plan to remove MusiquePlus and MusiMax from legacy packages available in Quebec went against the code’s provision that channels “be offered in at least one package in addition to being offered on a stand-alone basis.”

Canadian TV subscribers dip to 78 per cent

About half of Canadians who watch TV online are cord-cutters, but there are more of their ilk among those who have chosen to rely on over-the-air (OTA) transmission, according to the latest report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a CBC/Radio-Canada research project.

YouTube launching TV subscription package

Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube will be launching a live and on-demand TV service that will enable subscribers to watch more than 40 traditional TV channels online without the need for a subscription from a telecom provider, it announced on its blog Tuesday.

Patent infringement claim made against Shaw’s BlueSky TV

A Swiss corporation and two of its subsidiaries are alleging that Shaw Communications Inc.’s new IPTV service is infringing on a handful of its patents, according to a statement of claim filed in federal court Friday.

Randy Lennox to head Bell Media as Mary Ann Turcke leaves for NFL

Randy Lennox has been named the new president of BCE Inc.’s media division following the departure of Mary Ann Turcke, the company announced Monday.

In a press release, Bell Media said Turcke, who has been in the role since April 2015 and with the company for a dozen years overall, has accepted a new job with the National Football League as president of digital media and the NFL Network. Turcke will be based in Los Angeles, the release said.

CBC reports lower operating revenues, higher advertising in Q3

CBC/Radio-Canada reported self-generated revenues that were 0.8 per cent lower than last year, which was off-set by higher advertising in its third quarterly report for the year, released Thursday.

For the three months ended Dec. 31, the public broadcaster reported operating revenues of $138 million — revenues not including government funding — were down 0.8 per cent or $1.1 million compared to the same period last year. This was due to fewer subscribers to some specialty channels and lower content sales, CBC said.

CRTC consulting on broadcasting regulation changes

The CRTC is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the broadcasting distribution and television broadcasting regulations that would, among other things, remove daily Canadian content requirements for over-the-air (OTA) TV stations.

Festival, horse channels approved for Canadian distribution

Stingray Digital Group Inc. has received approval from the CRTC to bring its live-performance channel to Canada.

CBC privatization bill receives chilly response in House

A private members’ bill to privatize CBC/Radio-Canada was met with vigorous opposition Friday as members of Parliament stood in the House of Commons to defend the country’s public broadcaster.

TVO cancels plan to shut down OTA transmitters

Ontario public broadcaster TVO has decided to keep broadcasting over-the-air (OTA), after the provincial government moved to provide $1 million in funding to keep the transmitters operational.

Péladeau’s return to Quebecor shouldn’t affect business: analysts

The man who led Quebecor Inc. for 14 years but left to join provincial politics will return as head of the company Thursday, though despite the change in leadership, analysts expect business to continue as usual.

Effective immediately, Pierre Karl Péladeau will return to the company his father founded in 1965 and he headed from 1999 to 2013. National Bank Financial analyst Adam Shine said in a research note that “Mr. Péladeau is back. Figuratively, we’re not sure he ever really left.”

24-hour video game channel coming to Canada

A Canadian broadcaster and an international entertainment provider are joining forces to bring to Canada a 24-hour channel dedicated to video gaming.

The deal between Canadian broadcaster Super Channel, owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc. and the United Kingdom-based Ginx TV Ltd. will “target millions of gaming enthusiasts and players in Canada and feature live eSports events, news and gaming lifestyle programming,” a Wednesday press release said.

Kurt Eby joins Pelmorex

Kurt Eby, former director of regulatory and government affairs for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), has taken a new role with Pelmorex Media Inc.

According to his LinkedIn account, Eby left the CWTA after nearly five years for the Toronto-based position as Pelmorex’s director of regulatory and government relations in January. Prior to joining the CWTA, Eby was a senior manager in Nordicity’s Ottawa office.

UAE-based news channel approved for distribution

The CRTC has approved an application by Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. to add Sky News Arabia to the list of foreign channels authorized for distribution in Canada, the commission said Tuesday.

The channel is a 24-hour news service originating in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and targeted at Arabic-speaking audiences, it said.

Appeal filed in Bell IPTV case

A lengthy legal battle between BCE Inc. and two companies that claim Bell infringed on their IPTV patent has been extended, one month after a Federal Court judge dismissed the case.

Super Bowl viewership falls 39% on Bell channels

The CRTC’s decision to ban simultaneous substitution for the National Football League’s Super Bowl has had a significant effect on viewership, as BCE Inc.'s media division reported an audience drop-off of 39 per cent on its channels compared to last year’s game.

Bell Media partners with country music record label

BCE Inc.’s media division has entered into an agreement with Nashville, Tenn.- based record label Big Machine Label Group (BMLG).

Bell Media said in a press release Monday BMLG is the world’s top independent record label “based on sales and radio airplay,” whose roster includes musicians like Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw.

Blais calls out demands for ‘political interference’ with CRTC

OTTAWA — CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais used his opening remarks at a panel discussion Thursday to criticize individuals who are calling for “political interference” in the commission’s decisions.

CBC focusing on new, local and digital content: accountability report

CBC/Radio-Canada is putting more money into new content, including emphasising local and digital programming, it said as it outlined annual priorities in a report released Wednesday.

TVO to end OTA broadcasts outside of Toronto

Ontario public broadcaster TVO will shut down eight over-the-air transmitters, keeping one transmitter in Toronto “for the purposes of the CRTC licence and to minimize distribution costs,” it said in a Jan. 25 press release.

Broadcasts will stop on July 31 in a move that will save the broadcaster $1 million per year, it said.

The affected transmitters are in Ottawa, Belleville, Chatham, Cloyne, Kitchener, London, Thunder Bay and Windsor, Ont.

75% of anglophones subscribe to TV service: MTM

New data shows that the number of anglophone Canadians with TV subscriptions has continued to fall, reaching 75 per cent in the fall of 2016 — a 14-per-cent decline over the past five years.

That number is down two per cent from a year earlier, according to a report released Tuesday by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

The report also showed technologies like streaming, wearable devices and 4K are growing.

Bell Media cutting jobs

BCE Inc.’s media division is “reducing a number of positions” across the country, spokesman Scott Henderson confirmed Tuesday, though he declined to specify the number of people that will be affected.

The job cuts are part of a “restructuring that includes local radio and TV stations,” he said in an email, adding that the positions affected “are from all areas of the business.”

Equipment, resources for 600MHz transition available: ISED

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED), has responded to concerns about the availability of equipment and manpower that will be needed as Canada and the United States both transition 600 MHz spectrum to wireless use.

CMF, Google team up for YouTube CanCon channel

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Canada will launch a YouTube channel for “iconic Canadian film and television content from years gone by” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

“The channel will also be an opportunity to test new business models for catalogue content, while generating worldwide exposure and stimulating demand for Canadian content, particularly with young audiences, who access media primarily via connected and mobile devices,” CMF said in a press release Thursday.

Bell plans viewer contests, Letterkenny broadcast for Super Bowl

BCE Inc. has given more details about its broadcast plans for the upcoming National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl, including pointing fans to a resource where they can watch American ads in advance of the game.

It said in a press release Thursday that Canadian fans can visit a website that “directs visitors to the best new ads as they are released in advance of the game, as well as fan-favourite ads from previous seasons.”

Natale to take Rogers’ top job in July: interim CEO

Rogers Communications Inc. incoming president and CEO Joe Natale will take the helm in July, the company announced as it reported fourth-quarter numbers that showed continuing growth in data usage among its wireless customers.

Geoff White boards CCTS team

Lawyer Geoff White has joined the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) as director and regulatory counsel, commissioner Howard Maker has confirmed.

White is listed on the Law Society of Upper Canada directory as being employed by the CCTS.

CRTC approves Stingray jazz channel for distribution

An application by Stingray Digital Group Inc. to bring over its non-Canadian jazz music program has been approved by the CRTC.

Published on the commission’s website Tuesday, Stingray describes Djazz as a 24-hour niche service of Dutch origin that provides swing, bebop and contemporary jazz, “including concerts from around the world, recording sessions, club gigs, interviews, video clips and related documentary programs.” 

Telus rolls out welcome mat to lead Dec. lobbying numbers

Telus Corp. led the telecom pack in December for government relations activity, according to the federal lobbyists’ registry, logging 14 monthly communication reports.

In addition to getting in touch with the policy advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Justin To, Telus also bent the ears of members of the prime minister’s cabinet.

CRTC approves three channels for distribution

The CRTC said Thursday in two decisions it has approved three channels — Stingray Brava, Bestseller and Mult — for distribution in Canada.  

32% of U.S. consumers watch pirated content: survey

A new survey has found that while the majority of United States respondents think consuming pirated video content is illegal, a chunk don’t seem to care how it impacts content creation.

Despite about 69 per cent of U.S. consumers who were surveyed by Netherlands-based digital security company Irdeto saying they think streaming or downloading pirated content is illegal, 32 per cent still watch illegal content, according to a Wednesday press release.

Bell set to increase Internet and TV prices

BCE Inc. will increase monthly prices for some of its residential services as of Feb. 1, a move it says is needed to support higher traffic on its network.

On its website, the company said it spends $3.5 billion each year on network infrastructure to deliver “new features, even faster and more reliable Internet and world-class entertainment.”

It said its network traffic grew by nearly 40 per cent last year.

O’Leary promises unrecognizable CRTC as he enters CPC leadership race

Celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary has the country’s telecom regulator in his sights as he launches his campaign for leader of the federal Conservative Party.

Address diversity gaps when filling CRTC roles, minister told

Filling all 13 spots allotted to CRTC commissioners could go a long way in addressing what some are calling decades of ongoing disparity between the demographics of those who make decisions about the country’s broadcasting and telecommunications sectors and the rest of Canada, according to advocacy groups, community broadcasters and researchers keeping an eye on the composition of the regulator.

TVO program to stream on Periscope in Canadian first

Starting Monday, Twitter Inc.’s live-streaming app will host a nightly showing of a Canadian media program for the first time.

The Agenda with Steve Paikin, a current affairs program produced by the publicly funded educational TV station TVO, will stream on Twitter’s Periscope, according to a Monday press release. It said the show would air Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. EST.

Canadians don’t want CanCon funding passed down to subscribers: report

A report prepared for the Privy Council Office found Canadians were generally in favour of increasing contributions to Canadian content, but don’t believe those increases should be passed down to customers.

Cogeco shifting data centre strategy due to Amazon, Microsoft: Audet

MONTREAL — Moves by Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. into the Canadian data centre business won’t compete directly with Cogeco Inc., which is changing its data centre strategy by focusing on a different type of client, CEO Louis Audet told reporters Thursday.

Unifor asks for suspension of SimSub ban

The union representing members of the television and media sectors is asking the CRTC to reverse or suspend its decision banning simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl in order for its impact to be fully considered.

Shaw launches IPTV platform

Shaw Communications Inc. has made its IPTV service, called BlueSky, available in Calgary, and plans to launch it in additional markets “in the coming months.”

Pricing for 5G unclear, but cost per GB could drop: Deloitte expert

There are still many unknowns as wireless carriers move to 5G networks in the coming years, including questions about how much companies will charge for service, though prices have the potential to drop and carriers are unlikely to charge a premium, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd.’s Duncan Stewart.

Shaw media helps Corus increase revenue in another quarter

Corus Entertainment Inc.’s purchase of Shaw Communications Inc.’s media division again helped it post a revenue increase, this time a 105 per cent increase and a 100 per cent increase in profits, as it reported numbers for the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

Jay Thomson to head CCSA

The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA) has named Jay Thomson as its new CEO.

Thomson, who is currently the vice-president of broadcasting policy and regulatory affairs for the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), will start effective Feb. 1, 2017, the CCSA said in a press release Tuesday.

Thomson has also previously “held senior regulatory and policy positions” at Telus Corp., the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA), according to the release.

Federal Court tosses patent suit against Bell for IPTV technology

What began more than three years ago as a $350-million claim of patent infringement against BCE Inc. devolved into a pale imitation of its former self and will lead to plaintiffs MediaTube Corp. and NorthVu Inc. paying for the whole affair, according to a decision from a Federal Court judge.

BroadbandTV expands to eight more countries

Vancouver-based multi-platform network (MPN) BroadbandTV Corp. has launched in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt, the company announced Friday.

It said in a press release it currently “actively operates in seven languages and 23 countries.”

ISP tax a good idea, former CRTC chair says

A former chairman of the CRTC is backing the concept of levying a new tax on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as the heritage minister mulls ways to rejig the country’s cultural institutions.

Impact of wholesale rates, pick-and-pay will be felt in 2017: Canaccord

The initial pinch of the CRTC’s decisions on two important issues in 2016 — wholesale rates and pick-and-pay — will be felt in the new year, according to Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda Galappatthige.

Amazon little threat to Netflix, Crave for now: analyst

A tepid launch of Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime video streaming service in Canada doesn’t seem likely to pose a challenge to existing players in the Canadian streaming market — for the time being, at least, given Amazon’s global clout could make it a formidable challenger in the future.

AT&T testing streaming TV service over 5G

AT&T Inc. will test how to use 5G technology to deliver its DirecTV Now streaming service to customers.

“In the first half of 2017, we plan to conduct a trial in Austin where residential customers can stream DIRECTV NOW video service over a fixed wireless 5G connection. As part of this trial, we’ll also test additional next-generation entertainment services over fixed 5G connections,” the United States telecom said in a press release Wednesday.

Bell drops Zazeen suit

BCE Inc. has dropped its second lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against a small Internet protocol TV (IPTV) provider, following changes the company made to its service.

Stingray buys classical music channel in $15M deal

Stingray Digital Group Inc. has purchased an international specialty channel focusing on classical music from Germany’s Unitel GmbH & Co. KG, the company announced Tuesday.

Unitel will “continue to produce and deliver the programming for Classica, while Stingray will have unfettered and privileged access to UNITEL’s exclusive catalogue of more than 1,500 titles and 2,000 hours of premium content produced and owned by UNITEL,” Stingray said in a press release.

Bell, NFL file appeal of Super Bowl simsub rules

BCE Inc. and the National Football League (NFL) have filed appeals in federal court arguing that the CRTC lacks the authority to ban the use of simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl.

Bell asks gov’t for 600 MHz revenue fund for OTA

BCE Inc. is asking the federal government to use part of the proceeds from its upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction for a revenue fund to support local television.

Amid political push for SimSub ruling reversal, Bell yet to file appeal

Despite having less than two months until the Feb. 5 kick off at the 51st Super Bowl, BCE Inc. has yet to start the process with the courts to put a stop to a decision prohibiting the broadcaster from replacing American advertisements with Canadian ones during the game.

At the beginning of November, the federal Appeals Court granted Bell leave to appeal the CRTC’s decision to ban simultaneous substitution during the broadcast of the National Football League’s championship game, beginning in February.

Boston station approved for Canadian distribution

BCE Inc. has received approval to carry an American TV station, the CRTC said Tuesday.

In a decision posted online, the CRTC said WBTS-LD Boston will be added to the list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution. The English-language, general interest channel will become the new NBC affiliate in the new year for Massachusetts city, the notice said.

CRTC gives go-ahead to Bell-MTS BDU licence transfer

The CRTC has granted approval for Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. to transfer its broadcast distribution licences to BCE Inc. as part of an overall $3.9-billion acquisition of the provincial provider.

In a notice on its website Tuesday, the regulator said the transaction “does not raise concerns with resect to applicable Commission policies and regulations and that it does not trigger the payment of tangible benefits.”

Avoid ISP tax, tweak CanCon rules, companies say in Heritage review

There isn’t much disagreement between some of the country’s biggest media and telecom service providers over whether foreign entities, such as over-the-top providers like Netflix Inc., should be making a contribution to the country’s cultural sector.

Canadian politicians follow U.S. in call to reverse SimSub ban: report

Two MPs are asking the CRTC to reverse its decision on simultaneous substitution for the National Football League's (NFL) Super Bowl, a week after four United States congressmen demanded the same, according to a report by the Canadian Press Thursday.

Rogers killing of in-house IPTV good move in long term, analysts say

Rogers Communications Inc. has abandoned the development of its own IPTV platform and will instead launch an IPTV service using a platform from Comcast Corp., a plan analysts said Friday would benefit BCE Inc. in the short term but is a good decision for Rogers down the road.

Few boomers have cut the cord: MTM

The anglophone generation that is in, or nearing, retirement is consuming more traditional TV than their younger counterparts, as less than a tenth of boomers has cut the cord, according to the latest MTM report released Wednesday.

About 86 per cent of the demographic — defined as those between 50 and 70 —pay for a TV service like cable, satellite or IPTV, according to the report from Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. Younger Canadians are twice as likely as boomers to have cut the cord, MTM said.

Most Canadians satisfied with Internet service: CIRA

Canadians are “generally satisfied” with the speed of their home Internet service, according to a new report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).

“More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said they’re satisfied, although just 34 per cent claim to be very satisfied,” the annual CIRA Internet Factbook report, released Tuesday, said.

Bell targets second small IPTV provider over copyright claim

Zazeen Inc. is facing legal action from BCE Inc. over its Internet protocol TV (IPTV) service, with the incumbent calling the small provider’s service copyright infringement.

In a statement of claim filed with the Federal Court last month, Bell said Zazeen is currently operating “an unlicensed Internet delivered service… that is exempt from licensing by the CRTC.”

Compensate broadcasters for 600 MHz transition: RABC

The Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC) says broadcasters should be compensated for the cost of changing channels due to the repurposing of 600 MHz spectrum for wireless use.

‘Similar hurdles’ as U.S. possible in 600 MHz auction: Desjardins

The 600 MHz spectrum auction in the United States has again been delayed after bidders failed to meet minimum prices for spectrum, and Canada could see similar problems in its own upcoming auction, Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi said in a note Friday.

“The [Federal Communications Commission] will thus have to go back to TV channels for a fourth time in order to set new prices for spectrum,” Yaghi wrote.

Canadians favour funding for international CanCon success: PIAC poll

Canadians are broadly in support of making domestic film and TV productions successful internationally and being provided the funding to do so, but don’t share a consensus on where that money should go, according to a public opinion survey conducted by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).