Shaw Satellite Services (French: 'Services de Radiodiffusion Shaw) is a Canadian company responsible for providing and managing the distribution of television channels to cable companies via satellite. Shaw also operates Shaw Direct, a Canadian direct broadcast satellite service.

Previously known as Canadian Satellite Communications Inc., or Cancom, Shaw Satellite Services is wholly owned by Shaw Communications.

On October 5, 2006, Shaw announced that CANCOM would be renamed Shaw Satellite Services, with CANCOM Broadcast becoming Shaw Broadcast Services, and CANCOM Tracking becoming Shaw Tracking, in 2007.

As Cancom, the service was originally owned by a consortium of several Canadian cable companies, but ownership changes eventually consolidated Shaw as the primary owner. The company was previously required by the CRTC to be operated independently of Shaw's cable holdings. However, in light of the name change, it is unclear if Shaw's satellite-based companies would remain independent from the cable division.

Canadian Satellite Communications Ltd. (CANCOM)

In 1980, the CRTC began a proceeding to expand the choice of television and radio signals available to Canadians who were then regarded as underserved, often with only CBC Television and CBC Radio available to them. Several companies filed proposals, and early in 1981, the CRTC licensed the proposal by Canadian Satellite Communications, a consortium that included Philippe de Gaspe Beaubien, a Quebec broadcast executive, and Rolf Hougen, a Whitehorse businessman whose interests included CKRW Radio and WHTV Cablevision of Whitehorse.

CANCOM began test broadcasts with three of its four signals on 15 July 1981, swapped one of the three in November, and went into full operation on 1 January 1982 with all four signals: independent stations CITV Edmonton, CHCH-TV Hamilton, CTV affiliate BCTV Vancouver, and a French-language channel known as TCTV but which largely represented the programming of CFTM-TV Montreal. Cable television companies were charged one dollar per signal per customer. The company also was licensed to carry the signals of nine radio stations, eight as originally proposed, plus CKRW of Whitehorse added during the hearings.

In 1982, CANCOM proposed adding four additional television stations and additional radio signals, originating in the United States, in order to bring the American "three-plus-one" package to all Canadians that the CRTC had previously accepted the principle of allowing to southern cable companies that picked up signals from nearby United States cities. The CRTC approved and on 1 September 1983, CANCOM began transmitting the four Detroit affiliates of the three major commercial networks and PBS: WJBK-TV, WDIV-TV, WXYZ-TV and WTVS. In later years, additional stations were picked up to offer a greater diversity of time zone feeds, including Seattle stations KING-TV and KOMO-TV.

Shaw Broadcast

Shaw Broadcast (originally CANCOM Broadcast) distributes both specialty cable channels and regular broadcast network affiliates via one of North America's largest full-service commercial signal distribution networks. It distributes affiliates of all the major Canadian commercial networks, along with several independent services.

The company also distributes a limited number of American network affiliates from markets such as Boston, Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Minneapolis, Spokane and Seattle. Some Canadian cable companies use Shaw for these services where cost or technical issues prevent the use of a closer non-Shaw signal, even when the station is from a different time zone. (However, use of the Shaw feeds is not required for these services; cable companies are free to use any signal provider whose distribution is technically feasible.)

As well, Shaw distributes a number of Canadian radio stations, and a few American stations, for cable FM and digital distribution. In total, over 380 English, French and multilingual signals are offered via 49 Anik F1 and F2 transponders.

Shaw Tracking

Shaw Tracking (originally CANCOM Tracking) provides commercial tracking via satellite. Specifically it provides tracking, two-way messaging and integrated transportation and logistics solutions to the Canadian trucking industry with over 31,000 units in use by over 500 companies. Of Canada's Top 25 trucking companies, Shaw claims that 23 use its services, and that it has over 85% of the mobile communications market place for long-haul trucks.

CANCOM Logos

The following logos were for these divisions under the CANCOM name.

image:Cancom.png|CANCOM logoimage:Cancombroadcast.png|CANCOM Broadcast logo (English)image:radiodiffusionCancom.png|Radiodiffusion CANCOM logo (French)image:cancomtracking.jpg|CANCOM Tracking logo (English)image:reperagecancom.jpg|Reperage CANCOM logo (French)

References

1. [1]

External links

• Official Site