GENERAL:
Wind Mobile has rebranded as Freedom Mobile and launched LTE service. LTE coverage will be rolled out in Toronto and Vancouver on Nov. 27 and is expected to be available in every market where the company operates by Fall 2017. Acquired last year by Shaw Communications, Wind Mobile has seen its customer base grow to over one million since its launch in 2008.
Virgin Mobile Canada has announced the expansion of its home internet service into Quebec. The company has also launched a new charitable initiative, Home Internet with Heart in support of Virgin Mobile RE*Generation, supporting youth employment programs in Ontario and Quebec. A donation will be made on behalf of every new home internet subscriber between now and Dec. 31.
Bell Media has announced a partnership with Toronto creative hub and artist incubator DAIS. DAIS specializes in short-form web series, music and radio with a mandate to develop Canadian projects that can be brought to the world stage while expanding Bell Media’s millennial audience. DAIS has already forged several strategic partnerships including a four-part music video series with A Tribe Called Red to be broadcast on MUCH, W5, and iHeartRadioCanada; and a DAIS-branded digital radio station on iHeartRadioCanada, debuting later this year, featuring Hip-Hop, R&B, Soca and Afro Beat.
A Stanford University study finds most students can’t discern when news is fake. The study, involving 7,804 students from middle school through college, found 82 per cent of middle-schoolers couldn’t distinguish between labelled, sponsored ad content and a real news story on the web. The study is the largest to date on how teens evaluate online information, finding many students judged the credibility of tweets based on how much detail they contained or whether a photo was attached, rather than the source.
The CRTC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work more collaboratively on cracking down on unwanted robocalls and caller ID spoofing. The organizations have committed to conducting research and sharing knowledge and expertise through training programs and staff exchanges.
The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) unveiled the list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners, who will be recognized during a gala at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Nov. 24. Among the winners are:
Manon Brouillette, President & CEO, Vidéotron – QC
Mary Deacon, Chair, Bell Mental Health Initiative, Bell – ON
Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News, Bell Media – ON
Tasha Kheiriddin, Host, Host, AM640, Corus Entertainment – ON
Lainey Lui, Co-host, The Social; Reporter, Etalk, Bell Media – ON
Sandy McIntosh, EVP, People & Culture and Chief Human Resources Officer, TELUS Communications Inc. – ON
Natalie Osborne, Chief Strategy Officer, 9 Story Media Group – ON
Shahrzad Rafati, Founder & CEO, BroadbandTV – BC
Louise St-Pierre, President & CEO, Cogeco Connexion – QC
