Canada’s Rogers Communications announced Monday that it has entered into multi-year carriage deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Starting in September, Rogers will launch NBCU’s Bravo channel on its own cable systems and streaming service Citytv+, and will also hold the Canadian distribution rights to the channel’s English-language content, which includes popular reality TV series like The Real Housewives franchise, Vanderpump Rules and Top Chef.

And starting in January 2025, Rogers will be home to WBD's suite of English-language lifestyle brands, including HGTV, Food Network and other channels. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rogers, Canada’s largest cable provider, ended the first quarter with 2.72 million pay TV subscribers — this platform alone represents a nice North American distribution bounty for WBD and Comcast-owned NBCU, both of which are dealing with vastly reduced reach in the U.S. because of cord-cutting. 

Also Read: Canada’s Rogers Licenses More Comcast Tech, Including a ‘New Device Powered by Entertainment OS’

Rogers said in a release that it “will work with Canadian distribution partners to make the content widely available,” with the ultimate goal to blend linear distribution with streaming options like its service, Citytv+.

“We’re evolving our business to reflect where consumers are going, bringing the best mix of U.S. and Canadian content to audiences in the way they want to watch it," said Colette Watson, president of Rogers Sports & Media, in a statement. “This investment also advances our position as a strong Canadian broadcaster that can compete with foreign streamers.”  

Paramount has officially launched its FAST service, Pluto TV, in Canada, bringing 110 free streaming channels to the Great White North in a partnership with Toronto-based Corus Entertainment.

In addition to 110 thematic channels -- built around series including CSI, NCIS and South Park, among many other shows -- the platform will include 20,000 hours of on-demand content.

Pluto TV Canada will also offer channels entirely in French including Dora TV FR, Tortues Ninja TV, South Park FR, Doctor Who FR, Degrassi FR, Alerte à Malibu and Les Nouveaux Détectives.

Also read: Pluto TV To (Finally) Launch in Canada This Fall

"This year has marked tremendous growth for Pluto TV, having expanded to the Nordics in May and now to Canada," said Olivier Jollet, executive VP and international GM for Pluto TV. "As we are now in more than 30 countries and territories, we are one step closer to our mission to entertain the planet."

Pluto TV is perhaps the most watched FAST service in the U.S., commanding 1% of overall domestic TV viewership, according to Nielsen.

Paramount said the Canadian launch represents the most robust foreign deployment of Pluto TV, at least in terms of programming, so far. ■

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), which was favorably reported to the full Senate for a vote this week, isn’t the only online-targeted news content bill that computer companies are worried about.

According to the Computer & Communications Association (CCIA), the Canadian House of Commons’ Heritage Committee is meeting today (Sept. 23) to discuss a bill, the “Online News Act,” which would require search engines and social-media platforms to pay content providers if they want to index or link to their news content, or even quote from it.

According to CCIA, the bill would even require social-media sites to pay if a broadcaster set up their own page on the platform, like a Facebook page, to attract subs to their content.

Also: Senate Judiciary Approves Online News Antitrust Bill

CCIA, whose members include Facebook, Google and Twitter, said that like the JCPA, which creates an antitrust exemption for broadcasters, newspapers and other news content providers to jointly negotiate payment from Big Tech, the Canadian bill would “damage” the internet ecosystem and “exacerbate” news media concentration.

They also said the Canadian bill would likely land hardest on U.S. firms such as Twitter, Google and Facebook.

“Facilitating the discovery and sharing of information has always been at the heart of the Internet, a source of vast benefits to consumers around the globe,” CCIA VP for digital trade Jonathan McHale said. “The Online News Act threatens that core function, however, by creating a government-mandated paywall for the spreading of quotes, headlines, and even links.

“Internet platforms have a strong record of working with news outlets to develop innovative and mutually beneficial products to promote their digital offerings,” McHale added. “Targeting a select few U.S. firms, however, to force payments to Canadian news businesses, would not only constitute an unwarranted and discriminatory subsidy, but worsen competition in the media market by entrenching Canadian media conglomerates.” ■

Already deployed in 30 countries across Europe and Latin America, Pluto TV is coming to Canada this fall. 

Paramount Global said it is partnering with Toronto-based media company Corus Entertainment to launch its ad-supported streaming service in the Great White North this fall. 

Corus will oversee advertising sales for what the principals say will be Canada’s largest free ad-supported TV (FAST) offering, with more than 100 channels and 20,000 hours of available content. 

Paramount said Pluto TV, which it acquired for $340 million three years ago, is up to 68 million monthly active users. For whatever that's worth!

Paramount Global announced Pluto TV's launch in the Nordics just three weeks ago. 

“Following Pluto TV’s recent launch in the Nordics and the partnership we implemented with Viaplay, which served as the strategic framework for this deal, the upcoming launch in Canada will combine Corus’s incredible local content offering with Pluto TV’s global content and world-class platform, positioning Pluto TV to become the leading free ad-supported streaming TV service in the country upon launch in the fall,” said Olivier Jollet, executive VP and international general manager of Pluto TV. ■

As Roku's market capitalization has steadily dipped to less than a sixth of where it stood in July, skittish equity analysts have proliferated the notion that Roku can't transition its nearly 40% share of the U.S. streaming platform market to similar dominance abroad. 

In our humble opinion, Wall Street's "over-correction," if we may call it such, is a somewhat ridiculous take on a diversified media-technology company with tangible growth prospects in a number of diversified areas.

Also read: Roku Torpedoed by Yet Another Equity Analyst, Says Streaming Company Is Done Growing in the U.S.

But perhaps just as amusing has been Roku's communications response to this international narrative. On Thursday, two months after declaring streaming supremacy in Mexico, Roku put out a press release stating its Canadian hegemony. 

Roku already stated that it was tops in Canadian smart TV OS a year ago, but this time its declaring No. 1 status in overall platform connectivity. 

As it did for Mexico, Roku is citing survey data from its own market research company, Hypothesis Group, which also counts Netflix, Google, Disney, HBO and other big media and tech brands on its client roster. 

Roku also cited an NRG survey of over 950 adult Canadians on their streaming habits last summer. 

"We are proud to lead the Canadian TV streaming market. The Roku brand is growing in Canada with introductions to new streaming devices, original content, and new Canadian entertainment with partners like CBC, Global News, and Crave,” said Arthur van Rest, VP International at Roku. “Providing simplicity, entertainment, and value is clearly resonating with Canadian consumers, who are choosing our platform to stream TV.”

Sure, Mexico and Canada count as "international" territories. But for their part, equity analysts seem to be pointing to further flung regions, such as the European market, while rendering criticism that Roku won't be able to surpass competition from Amazon and Google for platform supremacy. 

But you've got to start somewhere, so No. 1 in North America it is. 

“O, Canada” has taken on a frustrated tone in the U.S. among foes of digital services taxes (DSTs), which include big computer companies.

The Northern neighbor has ruffled some Bald Eagle feathers in Washington with the decision to invite comment on its proposal to impose a DST on online business within its borders.

Those are taxes on the in-country digital revenues of large foreign-based companies, including U.S.-headquartered giants and their revenue from search (Google), social media (Facebook) and online marketplaces (Amazon).

It was not clear whether the tax would include streamers, or as Canada had previously pondered, carving out video content providers and instead taxing their subscribers, which drew some in-country pushback.

Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), co-chairs of the Digital Trade Caucus, issued a statement Friday expressing their unhappiness with the tax proposal, which Canada billed as part of a needed response to the economic hit of the COVID-19 pandemic, though it would not go into effect until 2024 but would apply retroactively.

“We are concerned with Canada’s decision to move forward with a unilateral DST,” they said. “If enacted, this tax would erode confidence in the October OECD/G20 agreement reached by the United States, Canada and more than 130 other countries. This agreement was designed to address global taxation issues and end the worldwide proliferation of DSTs, which disproportionately hurt American businesses and their workers. Although Canada’s proposed DST would not go into effect until 2024, it would apply retroactively to all earnings starting Jan. 1, 2022, putting at risk the long-term stability of the global tax agreement and creating immediate, significant tax complexities for American companies."

CTV reported that the proposed tax would only go into effect if the OECD/G20 agreement had not been implemented by 2024.

The EU had been planning a digital tax, but held off given the ongoing OECD talks that resulted in that agreement. That digital tax was also part of a larger EU plan to fund recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and with the justification that tax rates for digital companies are lower than for those in traditional businesses.

In the OECD/G20 agreement, the countries agreed to withdraw existing DSTs and not impose any new ones — Canada had been teeing up a DST for launch in January 2022. The agreement gave countries that imposed digital taxes more time to withdraw then, but however much digital tax is collected from companies in the interim will count toward the 15% minimum corporate tax they had also agreed to.

“Canada’s determination to pursue a unilateral, retroactive DST immediately following the OECD’s much-heralded final agreement threatens years of work by the U.S. government,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association warned back in November. 

“We encourage Canada to reconsider the new digital tax, which targets specific U.S. companies and undermines the immense efforts by international partners to deliver a long-term solution to global tax reform,” CCIA president Matt Schruers said. “It is particularly inappropriate that Canada would proceed with its own digital taxes, breaking with the global tax agreement reached just months ago. Imposing discriminatory taxes on each others’ exporters are not how close allies and trading partners act.”

“Canada’s advancement of a digital services tax undermines the ongoing OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework negotiations to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the global economy, particularly in light of the moratorium on the imposition of newly enacted measures,” said Megan Funkhouser, director of tax, policy, and trade for ITI, the global tech association. “We strongly encourage Canada to demonstrate its commitment to the multilateral negotiations by withdrawing its unilateral tax proposal and continuing its engagement to develop a consensus-based solution to bring much-needed certainty to businesses and stability to the international tax system.”

President Joe Biden has signaled his intention to nominate David Cohen, senior advisor to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, to be ambassador to Canada.

Cohen is former senior executive VP of Comcast, where he oversaw corporate, legal, government and regulatory affairs, as well as corporate real estate and security. He was also Comcast's first chief diversity officer.

Cohen is also a longtime Democratic donor and fund-raiser, including for Biden.

Also Read: Cohen Champions Right to Peaceful Protest

In an earlier incarnation, Cohen was chief of staff to Philadelphia Democratic mayor Ed Rendell.

Shaw Communications stock began to slip March 18, down nearly 2% in midday trading, as reports began to mount that the Canadian telecom company’s planned $20 billion merger with Rogers Communications could get some regulatory pushback. 

Rogers said March 15 that it had agreed to purchase Shaw in a cash and assumed debt deal worth about $20 billion. The transaction, which valued Shaw shares at C$40.50 ($32.55), was approved by both companies’ boards of directors and was expected to be completed in the first half of 2022. 

Shaw’s stock immediately rose after news broke -- it went as high as $28.05 on March 15, a 46.5% increase from its March 12 close -- but the stock was still far off from Rogers’ offering price. That the stock peaked at $28.17 per share on March 16 (13% below the offering price), and that gap continues to widen -- Shaw stock traded as low as $27.54 per share on March 18 before closing at $27.55, down 1.7% -- has caused some analysts to wonder whether the deal will face some harsh scrutiny. 

Also Read: Altice USA to Buy Morris Broadband for $310 Million

The deal will be reviewed by three Canadian regulatory agencies -- the independent Competition Bureau of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. According to reports throughout the Canadian press, the main issue appears to be the removal of a fourth wireless carrier -- a sticking point with Canadian regulators -- and even Rogers’ promises to keep prices level for Shaw’s Freedom Mobile plan for three years and boost deployment of 5G may not be enough.

Rogers has pledged to invest C$2.5 billion ($2 billion) in 5G networks across Western Canada, creating up to 3,000 new jobs. In addition, Rogers promised to create a  C$1 billion ($800 million) fund dedicated to connecting rural, remote and Indigenous communities to high-speed internet across the four Western provinces and spend another C$3 billion ($2.4 billion) to support additional network, services and technology investments 

While the regulatory agencies have pledged to scrutinize the deal, some Canadian politicians have expressed doubt about the benefits of the merger.

“Big telecom companies are gouging Canadians and continuing to make massive profits in a time where most families are struggling to get by. A merger between two of Canada’s biggest providers will just make it worse,” New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement after the deal was announced.  

On the conservative side, MP Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Jobs and Industry, called for hearings into the proposed deal. 

“Some argue the Rogers-Shaw deal means more investment, others that it means less competition,” Poilievre said in a statement. “The only way to know for sure [is] through careful and intense debate. Conservatives want the Industry Committee to hear from customers, workers, business leaders, engineers, economists and other experts to get a complete understanding of the proposed deal.”

Poilievre added that the deal, which would create a C$50 billion telecom powerhouse with C$20 billion in annual revenue, 33,000 employees and about 13 million wireless customers, would be important in any era, but is especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many Canadians to work from home. 

“If some communities cannot get fast, affordable connections, their people will be left behind.” he continued. “Conversely, fast, affordable wireless combined with remote work could revive struggling rural, remote and indigenous economies like we have not seen since the urbanization phenomenon began. For it to happen, we can no longer accept poor internet at high prices.”   

Canadians pay some of the highest cell phone bills in the world. According to a report by Finnish telecom research company Rewheel, the Big Three Canadian wireless service providers -- Bell, Telus and Rogers -- had the least competitive rates globally. Other reports have compared Canadian wireless rates between 15% and 40% higher than in the U.S. 

It has become such an issue that reducing Canadian wireless bills was a key part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2019 reelection platform. In March, Trudeau made good on that promise, requiring telecom operators in the country to reduce their charges by 25% over the next two years.

Shares of Shaw Communications rose more than 40% on the Toronto Stock Exchange Monday in the wake of its $20 billion purchase by Rogers Communications, but the stock price was still well below Rogers’ offer as questions persist around the deal’s potential impact on wireless competition in Canada. 

Shaw shares closed at C$33.85 each on the Toronto Exchange March 15, up 41% or C$9.95 each while Rogers stock rose 3.4% (C$2.02 each) to C$61.57 per share. Both stocks are also traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and saw similar gains. Shaw was up 41% ($7.93) to $27.10 per share on the NYSE, while Rogers increased 3.5% ($1.69) to $49.42 each.     

Rogers agreed to purchase Shaw for C$40.50 ($32.40) per share (about $16 billion in total) in cash, a 70% premium to its March 12 close, and the assumption of C$6 billion ($4.8 billion) in debt. The $20 billion deal would create a wireless communications powerhouse with about 13 million customers in Canada.

Both companies also own cable TV operations, but most reports point to possible regulatory concerns on the wireless side of the business. Rogers already is the largest wireless service provider in Canada with about 10.9 million subscribers. Shaw is the fourth largest -- behind BCE and Telus Communications -- with about 2 million wireless customers.  

The Canadian government has been sensitive to competitive issues in the wireless market. Last March Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government ordered the three largest wireless service providers to slash prices in their middle range plans by 25% within two years or face regulatory action. 

As part of the Shaw deal, Rogers pledged not to raise prices for Shaw’s mid-range Freedom Mobile plan for three years after the deal closes. It also said it would invest about C$2.5 billion over five years to speed up construction and deployment of 5G networks.   

On a conference call with analysts to discuss the transaction, Rogers CEO Joseph Natale said it was “too early” to determine whether there would be regulatory issues, but that he was confident the deal would win approval.

The transaction will be examined by at least three Canadian government agencies -- the independent Competition Bureau of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

“We have been clear that greater affordability, competition and innovation in Canadian telecommunications are as important to us as a government as they are to Canadians concerned about their cell phone bills,” ISED minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement.  “These goals will be front and centre in analyzing the implications of today’s news. This transaction will be reviewed by the independent Competition Bureau of Canada, the CRTC, as well as ISED and we won’t presuppose the outcomes of these processes.”

In a blog post, Morningstar Research wrote that while there may be reasons regulators would want to nix the deal, it didn't see a strong reason to block it. 

“Most importantly, the companies are not major competitors -- 80% of Shaw’s revenue and 90% of its EBITDA come from its wireline business, which has essentially no overlap with that of Rogers,” Morningstar wrote. “In wireless, we estimate Shaw has only 4%-5% national market share, leaving it a minor player based on that metric.”

But the deal would remove the fourth largest player from the Canadian wireless market, which could cause some regulators concerns. 

“Regulatory actions and rules of spectrum auctions indicate regulators prefer four national wireless competitors, and Shaw has made major strides in recent years to position itself as the fourth,” Morningstar wrote. “Although Shaw’s wireless business remains relatively tiny, it has shaken up the industry. Most notably, we think it is responsible for moving each of the major companies to offer unlimited data plans and keep pricing down with its consumer-friendly and innovative deals.” 

That dilemma could be solved in any number of ways, including requiring the company to divest of some assets, similar to what the Competition Bureau required BCE to do when it bought Manitoba Telecom Services in 2017. 

Rogers Communications said it has agreed to merge with telecom rival Shaw Communications in a $20 billion deal that will bring together the two largest cable operators in the country and create a Canadian wireless powerhouse. The deal, which was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, is expected to close in the first half of 2022, pending regulatory approvals. 

Rogers and Shaw have been mostly friendly competitors over the years, swapping assets occasionally as Rogers concentrated on Ontario and Shaw focused on the Western provinces. Both companies are relatively similar as wireline service providers, as Shaw has about 5.2 million wireline revenue generating units (RGUs) and Rogers about 5.1 million. Their main difference has been on the wireless front. Rogers is the largest Canadian wireless company with 10.9 million customers, while Shaw is No. 4 with 2 million customers.

According to the transaction, Rogers will pay Shaw shareholders about C$40.50 ($32.40) per share in cash, a 70% premium to its Friday close, and assume about C$6 billion ($4.8 billion) in Shaw debt. The Shaw family will receive 23.6 million shares of Rogers stock in the transaction, making them one of the largest shareholders of the combined company.    

In a press release, both companies pointed to the wireless opportunities the merger would bring, mainly allowing Rogers, already with the largest 5G network in Canada, to expand that technology throughout the country. Once the transaction is complete, the new Rogers plans to invest C$2.5 billion ($2 billion) in 5G networks across Western Canada, creating up to 3,000 new jobs. In addition, Rogers pledged to create a  C$1 billion ($800 million) fund dedicated to connecting rural, remote and Indigenous communities to high-speed Internet across the four Western provinces and spend another C$3 billion ($2.4 billion) to support additional network, services and technology investments    

“Western Canada is a major driver of our national economy and together we will have the scale, expertise and commitment to deliver the technology infrastructure needed to keep local communities connected, businesses competitive and attract new investment,” Rogers CEO Joe Natale said. “We’re at a critical inflection point where generational investments are needed to make Canada-wide 5G a reality. 5G is about nation-building; it’s vital to boosting productivity and will help close the connectivity gap faster in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.” 

Rogers has been on the lookout to grow through acquisition for months. In September it teamed up with U.S. cable company Altice USA in a $7.8 billion bid to purchase Cogeco Communications: Altice would have assumed Cogeco’s U.S. cable operations. That bid was rejected by Cogeco’s controlling shareholder, the Audet family. 

“Today’s announcement brings two iconic Canadian family-founded businesses together with the expertise, combined assets, and scale to deliver the next generation of telecommunications to Canadian consumers and businesses. This is a transformational combination; and extends our company’s long legacy of innovation, entrepreneurship, and dedication to world-class service for decades to come,” Rogers Communications chairman Edward Rogers said in a press release.  

While Shaw has managed to hold its own -- it added 101,000 wireless customers in its fiscal first quarter ended Nov. 30 --  in April, the company laid off about 1,000 workers, mostly in its retail and sales operations. Its founder, executive chairman and former CEO JR Shaw died in March 2020. 

“Our two companies have been successful because of the foresight and vision of two great founders who were driven by their unrelenting pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial values,” Shaw Communications executive chairman and CEO Brad Shaw said in a press release. “Without a doubt, my father would be proud of this moment, combining forces with the company founded by his old friend to deliver more Canadians world class connectivity, more choice, and better value. While unlocking tremendous shareholder value, combining these two great companies also creates a truly national provider with the capacity to invest greater resources expeditiously to build the wireline and wireless networks that all Canadians need for the long term. This transaction will create benefits for generations to come.”

Standard Media Index said it appointed Darrick Li as VP, sales and client services in Canada, where the ad spending intelligence service recently started doing business in April.

Li, who had been senior director of sales for Comscore, is the second senior executive SMI has hired in Canada, following Jason Keown, who was named VP, marketing, for North America.

“The Canadian media market has been stifled with a major lack of transparency around advertising expenditure. This hire is extremely important for SMI to build and grow our client base and use of data within the market,” said James Fennessy. CEO at Standard Media Index. “Darrick’s vast experience and solid relationships in the Canadian media space will give us the expertise we need to sufficiently tap into and grow our footprint, while providing the much needed data to help the industry forge ahead.”

“The information that SMI provides its clients is a gamechanger for the Canadian media space.  Agencies can better understand their advertising efforts and how they benchmark against the Canadian pool, while broadcasters and publishers will be able to find efficiencies and opportunities in their sales and strategic efforts,” said Li. “I’m looking forward to leveraging my established relationships and working with the team to grow SMI’s presence within Canada.”

The House has voted to approve the compromise USMCA trade bill.  

It now goes to the Senate for ratification.  

Related: ITI Tells Hill That USMCA Is Key Vote 

The bill includes first-of-its-kind, cutting-edge digital trade provisions," according to tech group ITI. Those include promoting cross-border data flows, allowing data storage "where it makes most sense," preventing tariffs and tech taxes, protecting source code and algorithms by disallowing divulging those as a condition of doing business, and creating consistent testing and certification of tech goods.  

Related: Sec. 230 Language Remains in USMCA 

“The North American Free Trade Agreement received a welcomed update in the form of USMCA, bringing the agreement into the digital age with strong rules that are critical to the continued growth of the Internet economy," said CCIA president Ed Black. "We applaud House Leadership for working with the Administration to get a deal, and the House of Representatives for their votes today. We encourage the Senate to move quickly in the new year on USMCA.” 

"We applaud the House’s swift vote today on USMCA—the new NAFTA," said Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro. "The Senate now needs to do its part—carry this critical free trade agreement across the finish line and vote on final passage. 

"In addition to facilitating trade with our neighboring countries, the new NAFTA’s digital trade provisions – importantly intermediary liability protections, forced data localization prohibitions and balanced copyright provisions – are especially critical for small businesses. They will provide a solid platform for expanding trade and investment around the innovative technology products America is known for." 

"The USMCA reflects the importance of data, technology, and innovation to the North American economy,” said ITI president Jason Oxman.

Tech companies are telling their representatives that voting for the compromise U.S.-Mexico-Canada [trade] Agreement (USMCA) is a "key vote."  

That came in a letter from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), with copies to all House members. 

Related: Sec. 230 Language Remains in USMCA 

The association scores items that are must yes votes in terms of the interests of its tech constituency. 

ITI cites "first-of-its-kind, cutting-edge digital trade provisions." Those include promoting cross-border data flows, allowing data storage "where it makes most sense," preventing tariffs and tech taxes, protecting source code and algorithms by disallowing divulging those as a condition of doing business, and creating consistent testing and certification of tech goods. 

"[W]e urge you and your colleagues to support the implementing legislation for the agreement when it comes to the House floor," wrote ITT President Jason Oxman. "American companies of all sizes and across all industries leverage technology, and can expect to benefit from the USMCA’s digital trade and other tech-focused provisions." 

ITI members include Amazon, Apple, eBay, Google, Twitter and Microsoft. 

Lionsgate has hired Susan Hummel, who will be responsible for establishing the company’s first distribution office in Toronto and head the company’s Canadian distribution operations.

Hummel, named executive vice president and managing director for Lionsgate’s Anchor Bay in Canada, had been senior VP for distribution and sales for FremantleMedia International. She headed FremantleMedia's first distribution office in Canada and managed key deals for such shows as America’s Got Talent, Match Game, Deutschland ‘83 and Family Feud, which is co-produced by Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury.

“Susan is an experienced and entrepreneurial distribution executive with deep knowledge of the Canadian television landscape who launched MGM and FremantleMedia’s offices in the territory,” Lionsgate president of worldwide television & digital distribution Jim Packer said in a release. “She is the perfect executive to lead the charge at our new office as we continue to maximize licensing opportunities for our expanding Lionsgate and Starz film and television portfolio as well as expand our unscripted television presence in this key territory.”

Before FremantleMedia, Hummel worked at MGM, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Twentieth Century Fox Studios.

Ride TV said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) determined that the equestrian-focused programmer will be added to the list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution in Canada. The channel said it will be "the first network of its kind in Canada" and will be available to subscribers across the country.

“This is groundbreaking for Ride TV and it proves that the popularity of horses transcends the globe. Canada is a vibrant horse market, and we look forward to making Ride TV available to subscribers on every cable, satellite or IPTV platform in the country,” Michael Trujillo, the network's SVP of international distribution, said in a release. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsor TELUS for their extraordinary vision in recognizing the need for a unique, entertaining and compelling network like Ride TV in Canada.”

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Ride TV carries original programming, such as the musical profile series Unbridled Song, plus live equestrian sports.

Following a similar initiative that’s underway in the U.S., a group of Canadian  MVPDs and some of their key suppliers have inked a voluntary agreement that aims to improve the energy efficiency of set-top boxes.

The Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement (CEEVA) aims to reduce total annual energy consumption and avoid more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to more than 44,000 sub-compact new vehicles driving 15,000 kilometers per year.

On board with the voluntary program as signatories are Bell, Cogeco Communications, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, and Vidéotron, MVPDs that serve more than 88% of Canada’s pay TV market, along with two set-top makers – Arris and EchoStar Technologies.

Under the program, at least 90% of all new set-tops purchased starting this year are expected to meet the agreement’s energy efficiency standards, while also factoring in complementary measures such as the Energy Star program. That, they estimate, will reduce the total annual energy output of Canadian STBs from 3.4 terawatt hours in 2016 to 2.7 TWh in 2021.

They’ll keep track of the results via annual reporting and audit mechanisms.

Several other organizations and companies are also extending their support, including Natural Resources Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, Quebec’s Ministère de l'Énergie et des Ressources naturelles, Manitoba’s Department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade, BC Hydro, Independent Electricity System Operator, Manitoba Hydro, SaskPower, and Hydro Québec, the Consumer Technology Association, CableLabs and CSA Group.

Several U.S. MVPDs forged a similar voluntary energy-saving agreement for set-tops in late 2012 and a cross-industry group announced the standards to be applied the following year. That was later followed by an agreement focused on routers, modems and other broadband equipment.

Premium network Showtime is headed to the Great White North.

Under a new a long-term content licensing and trademark agreement between network parent CBS Corp. and Canada's Bell Media, the pay TV service's brand will appear over blocks of content available outside the United States.

The agreement is an expansion for Showtime programming in Canada, building on a previous CBS/Bell Media agreement that licensed current Showtime series on pay TV in the country. Over the course of the new agreement, Bell Media platforms CraveTV, a streaming service, and The Movie Network will become the exclusive sources of Showtime-owned first-run programming as well as most its catalog of scripted and unscripted series, documentaries and specials.

For Showtime, the deal underscores the success it has had building a premium brand in the United States, including a sequence of hit shows under Showtime Networks Inc. president David Nevins. That has made Showtime more of a year-round destination than a place viewers would turn to when Dexter or Weeds were making their runs.

Showtime also owns outright nine of its series and has an ownership interest in two more. That gives the premium cabler a clear path to licensing rights and sales internationally, as well as to streaming partners domestically. In the current crop of shows are such names as two-time Golden Globe Best Drama winner Homeland and this year's winner in that category, The Affair.

Bell Media president Kevin Crull said in a release: “Showtime has clearly become one of TV’s preeminent brands, and its slate of world-class and award-winning scripted and unscripted series, documentaries and specials guarantee our subscribers more of the premium TV they want on the platform of their choice.”

Under the Bell Media agreement, streaming service CraveTV will launch a "Showtime Collection" featuring the network's series, specials and documentaries, including at launch the immediate past seasons of current hits The Affair, Ray Donovan and Penny Dreadful, as well as originals Masters of Sex, Nurse Jackie, Weeds and more. All total, CraveTV will have rights to about 600 assets, the network said.

Additionally, a Showtime-branded programming block will launch later this year on Bell's TMN, a pay TV network. The programming will be available in English and French.

“This is a great moment in the history of Showtime, when for the first time our award-winning programming will be distributed and aggressively marketed as one brand beyond the United States,” Nevins said in the release. “This ground-breaking new deal was driven by the depth and breadth of our critically acclaimed original series. Bell Media, with their incredible range of platforms, is uniquely positioned to present Showtime to Canadian audiences in whatever form they choose to watch us.”

It’s hard to think of Rogers Communications or the Canadian cable and telecom business without Phil Lind.

The company’s vice chairman and executive vice president of regulatory joined Ted Rogers 45 years ago, when Rogers’s little company had just north of 10,000 cable customers and a pair of radio stations.

In fact, it’s very hard to think of Rogers Communications ever being that small, since it has grown into a wireless, cable, telecom, broadband and media behemoth in Canada with about 29,000 employees, 9.5 million wireless customers, 2 million cable customers, 2 million broadband customers, 1.1 million wireline phone customers, 24 TV stations, 50 radio stations and more than 50 magazine titles.

DEALMAKER, TOO

Having been Ted Rogers’s copilot for four decades until the founder’s death in 2008, then continuing to lead the government relations and regulatory group since (not to mention being the eminence grise for the whole company, brokering deals, too), Lind has decided the time is now ripe to step aside. The 2012 Cable Hall of Fame inductee announced earlier this year he will give up his operational roles at the end of 2014, then working certain special projects for about three more years. He’s retaining his seat on the RCI board as well, where he is vice chairman. He’s retiring — but not leaving.

Lind joined Rogers in 1969, the same year Ted’s son Edward Rogers was born. Edward, now a Rogers board member himself and head of the Rogers family trust, which owns control of the corporation, joked before the company’s annual general meeting earlier this year he never was sure which debut was most important to his father that year — his or Lind’s.

“I began my career at Rogers 45 years ago, just after the 1968 Broadcasting Act was enacted and this commission was created,” Lind told Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission chairman Jean-Pierre Blais at the company’s appearance during September’s TV Policy Review hearing. “Since that time, Mr. Chairman, I have had the pleasure of appearing before you and all your predecessors. I reckon that I have represented Rogers at more than 100 broadcasting hearings over the past four and a half decades.”

That’s right, Lind has appeared before every single CRTC chairman there has ever been.

There are very few people left in the business with that kind of history and institutional knowledge, or who engender the amount of love and respect which the 72-year-old Lind does. “Phil has had a passion and a love for the company that goes far beyond the average employee’s commitment to their job,” Edward Rogers said. “I’d say he shared my father’s enthusiasm for the business like few others did. You could see that kind of excitement over the years.”

Shaw Communications founder JR Shaw said: “He’s always been a good friend to everyone in this industry. He’d always reach back and help us all, because Rogers was a front-runner.”

SAW U.S. ACTION

According to those who knew Lind best and have worked with him over the decades, it was loyalty, tenacity and people skills that led to his extraordinary business successes, on both sides of the border.

While those under the age of 45 or so might not recall, Rogers Cable was once a big deal in the States and Lind was one of the premier generals in the U.S. cable wars of the 1980s, when companies went from town to town trying to win cable franchises from local town councils. The company once famously promised to plant 10,000 trees in Portland, Ore., as part of its bid to win the franchise there.

With his “Road Warriors,” the group of executives and lawyers Lind put together to identify and claim territories (yes, there were Tshirts), Lind built up a sizable U.S. cable operation in places like Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; Orange County, Calif.; and San Antonio for Rogers in the ’80s. “It was a gold rush,” Lee Sheehy, a longtime Lind friend and one of the Minneapolis lawyers who worked on many of the Rogers franchise bids, said. Many companies devoted serious resources and various tactics to win market after market.

“It was the Wild West,” said Colin Watson, Rogers Cable’s president at the time. “There were cases of people being caught with their hands in pockets … there were some that got caught and sent to jail, as I recall, for it. Everyone wanted the same franchises, and the bidding wars were extreme. The typical M.O. was to go in and get local investors, so you had a very local face to offset the Canadian aspect of the company. That formula worked very well for us.” And for a time, Rogers was a serious American cable player.

‘THANK YOU, CANADA’

“The stories are legend about Phil’s ability to create relationships and to bring insights,” added Sheehy. It was never easy to be the Canadian, the outsider, asking local American town councils to grant a cable franchise, so Rogers was often looking for an edge. While the company was bidding for Minneapolis, the American public was consumed by the U.S.-Iranian hostage crisis, and when Canadian diplomats helped smuggle six Americans out of the country, Lind had the idea to buy a full page ad in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune which proclaimed loudly “Thank You Canada,” but kept the ad’s buyers a secret.

“Phil had the political sophistication to try and listen to what the local communities wanted. Again, I think he brought an ear that some U.S. companies didn’t, who relied more on bravado,” Sheehy continued. “Phil had a subtlety and a little bit of the Canadian ability to listen to what the customer wanted and be responsive was my experience representing the company … Somewhere along the way, I said, ‘Phil, you should be the Canadian ambassador to the United States.’”

But in the late 1980s, Ted Rogers the visionary began telling people the future of communications was in cellular phones. However, taking that road wouldn’t be cheap and in order to fund wireless in Canada, Rogers made the decision to sell the U.S. cable clusters — very much to Lind’s chagrin.

Lind still tells anyone who asks that the cable-franchise wars were the most fun he ever had in business and it “broke his heart” to have to sell the American operations, said Missy Goerner, one of those Road Warriors who began working for Rogers when it purchased the San Antonio cable system she worked for in 1981 from UA-Columbia Cablevision.

According to contemporary reports in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, respectively, Rogers sold systems in Texas, California, Minnesota and Oregon, with a total of about 525,000 subscribers, to Paragon Cable for $1.3 billion in 1989. It then sold Maclean-Hunter cable operations with 550,000 customers in New Jersey, Michigan and Florida to Comcast in 1994 for $1.27 billion.

“But the quality of the man is — and how he was always — it was always Rogers company first, not his own personal feelings,” Goerner added. Lind worked hard to get the best deal possible for the company — a deal which very nearly fell apart thanks to a single clause in the franchise agreement with San Antonio.

Rogers had a deal to sell U.S. systems to a company which would become Paragon Cable. “They were kind of new in the cable business … so we got the top-of-the-market price, at that point,” she said. It was a multibillion- dollar deal — more than enough to help fund a telecom launch in Canada.

But there was a snag. San Antonio’s franchise agreement said that whatever the fairmarket value was of the system, the city had the option to buy it for 5% less. Rogers didn’t believe San Antonio would exercise the clause, but Lou Fox, the city manager at the time, convinced council to do it. “They could’ve cratered the entire U.S. sale,” Goerner said.

No amount of convincing and negotiation between the city and Rogers would work. And when Fox went on the radio to say he had Rogers “by the balls,” Ted Rogers was beside himself with anger. The deal looked scuttled because, seeing the battle in San Antonio, many of the other cities stopped negotiating their sales, too.

Lind was able to calm his boss down (another skill he was renowned for within Rogers) and Goerner managed to finagle one last meeting between he and Lind mere weeks before the Paragon deal was to expire.

“I said, look, give Phil one more chance to talk about this. He said, I’m going to a city manager’s meeting tomorrow in Charleston, South Carolina. He said if he wants to come talk to me, he’ll be there,” Goerner said.

‘OK, SIGN THE NAPKIN’

“Just he and Lou sat down for hours, until Phil took out a napkin, put it in front of Lou, and asked him to write down what number he had to get from Rogers in order to be willing to move forward on the transfer. Lou Fox took his pen out, and he wrote $10 million, which is what they figured it was worth to the city if they were to buy the system, and then flip it.

“Phil said ‘OK, sign the napkin.’ He signed it, Phil signed it and that napkin was what Lou took back with him to the city council — truly a napkin. He went back to the city council, and the city council approved the deal,” Goerner recalled.

The Road Warriors then fanned out across the U.S. in order to finish the rest of the franchise transfers and save Rogers’s American exit.

Lind would clearly relish playing in the U.S. cable sandbox, still. “I’d love to be in the Comcast war room right now,” he said in an interview. “There’s thousands of touch points and you have to imagine that taking care of a lot of them … I’m actually quite envious.”

At Rogers, Lind is also known as a champion of the media side of the business: he and Watson used to appear regularly — and live — on Rogers Cable 10 community access channel in the 1980s and ’90s to answer customer questions. What has become Rogers Sportsnet was his idea, he was the force behind CPAC (Canada’s C-SPAN) and he helped pioneer multicultural programming through the OMNI-TV brand.

But there’s one other important way Lind has moved those who have had the good fortune to work with him. On Canada Day in 1998, Lind suffered a significant stroke which very nearly claimed his life. He had to learn to speak, read and walk again at 56.

His fellow executives visited daily, helping with rehab, reading newspapers and keeping him informed about the business. Lind taught himself to write with his left hand and returned to work just over year later.

Lind did not slow down once he recovered. He continued to travel, do deals, lobby politicians, lead Rogers’ efforts in front of the CRTC, collect art, see his beloved Cleveland Browns (he has season tickets and was a close friend of the late Browns and Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell) and turn up at industry events. He was even front and center on a general-session panel at this past Cable Show in Los Angeles.

While he doesn’t like talking about himself too much, he admits he set himself a goal of five more years at Rogers after his stroke, something he thought would be a stretch. It’s been 16.

The most Lind will say about his physical limitations is “it’s been a struggle sometimes” — and thankfully note

how the iPhone, something he can operate with one hand, has so dramatically improved his life. “It’s fantastic,” he has often said of the device.

“He was at a point of his life where financially, he didn’t need to come back to work,” said Edward Rogers. “But he never hesitated in coming back and was a real example for many of us — meeting the challenges that life throws at you and continuing the work that you do. I think he was an inspiration for folks around here.”

The draw for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup will unfold in Ottawa this Saturday and the U.S. rights-holders to the tourney will provide extensive coverage of the group selections.

Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo and its cable cousin mun 2 will simulcast the draw on Dec. 6 at noon (ET), while Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 are also in the game. Distaff futbol fans can also keep abreast of the picks on Deportes Telemundo En Vivo Extra App and via the authenticated Fox Sports GO platform.

During the ceremony at the Canadian Museum of History, the 24 teams will be selected into six groups of four sides. Host nation Canada, the U.S., FIFA's top-ranked team, No. 2 Germany and defending champion Japan, which currently holds down the third position, are expected to head four of the groupings.

In addition to Canada and the U.S., CONCACAF has two other representatives: Mexico and Costa Rica, while South America’s CONMEBOL has Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador. Europe has seven other sides besides the Germans: Norway, Sweden, England, France, Switzerland, Spain and Holland. Africa has three entries, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, while Australia and New Zealand emerged from Oceania.  Japan, along with China, Korea Republic and Thailand, comprise the Asian contingent.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will play out across six host cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton, kicking off Saturday, June 6 and ending with the championship match on July 5. 

Telemundo’s coverage will be led by legendary sportscaster Andrés Cantor, in concert with Jessi Losada, three-time top Mexican scorer Carlos Hermosillo, and former Chivas de Guadalajara player Manuel Sol. Veteran commentator Sammy Sadovnik and Ritmo Deportivo host Leti Coo will report from Canada.

Deportes Telemundo’s coverage will include profiles on top women’s players from around the globe, as well as interviews with Hispanic players and coaches from some of the leading Latin American teams, including Leonardo Cuéllar, a recent inductee into the World Soccer Hall of Fame, and the coach, with his son, of the Mexican national women’s team.  

Rob Stone is the face on the Fox flank from Los Angeles, anchoring FS1’s hour-long show, which will mark the first time since the tourney was held Stateside in 1999 that the women’s draw will be televised in this nation in English.

Sky Sports correspondent Kate Abdo will be on the scene north of the border, where she will work with three-time Olympic gold medalist and retired U.S. team defender Heather Mitts; Ariane Hingst, a two-time World Cup champ with Germany; Kelly Smith, England’s all time national team goal-scorer; and Tony DiCicco, the head coach of the 1999 U.S. World Cup champions.   

Fox Sports soccer insider and Sports Illustrated senior columnist Grant Wahl will provide analysis and get the post-draw reaction from current U.S. head coach Jill Ellis in Canada.

Vivid Entertainment is looking to gain a linear lay of the land on The Continent next month.

The adult film company said it will launch VividTV Europe on Nov. 1, supplementing its traditional erotic fare with the highest-quality European content available.

News of the European service comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of a Vivid partnership with adult broadcaster Sex-Shop Television Inc. north of the border, where it will rebrand its Vanessa TV to VividTV Canada on Oct. 28.

Led by Tony Cochi, executive vice president worldwide distribution of VividTV, and Stephen Walter, senior vice president of business development for Canada and Europe, the new linear channel, will be available on Astra 1L 19.2° East as well as via fiber, and will complement Vivid’s extant European video on-demand distribution.  

Bill Asher, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment, said distribution deals with several major European operators will be announced shortly.

VividTV launched its 24/7 linear channel in 2013 and the company said the network quickly became the top-performing adult service in over 70 million homes across North and South America.  Vivid extended its U.S. service to Europe in April of this year. 

“In order for any channel to truly be successful it must have a local flavor and appeal to the constituency of the territory,” Asher said. “VividTV Europe is designed specifically for the European market. The channel will deliver the most popular content in Europe, both through acquisitions as well as programming from Vivid Entertainment, owner of the largest single adult studio archive.”

The porn purveyor said European viewers will see exclusive, never-before-seen footage from the Vivid Celeb line, which includes sexually explicit videos starring Kim Kardashian, Tila Tequila, Pamela Anderson, Kendra Wilkinson, Montana Fishburne, among others, plus pop icon superhero parodies, award-winning series like Brand New Faces and 100% Real Swingers and genre features.

As the Canadian government readies hearings next week that could substantially reduce roaming rates for cellular telephone service, Montreal-based cable operator Cogeco Cable – which also has interests in the U.S. cable market – is contemplating creating its own wireless service for its customers.

Cogeco Cable already offers TV, Internet and landline phone service in Quebec and Ontario. In 2012, Cogeco purchased U.S. cable operator Atlantic Broadband in a deal worth about $1.36 billion.

In a statement, Cogeco said it would consider offering its own wireless service if the Canadian government manages to cut prices wireless networks charge to lease their lines. CEO Louis Audet has proposed creating a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) which would buy network airtime from carriers and resell it to customers.

“Given the high concentration in the Canadian mobile wireless market, Cogeco strongly believes that regulatory measures fostering the entry of MVNOs in addition to other measures will increase competition in the market and enhance consumer choice,”Audet said in a statement. “A regulated MVNO option would definitely be in the best interest of Canadian customers and businesses.”

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (the chief communications regulator in Canada, similar to the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S.) is scheduled to begin hearings on possibly regulating wholesale roaming rates next week. Cogeco is slated to testify before the CRTC on Sept. 29.

The regulatory agency has pushed for a fourth wireless competitor in the market to compete with Telus Corp., BCE Inc., and Rogers Communications, but hasn’t had much success. The three carriers currently control more than 90% of the wireless market in Canada, and Cogeco believes an MVNO, which would not have to spend the billions of dollars to build its own network, has a better chance of success.

In the U.S., the wireless business has been an elusive one for cable, dating back to the industry’s original partnership with Sprint PCS. Sprint, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Network tried to partner again on a wireless service, called Pivot, which was abandoned in 2008.  In 2011, as part of its agreements to sell its wireless spectrum to Verizon Communications, Comcast, TWC and Bright House negotiated the right to co-market Verizon Wireless service with their cable packages. Cox, which didn’t sell its wireless spectrum in that deal, sold some of its licenses to Verizon later that same year, about a month after abandoning plans to build its own wireless network.