CNM Short Takes

Blue Zone attains affiliate rank in North American associationBlue Zone Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vancouver's Blue Zone Inc has become the North American Broadcasters Association's newest affiliate member. NABA executives say Blue Zone is helping push traditional broadcasting out to new audiences on the Internet. Mitel debuts trio of multi-network set top boxesOttawa's Mitel Semiconductor, a division of Mitel Corporation, has introduced three set-top boxes for broadband television systems. The SL1935 and SL2100 tuners, and the MT350 demodulator are single-chip, front-end products for satellite, cable and terrestrial wireless systems. Reference designs are now available. Mitel expects to demonstrate the three boxes at the Mediacast 2000 exhibition this week in London. ITAC berates feds for speed in fighting cyber-crimeThe Information Technology Association of Canada is urging Canadian and international governments to step up the pace in fighting crime online. At a G-8 computer security conference in Paris, May 15, the association called for greater international cooperation on the issue, saying criminal law needs updating and that treaties and protocols for extradition and cooperative prosecution of cybercrime need to be addressed. ITAC has also asked governments to move more quickly on the issue while respecting privacy rights and ensuring industry participation. Quebec businesses launched on line as part of new portalThe Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec has launched a comprehensive online data bank and business portal that provides direct access to more than 25,000 Quebec-based firms that can sell their products and services online. The portal is an extension of the centre's industrial and technological data bank, which it has maintained for 25 years. The site can be found at www.icirq.com. It is supported by Bell Québec which has provided electronic catalogue creation and implementation services in a bid to reduce costs and help companies expand into new markets. Cinram to provide speedy turn-around for custom CD ordersCinram International, Toronto, is promising e-tailers of music and entertainment products 48-hour delivery of custom recorded CDs The company's U.S. and Canadian facilities are now in full operation, with Europe expected to come online later this year. Besides an alliance with MP3.com, Cinram says it is also working with several other e-tailers on distribution arrangements. Encryption/decryption tool from QR launched as beta trialQR Canada Capital Inc, the owner of GotAHit.com, has announced that its other subsidiary, Fac-simile E-commerce Systems Inc is launching the beta version of its encryption/decryption module, Surecode. Surecode watermarks files making secure transmission of files such as text, audio and video possible. Fac-simile execs are now pursuing deals with content owners including book publishers and universities. Canadian version of popstars to incorporate full interactivityIt's unlikely to discover the next Springsteen, but a Canadian version of the smash hit Australian TV show "Popstars" will likely enjoy huge popularity in this country when it debuts in January on Global Television, produced by Lone Eagle Entertainment Ltd. The 13-part show will chronicle the formation of a new girl-band from auditioning thousands of wannabes through the new band's first record and video. Lone Eagle execs assure CNM that the show will make full use of the web to serve as a forum for fans, provide additional information, and sell merchandise. The original Australian version worked in a similar vein, but Lone Eagle's VP of corporate development told CNM that the Canadian version will have a much richer site, building on the experience Global has in multimedia. Hip Interactive to buy Phoenix Home Entertainment IncToronto-based Hip Interactive Corp intends to pony up $5 million in common stock to purchase all issued and outstanding stock of Phoenix Home Entertainment Inc, of Vancouver. Phoenix is a national supplier of video games with estimated annual revenue for the year ending May 31, 2000 exceeding $50 million with pre-tax earnings of more than $2 million. GlobalMedia and fashiontv.com digitize world's catwalksFashion-lovers the world over will soon have access to 24/7 haute couture content on the web as GlobalMedia.com, Vancouver, and fashiontv.com, Paris, team up to introduce the Beta launch of the fashiontv.com integrated media player. Starting with continuous fashion news, company executives hope to eventually turn the channel into a virtual catwalk, featuring and selling designer clothes. The player is available for immediate download from GlobalMedia at www.globalmedia.com. Quebec forges ahead with ecom complex in MontrealThe Quebec government is subsidizing the creation of a $700-million e-commerce complex in Montreal, modeled on its Cité du Multimédia clusters. The provincial government is reportedly offering firms that move into e-Commerce Place a tax break, equivalent to about 25 per cent of the businesses' salary costs. The complex is expected to attract 20,000 high tech workers over 10 years, and CGI and Nasdaq Canada have apparently already agreed to move in. Television Internet tests launched by Rogers in TORogers Cable Inc has launched a field test of Rogers Interactive TV services in Toronto. Based on Microsoft WebTV Network's technologies and services, this is the first product to be delivered as part of a July 1999 agreement between Rogers and Microsoft to deliver enhanced TV via digital cable. Widespread rollout is expected later this year. Cancom, Liberate technologies ink exclusive Canadian dealCanadian Satellite Communications Inc (Cancom), Mississauga ON, has signed an agreement with Liberate Technologies, CA, in which Cancom becomes the exclusive satellite partner of Liberate in the Canadian market. Cancom will use Liberate to deliver interactive television services to its Star Choice DTH subscribers and its cable customers. Details of the deployment and service offerings are forthcoming, says Cancom. The companies promise a "thinner" version of the interactive TV services on their existing satellite set-top boxes, a deciding factor in the Cancom agreement. Astral Media to become pure play media companyAstral Media Inc has decided to leave the videocassette wholesaling business. The company's Astral Home Entertainment division will stop shipping product as of June 30. The move is part of the company's strategy to become a pure play media company by getting out of those businesses that no longer fit with its focus on specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and new media. SKG, NorstarMall.ca enter into strategic alliance with GlobalTVSKG Interactive Inc and Norstarmall.ca Inc have entered into a strategic alliance with GlobalTV.com to develop, host and maintain 11 co-branded regional shopping destinations. The websites will start to be launched in June, and all are expected to be fully operational by this fall. The regional shopping web sites are the first of several e-commerce marketing opportunities with Global Television New Media. EMI to provide Tea Party songs in secure download formatEMI Music Canada will soon begin to offer fans of the music band Tea Party secure commercial downloads of the songs. Fans will be able to log onto various Canadian retail web sites and choose from among five previously unavailable songs.

CNM Short Takes

Broadcast | May 18, 2000

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