Mary Ellen Carlyle, SVP and general manager of Dome Productions, will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in New York this December. Carlyle has been with the Toronto-based TV production service provider for 30 years through the move to HD, UHD, and hosting remote productions via control rooms instead of trucks. Currently overseeing administration, sales, and operations, Carlyle has held roles from VP of production services to director of mobile and stadium operations and was responsible for the operation of Canada’s first HDTV mobile. She was a member of the 2010 CTV/Rogers Olympic broadcast team, CBS’ 1992 Olympic Team, and the TSN 1988 Olympic team in Calgary. Carlyle started her career with TSN in 1985 and joined Dome Productions at its inception in 1989.
The CRTC’s Communications Monitoring Report indicates that prices for most communications services decreased in 2018. The national monthly average reported price for wireless, internet, television and home phone services (combined) was 11% lower in 2018 than in 2016. The most significant price reduction was in the mobile wireless market. The four mobile packages analyzed in the CRTC report showed that prices dipped by an average of 28% from 2016 to 2018, with the most significant drop for services offering 5 gigabytes (GB) of data or more. The average monthly price for a mobile service with unlimited voice, text messaging and 5 GB of data fell by as much as 35% in 2018, from $78.36 in 2016 to $51.05. As for the CRTC’s target broadband speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for download and 10 Mbps for upload, the average monthly reported price decreased by 3.2%, from $82.05 in 2016 to $79.40 in 2018. The Communications Monitoring Report also shows a price drop of 8% from $27.64 to $25.55 for the average price of basic television packages between 2016 and 2018.
The CRTC has opened calls of interest for a report on “Harnessing TV Distribution for Canadians in the Digital Age.” Posted to the federal government procurement site last Wednesday, the bid closes on Aug. 28. The report being commissioned is aimed at helping the commission better understand how TV distribution has evolved in other countries, how they are adjusting to online distribution and an analysis of factors that may also impact the evolution of online TV and video distribution in Canada, including an assessment of market potential. In its report, Harnessing Change: The Future of Programming Distribution in Canada, the CRTC proposed that legislation be updated to permit a new adaptable approach to regulation based on how the TV market is evolving. The commission acknowledges online or “virtual” BDU (vBDU) services have not yet developed in Canada in the same way as in other markets due, at least in part, to a variety of economic, legislative and regulatory factors that may be unique to Canada.
Quebecor Inc. has reported consolidated financial results for the second quarter of 2019. Quebecor reported revenue of $1.06 billion in Q2, up $18.2 million (1.8%) from the same period of 2018. Adjusted EBITDA was $455.0 million, up $29.1 million (6.8%). Net income attributable to shareholders was $140.2 million ($0.55 per basic share) in the second quarter, compared with $42.0 million ($0.18 per basic share) in the same period of 2018, an increase of $98.2 million ($0.37 per basic share). The Telecommunications segment grew its revenues by $12.0 million (1.4%) and its adjusted EBITDA by $20.2 million (4.7%). Videotron significantly increased its revenues from mobile telephony ($15.6 million or 11.9%) and Internet access ($7.1 million or 2.6%) in the second quarter of 2019. Subscriber connections to the mobile telephony service increased by 38,300 in the second quarter of 2019 compared with an increase of 31,900 in the same period of 2018.
Connect to Innovate funding of $2.37 million has been announced for Arrow Technology Group and $1.26 million for GPNetworks to bring new or improved high-speed internet access and capacity to four communities in rural Alberta. In addition to the Government of Canada investment, Arrow Technology Group is contributing $899,000 and GPNetworks is contributing $466,000, bringing the total investment to $5 million. The funding will benefit the communities of Sunchild First Nation at O’Chiese, Big Lakes County, Elmworth and Grovedale.
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