Bell ExpressVu to add 76 new channels, including more diginets, HDTV signals

Plans for new services to be introduced by satellite TV operator Bell ExpressVu LP this year point to it being a leader in such areas as high-definition television (HDTV), but continuing to lag behind its cable competitors in video-on-demand (VOD). VOD or subscription VOD (SVOD) services were not among the 76 new services announced by Canada’s leading digital television provider on March 5. Enhanced pay-per-view (PPV) services would become available as "we go down the pathway to powering up our PVRs (personal video recorders) for VOD and SVOD," said Bell ExpressVu president Tim McGee from Toronto in comments delivered via satellite feed in a new channel unveiling held simultaneously in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. Chris Frank, Bell Express Vu’s VP of programming and government affairs, told Canadian Communications Reports that the VOD and SVOD offerings will be phased in as an enhancement of Bell ExpressVu’s current PPV service beginning this spring. Unlike the 76 channels that are expected to be introduced in waves throughout the year, it’s unlikely that VOD or SVOD will be available to customers through Bell ExpressVu’s PVR in 2003. Because satellite TV distributors currently do not have two-way broadband capacity, which is used by cablecos to deliver movies and other programming on-demand, Bell ExpressVu’s PVR hard drive would store the titles for offering on a VOD basis (CCR, March 1/02). Rogers Cable Inc., Shaw Cablesystems and Cogeco Cable Inc. have already begun the rollout of VOD. "We’ll be downloading more information on the screen for customers and then providing trailers and then finally being able to drive movies into the PVR so that they will be available for customers," Frank said. The first phase involves the introduction of enhanced information and movie trailers, and "hopefully within 12 months, we’ll have full enhanced PPV," he added, noting that it is too soon to say how many titles will be available. "That’s still in development and depends upon the memory resident in the PVR box," he noted. But he did say that in conjunction with movie services TMN, Movie Central and Super Écran, Bell ExpressVu plans to eventually offer all the top movies on a SVOD basis. McGee noted that a high-definition PVR box on demo for the channel unveiling was "one of only two or three in the world." A PVR box capable of showing programming in high-definition could boost Bell ExpressVu’s VOD service, but commercial deployment of such a box is likely a ways away. McGee could not commit to a timeframe on delivery of the high-definition PVR box. "It’s a very high-end product and has not been rolled out yet. I don’t have a date for you today," he said during the March 5 presentation. "I can tell you that we will be working as hard as we can to make sure the PVR high-definition (box) is available as soon as we possibly can." Nonetheless, the 76 new channels to be added throughout the year will give Bell ExpressVu the most extensive television lineup in Canada. "This means more choice for Canadians for what they want on TV. It means more quality and more variety, simply stated," McGee said. Eleven of the 76 new channels are HDTV channels, bringing the total that will be available on the satellite TV platform this summer to 13. "This clearly establishes us as the leader in high-definition distribution," McGee said. "We are also a leader in a number of other areas, including interactivity." Bell ExpressVu currently offers i Weather, instant current weather and five-day forecasts for 500 towns and cities around the world; Ludi TV interactive games (bowling, solitaire, carrot mania, hockey and more); i Trivia, an interactive quiz game for one to four players; i Horoscope; and i Lottery (CCR Update, Feb. 5/03). A new sports interactive option demonstrated at the presentation gives customers the option of watching six hockey games at once on the screen, or watching one game on the screen with another game in the corner – a picture-in-picture approach. The application will also supply sports data such as information about players, and eventually the choice of multiple camera angles. Bell ExpressVu officials, however, were unable to say when that interactive sports product would be tested with customers. Also being added to Bell ExpressVu’s lineup are 25 English- and French-language local television stations, three multicultural local TV stations, and more specialty channels, including third-language channels that are currently available on Rogers Cable. The specialty channels being added include new services that have not launched elsewhere yet, including Craig Broadcast Systems Inc.’s new diginet, Stampede, and CHUM Ltd.’s newest digital channel, MuchMoreRetro (CCR, Feb. 28/03). Dedicated to music videos of the 80s and 90s, MuchMoreRetro will be available in April also on some cable systems. CBC wants more signals added The expanded lineup was met with controlled enthusiasm by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Among the local TV channels to be added by Bell ExpressVu are Radio-Canada’s CBVT Quebec City and CBWFT Winnipeg signals, as well as CBC’s North-Mountain Time channel. "We are pleased that Bell ExpressVu has moved toward greater carriage of our TV services and our Galaxie pay-audio services. However, we are still concerned that Canadians in the nation’s capital do not have access to our French and English Ottawa television stations," CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch said in a media release. The public broadcaster said the addition of more CBC signals was "a positive step towards meeting the corporation’s objective of ensuring that all Canadians have the greatest possible access to their national public broadcaster and its local/regional programs." A Parliamentary committee has recommended that the CRTC require Canada’s two satellite TV distributors to carry all French and English regional signals of the CBC (CCR, Feb. 13/03). Going forward, Frank told CCR that Bell ExpressVu’s emphasis would be on HDTV services. "We’ll be reserving lots of capacity for high def. …I would say in the near-to-middle term, the emphasis will be on high def, on interactive and enhanced television, and adding new specialty and premium services." The expanded lineup is possible with the recent launch of the Nimiq 2 satellite (CCR Update, Jan. 8/03). Customers wanting the full range of channels will have to acquire a new dish with two horns, which make it possible to receive signals from both the Nimiq 2 and Nimiq 1 satellites. "It’s a 20-inch dish. It’s quite similar to the one we’ve got now, but you have to have two feed horns to look at the two satellites simultaneously. Those are available in stores now. They are marginally more expensive (than the current dish)," Frank said.

Bell ExpressVu to add 76 new channels, including more diginets, HDTV signals

News | 03/13/2003 5:00 am EST

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