Shaw Rocket Fund Asks Court Whether CRTC Should Have Ordered Public Hearing on Rogers Funding
The Shaw Rocket Fund has filed a judicial review seeking a court ruling that the CRTC should have ordered a public hearing on Rogers Communications' continued funding obligations. The fund argues that the CRTC’s administrative licence renewal for Rogers, which omitted public consultation, effectively extended the funding mandate beyond the August 2025 deadline set in the original Shaw‑Rogers deal. The regulator maintains that administrative renewals create a new licence term and that the funding direction was temporary, not requiring a hearing. Two dissenting commissioners believe the issue warrants public scrutiny.
Crave Adding Video Podcasts as Part of Drive to Engage Daily Viewers
Bell Media is expanding Crave from a premium TV and movie library into an all‑in‑one entertainment hub by adding English and French video podcasts from iHeartRadio Canada, alongside live sports and news hubs. The platform will feature a mix of...
CRTC Mandates 15% Contribution on Streamers, Lowers Linear Base Obligation
The CRTC announced that streaming platforms operating in Canada must contribute 15% of their revenues to Canadian content funding, while simultaneously lowering the mandatory base contribution for traditional linear broadcasters. The new rules replace the previous 10% streamer levy and...
Canadian Writers File Proposed Class Action Against Google AI Scraping
A trio of Canadian fiction writers has filed a proposed class action in Federal Court alleging Google scraped their copyrighted books from pirate sites to train its generative AI tools. The complaint claims Google knowingly copied works without licensing, violating...
Feds Announce $73M in UBF Money for Rogers and Xplore Fibre Projects in New Brunswick
The Canadian government has allocated more than $73 million from the Universal Broadband Fund to support two fibre‑optic projects in New Brunswick. Rogers will receive $40.7 million to connect 15,254 households across 288 rural communities, while Xplore will get $32.4 million for 12,393...
Rogers Sports and Media Greenlights Canadian Adaptation of ‘Deadliest Catch’ for Discovery Canada
Rogers Sports and Media has approved a Canadian adaptation of the long‑running reality series Deadliest Catch, titled Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge. The eight‑episode, hour‑long series is being filmed across Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the North Atlantic and will launch on...
CRTC Confirms MVNO Start Date Contingent on Separate Access Agreement
The Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) affirmed that a separate MVNO access agreement must be signed before Quebecor can offer mandated wireless service on Bell’s network. The regulator rejected Quebecor’s request to treat its existing roaming arrangement as sufficient...
CBC Upping Investment in Documentaries, Launching New FAST Channel This Fall
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced a significant boost to its documentary slate and plans to launch a new FAST (Free‑Ad‑Supported Streaming TV) channel this fall. The investment will fund original long‑form nonfiction projects and acquire international titles, aiming to...
Bell Media Partners with YouTube to Bring Newly Digitized Archives to Global Viewers
Bell Media announced it will digitize its national archive of roughly 300,000 tapes, converting over 100,000 tapes by the end of 2026. The company is using Google’s Gemini AI to generate searchable metadata and will host the restored content primarily...
Doug French, Telus CFO, Retiring From Position Next Month
Telus announced that Chief Financial Officer Doug French will retire next month, ending a decade-long tenure overseeing the company's financial strategy. The board will launch a search for a successor while French assists in a transitional handover. His departure comes...
Access Communications Joins Sask 1st Call Program for Underground Facility Locates
Access Communications has become a participant in Saskatchewan’s 1st Call program, a centralized service that coordinates underground utility location requests. The move integrates the telecom carrier into a province‑wide network that streamlines locate calls for excavators, reducing the likelihood of...
Blue Ant Expands Kids, Family and YA Division
Blue Ant Media announced an expansion of its Kids, Family and Young Adult (YA) division, adding new production capacity and talent to create original content for children and teens. The move includes hiring senior executives, securing development deals with streaming...
European Union Joins Global Telecom Coalition as Strategic Partner
The European Union has become a strategic partner of the Global Telecom Alliance, a coalition of leading operators, equipment makers and research institutes. The partnership includes a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) commitment to a joint 5G security and supply‑chain fund, and gives...
Crave Original ‘Yaga’ Picked up by U.S. Streamer AMC+
Crave’s original series “Yaga,” a horror‑drama set in a remote Canadian town, has been licensed to U.S. streaming service AMC+. The show will debut on AMC+ later this fall, marking Crave’s first major content export to an American over‑the‑top platform....
SaskTel’s Wholesale Fibre Challenge Could Impact Cabinet Direction Power Broadly: AG
Provincial Crown corporation SaskTel faces a legal challenge from the Saskatchewan Attorney General over its wholesale fiber‑to‑the‑premises pricing and access terms. The AG argues the cabinet exceeded its authority by setting rates without proper legislative oversight. A court decision could...