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bizorky
Guest
Curious, but how could they make such a purchase when the ownership transfer is still in process?
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Curious, but how could they make such a purchase when the ownership transfer is still in process?
E
elook
Guest
I need FOX because in order to get fair and balanced news from the U.S., you have to get all three of the big networks. Each has a bias, and combined you get the whole picture (assuming you add in some BBC World and Newsworld for a reasonable international view).
But that's a different discussion...
But that's a different discussion...
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Darkstar416
Guest
spmarshall,
Here's what The Zerb has to say. It seems to be working now:
thestar.blogs.com/azerb/new_improved_concentrated/index.html
Four good points she makes:
For now:
(1) CTV's buying power and influence will, after this marriage, become monumental. It already has the hits, now it will have twice as many outlets on which to program them.
(2) CanWest Global will be caught in a pincer movement. And it's already ailing.
(3) If no buyers can be found for those A-Channel stations, it will mean that CTV will own two, three, maybe even four stations in every market, as well as - I haven't yet done the math - probably all the TV music channels and more than half the specialty services on the dial.
(4) This is one more reason for a strong, well-financed CBC.
Elook,
As far as newsnets go...BBC World with a sampling of CBC Newsworld followed by a dash of CP24 is all I ever need. I don't feel the least bit uninformed by ignoring the U.S. cable networks. If I watch any U.S. news its usually one of the traditional networks which tend to be a bit less sensationalist and a slight bit more serious about journalism.
Here's what The Zerb has to say. It seems to be working now:
thestar.blogs.com/azerb/new_improved_concentrated/index.html
Four good points she makes:
For now:
(1) CTV's buying power and influence will, after this marriage, become monumental. It already has the hits, now it will have twice as many outlets on which to program them.
(2) CanWest Global will be caught in a pincer movement. And it's already ailing.
(3) If no buyers can be found for those A-Channel stations, it will mean that CTV will own two, three, maybe even four stations in every market, as well as - I haven't yet done the math - probably all the TV music channels and more than half the specialty services on the dial.
(4) This is one more reason for a strong, well-financed CBC.
Elook,
As far as newsnets go...BBC World with a sampling of CBC Newsworld followed by a dash of CP24 is all I ever need. I don't feel the least bit uninformed by ignoring the U.S. cable networks. If I watch any U.S. news its usually one of the traditional networks which tend to be a bit less sensationalist and a slight bit more serious about journalism.
E
elook
Guest
Darkstar:
It's the breaking news I crave, mostly, and the likes of the three US cable news channels is the best when it comes to getting the pics and story (even if it's wrong - i.e. Sago) out fast.
As for Zerb, she's right on the money as usual. This is ugly news for CanWest as well. No possible way they'll be able to keep up with CTV when it comes buying time. I can see CTV buying up everything, keeping the hits on the main net, dumping the chaff to the secondary channels.
It's the breaking news I crave, mostly, and the likes of the three US cable news channels is the best when it comes to getting the pics and story (even if it's wrong - i.e. Sago) out fast.
As for Zerb, she's right on the money as usual. This is ugly news for CanWest as well. No possible way they'll be able to keep up with CTV when it comes buying time. I can see CTV buying up everything, keeping the hits on the main net, dumping the chaff to the secondary channels.
2
21stcenturymichael
Guest
Will BGM be allowed to keep both MTV Canada and Muchmusic? I wouldn't think so, but who knows. Assuming they are forced to divest of one of them, which would they choose? The Canadian rights to a strong global brand, or the locally-dominant Canadian brand that has a few international forays? I would have thought the latter, but again, who knows.
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TdotTrickyRicky
Guest
Darkstar,
I've always been a believer in BBC World on reputation without having ever watched. I must say anecdotally after watching it when I was in Europe last fall that my opinion has completely changed. I actually find it inferior to CNN or even Canadian news.
I've always been a believer in BBC World on reputation without having ever watched. I must say anecdotally after watching it when I was in Europe last fall that my opinion has completely changed. I actually find it inferior to CNN or even Canadian news.
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Ed007Toronto
Guest
Will BGM be allowed to keep both MTV Canada and Muchmusic? I wouldn't think so, but who knows. Assuming they are forced to divest of one of them, which would they choose?
Muchmusic. MTV Canada doesn't come close to Much's ratings. And the fact that they can't play videos doesn't help.
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Ed007Toronto
Guest
News analysis
What will Bell Globemedia do with its new CHUM?
With Bell Globemedia’s $1.7 billion acquisition of CHUM Limited seemingly a done deal, the question among media buyers is just how Ivan Fecan and co. plan to capitalize on their acquisition of the lower-case phobic CHUM.
Depending on the CRTC’s reaction to the proposed sale–and it’s certain to be subject to intense scrutiny by the federal regulator–the new entity will house a vast collection of media assets including the conventional assets CTV and Citytv, specialty services including TSN, MuchMusic and Bravo, plus radio and print.
For advertisers, such consolidation typically means pressure on ad rates.
“Media buyers are not complete fans of consolidation, only because we know exactly what happened in the radio world,†says Bruce Claassen, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Genesis Media. “When (companies) own three or four stations in a market, our ability to negotiate between those four stations gets a little dicier.â€
While BGM plans to divest itself of the CHUM-owned A-Channels if the sale proceeds, the deal will still give BGM multiple TV stations in key markets-particularly in Western Canada.
“Could some muscle be applied there?†says Claassen. “Yes, there’s a possibility.â€
Patrick Walshe, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group in Toronto, says the deal potentially represents “less choice,†for advertisers, but adds: “You could be optimistic and say there’s more choice and more chances to do bigger deals.â€
A recurring question among buyers is just what BGM plans to do with CHUM’s 33 radio stations.
“I don’t know that BGM wants to be in the radio business,†says Walshe. “(But) If you’re going to sell radio, this is a great time to do it because it’s at the top of its game.†(Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission figures show profits soared by 24% at radio stations across the country last year.)
But Claassen adds that radio is a mature sector with few potential takers for the CHUM stations who won’t run afoul of the CRTC’s ownership restrictions. “Outside of Astral (Media)perhaps, there aren’t going to be a lot of guys who are going to be able to pick it up without having five stations in Toronto,†says Claassen.
Still, Claassen believes the stations would be more valuable to companies with a significant radio portfolio, such as Corus Entertainment, Rogers Media or Standard Broadcasting. “They’ve already got the radio operators, sales staff,†says Claassen. “Corus or the other guys could absorb all or most of those radio stations, incorporate them within their system, and right off the top generate 10% or 15% margin improvement purely because of the economies of scale. The value of those stations to a current multi-station owner is much higher than it is to Bell Globemedia.â€
Should the deal receive regulatory approval, BGM will acquire a group of assets operating in what CHUM Limited president Jay Switzer admitted to analysts on Wednesday is a “challenged section.†The company, he admitted, “has some work to do.†CHUM also announced Wednesday that it is laying off 281 full and part-time employees as part of a long-promised restructuring in its news division.
While lamenting the loss of another independent Canadian media operator, Walshe acknowledged that consolidation is a part of the business. “This is a game where scale is incredibly important,†he says.
Less clear is what impact the proposed sale will have on BGM’s chief rival, CanWest Global Communications. “I can’t imagine Leonard (Asper) and the boys being real happy to hear this news,†says Claassen.
CanWest, added another buyer who wished to remain anonymous, is already “vulnerable†in the specialty TV sector, but Claassen ruled out a possible run at a major specialty player such as Alliance Atlantis.
“I don’t think CanWest has the dough,†he says. “I don’t think they have enough wiggle room to be able to entertain that concept.â€
Still, equity markets acted quickly yesterday scooping up other media stocks, seemingly on speculation that there will be more mergers to come.
Alliance Atlantis Communications jumped 10% to $36.03, Corus Entertainment was up 9% to $39.50 and Astral Media was up 10% at $38 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Alliance is believed to be the next attractive takeover target, as well as Standard Broadcasting Corp.
Astral, meanwhile, could be either a buyer or a target because it is sitting on $100 million of cash and short-term investments. That money could be used to purchase a competitor or by a buyer to pay part of the bill.
–Chris Powell with files from Canadian Press
What will Bell Globemedia do with its new CHUM?
With Bell Globemedia’s $1.7 billion acquisition of CHUM Limited seemingly a done deal, the question among media buyers is just how Ivan Fecan and co. plan to capitalize on their acquisition of the lower-case phobic CHUM.
Depending on the CRTC’s reaction to the proposed sale–and it’s certain to be subject to intense scrutiny by the federal regulator–the new entity will house a vast collection of media assets including the conventional assets CTV and Citytv, specialty services including TSN, MuchMusic and Bravo, plus radio and print.
For advertisers, such consolidation typically means pressure on ad rates.
“Media buyers are not complete fans of consolidation, only because we know exactly what happened in the radio world,†says Bruce Claassen, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Genesis Media. “When (companies) own three or four stations in a market, our ability to negotiate between those four stations gets a little dicier.â€
While BGM plans to divest itself of the CHUM-owned A-Channels if the sale proceeds, the deal will still give BGM multiple TV stations in key markets-particularly in Western Canada.
“Could some muscle be applied there?†says Claassen. “Yes, there’s a possibility.â€
Patrick Walshe, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group in Toronto, says the deal potentially represents “less choice,†for advertisers, but adds: “You could be optimistic and say there’s more choice and more chances to do bigger deals.â€
A recurring question among buyers is just what BGM plans to do with CHUM’s 33 radio stations.
“I don’t know that BGM wants to be in the radio business,†says Walshe. “(But) If you’re going to sell radio, this is a great time to do it because it’s at the top of its game.†(Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission figures show profits soared by 24% at radio stations across the country last year.)
But Claassen adds that radio is a mature sector with few potential takers for the CHUM stations who won’t run afoul of the CRTC’s ownership restrictions. “Outside of Astral (Media)perhaps, there aren’t going to be a lot of guys who are going to be able to pick it up without having five stations in Toronto,†says Claassen.
Still, Claassen believes the stations would be more valuable to companies with a significant radio portfolio, such as Corus Entertainment, Rogers Media or Standard Broadcasting. “They’ve already got the radio operators, sales staff,†says Claassen. “Corus or the other guys could absorb all or most of those radio stations, incorporate them within their system, and right off the top generate 10% or 15% margin improvement purely because of the economies of scale. The value of those stations to a current multi-station owner is much higher than it is to Bell Globemedia.â€
Should the deal receive regulatory approval, BGM will acquire a group of assets operating in what CHUM Limited president Jay Switzer admitted to analysts on Wednesday is a “challenged section.†The company, he admitted, “has some work to do.†CHUM also announced Wednesday that it is laying off 281 full and part-time employees as part of a long-promised restructuring in its news division.
While lamenting the loss of another independent Canadian media operator, Walshe acknowledged that consolidation is a part of the business. “This is a game where scale is incredibly important,†he says.
Less clear is what impact the proposed sale will have on BGM’s chief rival, CanWest Global Communications. “I can’t imagine Leonard (Asper) and the boys being real happy to hear this news,†says Claassen.
CanWest, added another buyer who wished to remain anonymous, is already “vulnerable†in the specialty TV sector, but Claassen ruled out a possible run at a major specialty player such as Alliance Atlantis.
“I don’t think CanWest has the dough,†he says. “I don’t think they have enough wiggle room to be able to entertain that concept.â€
Still, equity markets acted quickly yesterday scooping up other media stocks, seemingly on speculation that there will be more mergers to come.
Alliance Atlantis Communications jumped 10% to $36.03, Corus Entertainment was up 9% to $39.50 and Astral Media was up 10% at $38 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Alliance is believed to be the next attractive takeover target, as well as Standard Broadcasting Corp.
Astral, meanwhile, could be either a buyer or a target because it is sitting on $100 million of cash and short-term investments. That money could be used to purchase a competitor or by a buyer to pay part of the bill.
–Chris Powell with files from Canadian Press
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Darkstar416
Guest
I would think so. The CRTC is mostly concerned about ownership of traditional broadcast stations per specific market, they tend to be much less concerned with specialty channel ownership (except when granting new licenses). I'd imagine Much Music will be rolled into MTV Canada and you'll simply have a variety of MTV Canada stations to choose from. Moreover, with CHUM being the only group challenging MTV Canada to live by Talk-TV's license, you can expect to eventually see some music videos on MTV now anyways. CHUM also owns 50% of Musique Plus, so it could be the end of that moniker as well.Will BGM be allowed to keep both MTV Canada and Muchmusic? I wouldn't think so, but who knows. Assuming they are forced to divest of one of them, which would they choose?
BBC World is an international service, unlike CBC Newsworld or the CNN domestic feed we get here in Canada. I am a bit surprised that you found BBC inferior, but I'd imagine it would depend on what you were looking for. BBC World is pretty much devoted to international news, while CBC Newsworld is at least 50% domestic in nature, with CNN being probably around 75% domestic in nature. BBC 24 (only available in some parts of Europe and all of the U.K.) is more comparable with the CNN we get in Canada and CBC Newsworld/CTV Newsnet.I've always been a believer in BBC World on reputation without having ever watched. I must say anecdotally after watching it when I was in Europe last fall that my opinion has completely changed. I actually find it inferior to CNN or even Canadian news.
Do you know if you were watching World or 24? Also, what were you issues with the BBC's coverage?
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blixa442
Guest
Five years I would have been somewhat concerned about this deal, but now I'm yawning. TV is so silly and programming so poor that it makes no difference to me who owns it.
As for CRTC it should be disbanded asap. In a world of virtually unlimited bandwidth its purpose is obsolete.
As for CRTC it should be disbanded asap. In a world of virtually unlimited bandwidth its purpose is obsolete.
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21stcenturymichael
Guest
I'd imagine Much Music will be rolled into MTV Canada and you'll simply have a variety of MTV Canada stations to choose from.
That's the question I am asking -- why would they do that?
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unimaginative2
Guest
Because American brands are inherently better.
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Darkstar416
Guest
...an inherently better investment that is.Because American brands are inherently better.
The CRTC still has a role to play in this country. If it didn't, nobody would be regulating satellite footprints, station designations, station frequences, Canadian content rules, etc.
Certainly the CRTC can be criticized for much and I'll be the first in line, but to pretend it can just be disbanded is silly and uninformed.
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21stcenturymichael
Guest
...an inherently better investment that is.
You see, I don't know that's the case. I'm very curious to see what happens. MTV is the global brand, but it's one that BGM does not control, and is subject to an agreement with MTV. BGM is just the middleman. What happens when MTV decides, in say ten years, that it doesn't need BGM anymore? The days when Canadian media companies could just rely on rebroadcasting American programming aren't expected to last forever.
Muchmusic is not the MTV brand by any means, but it's locally dominant, and the brand has been successful exported to some countries. Its programming is sold internationally. It's not MTV, but BGM would own it.
BGM will do its best to keep both MuchMusic and MTV Canada, I suspect. But if they have to divest of one, I'm not sure which one it will be.
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Darkstar416
Guest
Indeed as there is potentially more money to be made by selling the programming over the Internet to individuals than by the current system of selling to other nation's broadcasters to simulcast/re-broadcast the programming. Still, that day is at least 10 years away.The days when Canadian media companies could just rely on rebroadcasting American programming aren't expected to last forever.