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Ontario-based livestreaming startup Title Sports Live (TSL) has signed a 10-year contract with the Ontario Curling Association. With its debut broadcast over the Thanksgiving Weekend, TSL is offering multiple-camera coverage and pre and post analysis from commentators, including three-time Brier and World Champion Ian Tetley. During the 2016/17 season, TSL is signed up to cover seven Ontario provincial championship events, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Men’s Tankard, and the Canadian Masters. TSL is also on board to livestream Ontario Volleyball events this summer. The startup is led by Barry Rendall, who identified a gap in coverage of elite, amateur sports inspired by his two athlete daughters. TSL’s team includes former CBC marketing and branding exec Bridget Hoffer, former Corus Entertainment social media manager Katie Pringle and Toronto-based filmmaker Colin Grant, who previously managed Canadian marketing for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
TVO has announced it’s the first media organization in Canada to offer nightly Periscope streaming on Twitter. TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, is now available to watch on Twitter @TheAgenda at 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.
An internal briefing note prepared for Heritage Minister Melanie Joly suggests the federal government is moving toward charging sales tax on digital content subscriptions, like Netflix. The note, obtained by the CBC, argues not charging tax on foreign content services puts Canadian competitors at a disadvantage. A number of other governments are considering similar taxes with Brazil about to impose a two per cent tax on paid online entertainment. The briefing note acknowledges a sales tax on foreign content would be difficult to enforce. The CRTC has previously passed on the idea. The issue is separate from a so-called content levy that would support Canadian content, with any revenue generated from the tax going into general revenue. Consumer group OpenMedia has been running a petition opposing any new taxes on streaming services, which recently passed 26,000 signatures.
