CNM Short Takes

Bell Fund to build on CFTPA AGM meeting momentumBell Broadcast and New Media Fund executives are in the preliminary stages of developing new research avenues into sustainability following a successful broadcaster/digital producer summit at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s annual meeting in Ottawa last month. After a frank session, fund executives are discussing a series of initiatives to explore new revenue and partnership models for new media players and broadcasters. Discussions are just beginning at this point, but it’s hoped something concrete can be brought to the table when the Bell Fund’s board of directors meets on April 4. Academic consortium to explore crossover behaviourAcademics from the University of British Columbia, Laval University, and York University are preparing to launch a groundbreaking study into new media and the relationship between government, industry and academia, and how crossover behaviour affects the sector. The work is modeled on the well-known UCLA World Internet Project coordinated by Jeff Cole. The Canadian corollary will base its findings on interviews with about 3,000 Canadians in a longitudinal study over time. The initiative is the beneficiary of $3 million received as part of the BCE Inc./CTV Inc. merger benefits package in 2000. It’s hoped the study will be up and running by this fall. CBC to receive NAB excellence award for innovationsThe Canadian Broadcasting Corp. along with an Indonesian radio broadcaster will receive the U.S.-based National Association of Broadcasters’ 2002 International Broadcasting Excellence Awards. The CBC is being recognized in the network category for its "unique innovations and effective utilization of resources to advance the business of broadcasting." Specifically, the public broadcaster is being lauded for its National Satellite DVC Project, a system of advanced video coding and modulation technologies that has created an efficient network for the distribution of multiple TV programs by satellite. The awards will be presented at the NAB2002 convention in Las Vegas on April 10. CBC’s ZeD up and runningZeD, the late-night television/web initiative of CBC Television, debuted March 18. ZeD’s four-week pilot phase is running commercial-free weeknights beginning at 11:25 p.m. until April 12 on CBC TV and on zed.cbc.ca (CNM, Nov. 29/01). Iceberg receives regulatory approval for Standard dealInternet broadcaster Iceberg Media.com Inc. has received regulatory approval for the purchase of radio advertising inventory, previously announced Feb. 4, 2002, from Standard Radio Inc., which now owns 5,964,240 common shares of Iceberg.New Media BC announces e-learning study and directoryNew Media BC is currently undertaking a study of B.C.’s e-learning industry, the results of which will be released next month. The study is expected to reveal the size and composition of the B.C. e-learning supplier sector, opportunities, and current barriers to growth. In conjunction with the study, the association is producing a print and online directory of B.C.’s e-learning companies, which will be distributed at an upcoming corporate e-learning conference, future trade missions, and government agencies. Fun Key Studios reports Q3 profitFun Key Studios Inc., a designer of theme-based interactive attractions for the general public and 3D Internet software authoring tools, achieved a net profit of $47,762 in its fiscal third quarter ended Jan. 31, 2002, compared with a net loss of $1,401,699 in the same period last year. Revenues increased 562% to $1,570,316 in the quarter over revenues of $237,353 in the same quarter last year. For the nine-month period ended Jan. 31, 2002, the company recorded revenues of $2,210,909 and a net loss of $2,356,856, compared with revenues of $242,124 and a net loss of $3,566,539 in the same period last year. In a news release, Yves Marmet, president/CEO of Fun Key Studios, called the third quarter a turning point in the company’s history. Travelocity.ca, AOL Canada announce expanded allianceTravelocity.ca and AOL Canada Inc. have announced an expanded multi-year alliance that will make Travelocity.ca the exclusive online consumer provider of travel services, such as air travel, hotel and car reservations for Netscape.ca, an AOL Canada web property. The agreement builds on an existing successful U.S. alliance between AOL Inc. and Travelocity.com LP. Along with the services available through Travelocity.ca, Netscape.ca users will also have access to industry-first travel reservation services, such as the Best Fare Finder tool and airline seat maps; Canadian dollar pricing; and 24-hour bilingual customer service and support. Virtual Museum of Canada celebrates 1st anniversary The Virtual Museum of Canada, www.virtualmuseum.ca, this month is celebrating its first anniversary. Inaugurated in March 2001, the portal brings together innumerable histories and treasures of more than 700 Canadian museums. The site had a promising first year, counting 3 million visits since its inauguration and garnering several awards and distinctions (CNM, Dec. 14/00). Language commissioner urges greater French commitmentCanada’s Commissioner of Official Languages has released a call for greater French Canadian presence on the web, including the recommendation that the federal government take "concrete measures to promote the linguistic duality on the Internet as an economic engine and as a window on Canadian culture and values." The study, French on the Internet: Key to the Canadian Identity and the Knowledge Economy, indicates that the number of complaints about the quality of French sites or inconsistencies in translation are accelerating. To promote French-language content online, the commissioner, Dyane Adam, recommends that a Canadian Advisory Committee on Offical Languages be formed under the auspices of Industry Canada. The office also recommends R&D into language tools such as translation engines, as well as greater digitization of federal government content and the adoption of a strategy to support greater content development in the private sector. The full study is available online at http://www.ocol-clo.gc.ca. Noise Media, FORCE strike friendly bargainVancouver’s Noise Media Inc. and Montreal’s FORCE Multimedia have agreed to cross-promote each other’s services in their respective markets. Noise CEO Trevor Carr tells CNM that no financial obligations have been agreed to, but that the two firms will cross-market services to their list of clients in a mutually beneficial fashion. Carr explains that Noise has not previously had any significant eastern presence, having concentrated instead on the Vancouver-Los Angeles axis. He says that the two companies have different strengths. FORCE is a multimedia veteran while Noise has strong experience in the online space, and the two companies will offer a broader combined product. Mainframe wins Barbie contractMainframe Entertainment Inc., Vancouver, will animate the direct-to-video debut of Barbie As Rapunzel, a CGI feature for Mattel Inc. The video is the second feature in the series to be animated by Mainframe, and is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2002. It will feature the voices of Anjelica Huston, Cree Summer and Kelly Sheridan, and will be produced by Jennifer Twiner McCarron, who produced the first video, Barbie in the Nutcracker. That video featured motion captured ballet sequences performed by the principal dancers of the New York City Ballet, and a musical score by the London Symphony Orchestra. No financial terms were disclosed. Corus, DMX swap digital music assets in CanadaCorus Entertainment Inc. and DMX MUSIC Inc. have exchanged their ownership interests in their respective digital music services on undisclosed financial terms. The announcement was made in early February. Cold North Wind wins e-content award in education Ottawa’s Cold North Wind Inc. has won a Canadian E-content Award sponsored by Information Highways magazine for its value as a research tool for a diverse range of users. In accepting the award, CEO Bob Huggins stated that, "as Canadians, we must stop talking about improving students’ knowledge of our past and act in a concrete fashion. Cold North Wind is presenting history to students through a familiar medium, namely the Internet." AOL Time Warner prepares for copyright battleAOL Time Warner Inc. has registered two new lobbyists in the copyright debate. Shira Perlmutter, VP and associate general counsel for AOL Time Warner, has been registered to deal with "potential amendments and/or additions to Canadian intellectual property legislation, including but not limited to Copyright Act." Stikeman Elliott’s Randall Hofley, Ottawa, has also been registered as a lobbyist in the same area, with Perlmutter listed as his client. CNM resumes regular publication scheduleCanadian NEW MEDIA apologizes for the delay in publishing this edition of the newsletter, due to circumstances beyond our control. The newsletter will resume its regular schedule and publish a full edition again next week.

CNM Short Takes

News | 03/27/2002 5:00 am EST

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