CTV announce its new CTV App for iPad is now available on the App Store. The app lets users enter a unique, curated chat environment that includes tweets from cast members, Facebook comments and other insider and public commentary from across the social web, acting as a companion during primetime television shows.

The CTV social app also allows users to stream on-demand a long list of CTV and CTV Two's new programs and returning hits in primetime, late-night and daytime.

"The CTV App offers an interactive social experience with compelling features that act as the ultimate companion to viewers' favourite TV programs," said Jon Taylor, Senior Director, Content, Bell Media Digital.

CTV Social App for iPad Features:

*An interactive social environment to supplement the TV viewer's experience, letting them join in on the conversation with CTV iPad App hosts and other viewers, and track commentary from actors, producers and other insiders.
*On-demand streaming of CTV and CTV Two's popular lineup.
*Series photos, episode guides, news updates and the ability to share content links across social networks.
*Interactive broadcast schedule by time zone.
*Select sneak peeks, trailers and bonus content.

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Sportsnet Signs Multiplatform Deal with AHL

2011-09-22

Rogers Sportsnet announced a five-year agreement with the American Hockey League for the multiplatform Canadian media rights to the AHL All-Star Classic, beginning with this year's AHL All-Star Skills Competition and the AHL All-Star Game in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The multiplatform agreement includes rights on Sportsnet television, mobile and online for the AHL All-Star Classic.

"The American Hockey League has a deep and storied history of producing great NHL talent," said Navaid Mansuri, Vice-President of Finance & Sports Programming, Rogers Media. "Our audience is heavily invested in their hometown NHL teams and will now get a chance to see their team's top prospects during the AHL's biggest events."

In addition, Sportsnet will also produce and broadcast the first AHL outdoor game ever held in Canada as the Hamilton Bulldogs host the Toronto Marlies at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton on January 21.

The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic festivities begin with the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Jan. 29, and conclude with the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Jan. 30. Both days' events, featuring the top young players in hockey and coming from Atlantic City's historic Boardwalk Hall, will be seen live on the Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific channels.

Sportsnet's coverage of the AHL outdoor game between the Bulldogs and Marlies begins on Saturday, Jan. 21 on the Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific channels. The Bulldogs are the top development team for the Montreal Canadiens, while the Marlies are the primary affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Entering its 76th season of play in 2011-12, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives and broadcasters of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 87 per cent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates. Through the years, the AHL has been home to more than 100 future members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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CRTC Releases Policy for Large Integrated Companies

2011-09-21

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced a new framework for large integrated companies that will allow them to innovate and respond to new opportunities in a fast-changing environment. The CRTC is also establishing measures to eliminate the potential for these companies to harm their competitors or restrict consumer choice.

"Given the size of the Canadian market, there are benefits to integrating television programming and distribution services under the same corporate umbrella," said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. "At the same time, we felt that some safeguards were needed to prevent anti-competitive behaviour. In particular, Canadians shouldn't be forced to buy a mobile device from a specific company or subscribe to its Internet service simply to access their favourite television programs."

Following its examination of consolidation in the broadcasting industry, the CRTC has decided to:

Prohibit companies from offering television programs on an exclusive basis to their mobile or Internet subscribers. Any program broadcast on television, including hockey games and other live events, must be made available to competitors under fair and reasonable terms.
Allow companies to offer exclusive programming to their Internet or mobile customers provided that it is produced specifically for an Internet portal or a mobile device. This includes supplementary programming such as behind-the-scenes video clips of a television program, as well as original content.
Adopt a code of conduct to prevent anti-competitive behaviour and ensure all distributors, broadcasters and online programming services negotiate in good faith. To protect Canadians from losing a television service during negotiations, broadcasters must continue to provide the service in question and distributors must continue to offer it to their subscribers.
Implement measures to ensure that independent distributors and broadcasters are treated fairly by large integrated companies. At least 25 per cent of specialty services distributed by a large integrated company must be owned by an independent broadcaster. In addition, broadcasters launching a new pay or specialty service must make it available upon request to all distributors as an individual service, even if a commercial agreement has not been finalized.

Finally, the CRTC strongly encourages television distribution companies to give Canadians more flexibility in choosing the individual services they want as part of their packages. The CRTC has called on Bell Canada, Quebecor Media, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications to submit a report by April 1, 2012, detailing the steps they have undertaken to respond to consumer demands.

"Canadians enjoy watching programs online as it gives them the freedom to effectively pick and pay for what they want. They find it difficult to accept that their cable and satellite television providers do not offer similar choice and flexibility. If the industry fails to demonstrate that it has made significant strides in introducing consumer-friendly options, we will hold hearings on this issue in six months and take regulatory action," Mr. von Finckenstein added.

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TSN Jets Launches

2011-09-20

TSN has confirmed its new regional television channel TSN Jets will be available in nearly 500,000 homes as the Winnipeg Jets take to the ice for its first pre-season game tomorrow. TSN Jets is available to Bell TV, Shaw, Shaw Direct and MTS TV customers in the Jets' broadcast region. The specialty television service dedicated to 60+ Winnipeg Jets games per season premieres Tuesday, Sept. 20.

"The fan and community support for TSN Jets has been overwhelming," said Stewart Johnston, President, TSN. "We are obviously delighted that key television service providers in the region have come on board for the start of the Jets' season and made this channel available in close to a half million homes."

The Winnipeg Jets broadcast region includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, plus parts of Northwestern Ontario including Kenora, Dryden and Thunder Bay.

TSN announced last month that the network reached a 10-year agreement with True North Sports & Entertainment for regional television broadcast rights for Winnipeg Jets games. In addition to producing live game coverage, TSN has confirmed they will complement their broadcasts by producing extensive pre- and post-game shows. Veteran hockey broadcaster Dennis Beyak will be the primary voice for Jets coverage, as he will call all games on TSN Jets. In the same announcement, it was also confirmed that regional radio broadcast rights were awarded to Bell Media Radio's Sports Radio 1290 Winnipeg.

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Bell Media Launches CTV Mobile

2011-09-19

Bell Media announced today the launch of CTV Mobile, a new portable media application for watching CTV and CTV Two programming in real time on compatible mobile devices.

Bell says that Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile have signed on as the first wireless carriers to offer the CTV Mobile channels, and that it is the only Canadian conventional broadcaster to offer live streaming of its lineup on mobile platforms.

Three mobile data plans and one tablet data plan are currently offered at fixed monthly rates by Bell; iOS, BlackBerry, Android and Windows devices are supported.

CTV Mobile features up to 150 hours each week of live simulstream programming from CTV and CTV Two.

"Now viewers can watch amazing live CTV content no matter where they are," said Bart Yabsley, Executive Vice-President, Content Sales and Distribution, Bell Media. "With CTV Mobile, Bell Media is ensuring that viewers get Canada's most-watched television programming on every screen, whenever and wherever they want to watch."

CTV Mobile is the latest mobile offering from Bell Media, which currently offers carriers live simulstreaming of BNN, CTV News Channel and MTV; select live games from TSN, TSN2 and RDS; and on demand shows from The Comedy Network.

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Bell, CBC Team up on Olympic Media Bid

2011-09-09

Bell Media and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation have agreed to form a partnership to bid for the media rights for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia and the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil.

Bell Media owns CTV, Canada's biggest private broadcaster, among other media properties.

The news come one day after word that Rogers Media abandoned its plan to bid for the 2014 and 2016 games. It cited financial and scheduling issues in ending its Olympic partnership with Bell Media. It will still be involved with the broadcast of next summer's Olympic Games in London.

The International Olympic Committee bidding process for Canadian media rights to future Olympic Gamesis expected to begin later this year.

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Rogers Media Withdraws From Olympic Broadcast Consortium

2011-09-08

Rogers Media Inc. today announced it will not pursue a bid for the Canadian broadcast rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games as part of Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.

"As much as Rogers Media would like to continue being involved with the Olympic Movement, scheduling conflicts, combined with our financial priorities, suggest that it's best for us not to be involved at this time," said Keith Pelley, President, Rogers Media Inc. "We had an option and chose not to exercise it."

Under the current agreement, Rogers Media is a 20% stakeholder within the Consortium, with the remaining 80% interest controlled by CTV.

"This was a difficult decision on so many levels, but it's a disciplined approach that allows us to pursue new opportunities to best serve our viewers, shareholders and advertisers," continued Pelley.

This decision does not affect Rogers Media's commitment to the London 2012 Olympic Games. As an official rights-holder within the Consortium, Rogers Media, along with CTV, will deliver more than 5,000 hours of coverage of London 2012 to Canadians on multiple platforms.

"At Vancouver 2010, Rogers and CTV together set a new standard of media excellence, giving viewers the power of choice with multiplatform coverage in multiple languages," said Pelley. "We look forward to delivering that same robust content strategy next summer at London 2012."

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Bell Media Announces Extensive NFL Coverage

2011-09-08

CTV, TSN, TSN2 and Bell Media Radio have announced comprehensive end-to-end coverage of the 2011-12 NFL season as the networks confirmed their NFL schedule, bringing Canadian fans the best match-ups the league has to offer.

Together, CTV, TSN, TSN2 and Bell Media Radio have the largest NFL schedule in Canada, with exclusive Canadian coverage of the Sunday early-afternoon game package, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, every NFL playoff game and the coveted Super Bowl.

TSN2 has a full schedule of games complementing CTV's package of early-afternoon match-ups with a marquee national game - giving viewers in most Canadian markets a choice between two different NFL games every Sunday. In addition to the Sunday Night and Monday Night Football packages, TSN has exclusive Canadian coverage of the NFL Draft and special gridiron-themed segments on Sportscentre and full NFL coverage on TSN.ca.

On CTV and TSN2, the new NFL season kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 11 with a full slate of marquee NFL match-ups.

CTV and TSN2 will announce their remaining schedules of NFL games on a week-by-week basis. All regular season NFL match-ups on CTV will be immediately followed by a special post-game edition of Sportscentre with anchor Jay Onrait.

In addition to CTV's NFL regular season Sunday early-afternoon game package, the network also features every NFL playoff game and the Super Bowl - the single most-watched sporting event in North America. Last year, CTV and RDS attracted a record combined audience of 7.3 million viewers, as the Packers topped the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

TSN will televise 34 NFL games this season, delivering back-to-back nights of appointment television with exclusive Canadian coverage of Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. TSN's jam-packed NFL lineup also features the popular preview and wrap-up shows Sunday NFL Countdown Football Night in America, NFL Primteime and Monday Night Countdown Sundays

TSN gets viewers primed for Sunday afternoon NFL action with the two-hour preview show Sunday NFL Countdown, every Sunday eading into CTV and TSN2's game coverage. Host Chris Berman is joined on the program by analysts and former NFLers Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter and Tom Jackson, former head coaches Mike Ditka and Bill Parcells, and NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. The Emmy Award-winning show previews the upcoming week in the NFL and provides analysis, team news, weekly features and timely updates.

Leading into TSN's weekly coverage of Sunday Night Football is Football Night in America. Bob Costas hosts the one-hour preview show every Sunday , which features highlights, interviews and game analysis from some of the most respected NFL journalists and former players, including Dan Patrick, Rodney Harrison, Tony Dungy, Peter King, Mike Florio and Alex Flanagan.

Sunday Night Football - the most-watched primetime show of the 2010 fall television season - is back for another season on TSN with coverage of all regular season Sunday night games. The broadcast team includes play-by-play voice Al Michaels, game analyst Cris Collinsworth, and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Action gets underway on Sunday, Sept. 11

NFL Primetime returns to TSN's Monday afternoon lineup for the 2011-12 season. Trey Wingo hosts the one-hour program and is joined by analysts Merril Hoge and Matt Hasselbeck in studio. NFL Primetime offers a recap of all the NFL action from the weekend as well as a preview of the Monday Night Football contest.

The Monday Night Countdown preview show returns to TSN featuring host Chris Berman in the ESPN studios alongside Mike Ditka, Cris Carter, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson and NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. Complementing the in-studio coverage is host Stuart Scott, who will be on location in the Monday Night Football host city with analysts Trent Dilfer and Steve Young, and reporter Suzy Kolber. The show, which leads into TSN's coverage of Monday Night Football, also provides viewers with interviews, highlights and up-to-the-minute news from around the NFL. Monday Night Countdown kicks off Monday, Sept. 12.

The most-watched series in U.S. cable television history, Monday Night Football returns to TSN for an exciting sixth season on Monday, Sept. 12. TSN's Monday Night Football broadcast schedule features exclusive Canadian coverage of all 17 regular season Monday night match-ups. ESPN's Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and former SUPER BOWL-winning coach Jon Gruden will call the action from the broadcast booth with Suzy Kolber reporting from the sidelines.

Football fans can compete for bragging rights in the brand-new TSN Fantasy Football league manager on TSN.ca, which gives fans the chance to win an ultimate NFL Getaway Experience. With TSN Fantasy Football, fans can create or join a fully-customizable league complete with live roster updates, up-to-the minute player news, and in-depth game analysis. In addition, fantasy sports expert Scott Cullen provides poolies with weekly fantasy football analysis, projections, rankings and predictions on TSN.ca.

Sportscentre boasts a massive lineup of football coverage each week during the NFL season featuring extensive news and highlights from every NFL game, as well as weekly NFL segments, providing fans with more NFL analysis and insight than ever. On Mondays, Jesse Palmer returns with his popular Monday Morning Quarterback segment, where the former NFL pivot provides analysis and commentary on the weekend's games. On Thursdays, TSN football analyst Chris Schultz is back for another expert season of Risky Business, as the Big Man offers his four weekly picks against the spread. Finally, on Saturdays, the always entertaining Chris Berman returns to Sportscentre with his 2-Minute Drill, where the ESPN football host gives viewers his predictions for head-to-head match-ups for the upcoming week in the NFL.

The NFL is covered from all angles on TSN.ca, as Canada's industry-leading sports website features up-to-the-minute stats and scores, game highlights, breaking news and in-depth analysis for each and every NFL game. The website also features a comprehensive season preview that includes team-by-team breakdowns, pre-season power-rankings and resident football expert Chris Schultz's predictions and pre-season Super Bowl pick for the upcoming season.

Finally, fans can keep tabs on the NFL by using the TSN Mobile apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad, providing fans with all the latest news, scores and stats at their fingertips each week.

TSN Radio 1050 hits the gridiron with live game action throughout the 2011-12 NFL season, as it has secured the radio broadcast rights for the NFL in the GTA. Complementing the NFL match-ups on TSN Radio 1050 is a slate of NFL Insiders and analysts from ESPN, including Chris Mortensen on The Mike Richards Show, Adam Schefter on The Bryan Hayes Show, and Jesse Palmer, Keyshawn Johnson and Herm Edwards on Cybulski & Company.

NFL games will also be featured across Bell Media Radio's sports stations, including TEAM 1040 and TEAM 1410 in Vancouver, Sports Radio 1290 in Winnipeg, TEAM 1200 in Ottawa, and TEAM 990 in Montreal.

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Rogers Files Application to Start Bank

2011-09-06

Rogers Communications Inc. has filed papers with the Minister of Finance, under Canada's Bank Act, to start a bank.

The bank would carry on business in Canada under the name of Rogers Bank in English and Banque Rogers in French. The application stated the Bank would primarily be focused on credit, payment and charge card services. Rogers Bank would not be dealing in traditional banking which includes savings and chequing accounts, loans, etc.

Rogers spokesperson Carly Suppa stated "We have no plans to become a full-service deposit-taking financial institution... The license, if granted, would give us the flexibility to pursue a niche credit card opportunity to our customers should this make sense at a future date".

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Rogers Media to Launch CityNews Channel

2011-09-06

Launching October 3, CityNews Channel brings the Greater Toronto Area's most trusted news, entertainment, sports and current affair brands together for unique, integrated coverage on an all-news wheel format for the local stories that matter most.

The winning 680News radio format comes to life on CityNews Channel with traffic and weather together on the :1s, sports at :15 and :45, and business at :26 and :56 past the hour. CityNews Channel will feature popular personalities from across Rogers Media to deliver expert and exclusive content and a fresh perspective on the day's hot topics, including CityNews, 680News, Sportsnet, Maclean's, MoneySense, Today's Parent and HELLO! Canada. The channel will be anchored by rotating hosts on an hourly basis, and with live cameras in all Rogers Media newsrooms, breaking news will be instantaneous.

"Building upon the success of the 24-hour local news format that Citytv initially created, CityNews Channel combines a wealth of resources from across all of Rogers Media to bring viewers the most informative and all-encompassing news experience," said Tina Cortese, Vice-President, News and General Manager, Citytv Toronto, Rogers Media Inc. "With this proven wheel format, viewers know precisely when to tune in for the news they want, when they want it."

Live from the heart of Toronto at Yonge-Dundas Square, CityNews Channel features a multi-zone TV screen, offering viewers an enhanced HD video window, more detailed weather and traffic updates, robust headlines, social media content, and a promotions and community calendar.

Following a simulcast of Toronto's #1 morning show, Breakfast Television, CityNews Channel continues with an exclusive extra half hour of BT. Also simulcast on CityNews Channel are CityNews at Five, CityNews at Six, and CityNews Tonight, with another exclusive extra half hour of news coverage from 11:30pm-12 midnight.

Appealing to late-shift and overnight workers, university students and general night owls, CityNews Channel Overnight will be live from 12am - 5:30am with live audio news feeds from 680News and visuals from the channel's exclusive ‘Eyes of Toronto' cameras across the GTA.

CityNews is indeed everywhere, with CityNews Channel broadcasting live across multiple platforms: television, online at CityNews.ca, mobile with the CityNews iPhone app, and tablet with an iPad app. CityNews.ca will have more headlines and local stories, more video content then ever before, and offer exclusive features such as map views of local news as it happens, detailed weather pages and local weather sticks. With more opportunities for users to contribute to stories through commenting, social media, and photo uploads, CityNews.ca offers the ultimate interactive news experience with news tips on the fly and via twitter.

In addition to Citytv's most trusted personalities, including Gord Martineau, Kevin Frankish, Avery Haines, Francis D'Souza and Tom Hayes, CityNews Channel welcomes new on-air personalities. Coming from a diverse mix of experience and backgrounds, Andrew Krystal, Galit Solomon, Shauna Hunt, Kevin Carrington, Tammie Sutherland, Rima Kar and new Entertainment Anchor Mary Kitchen.

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