CNM Short Takes

Suite101 wins Indian gov’t consent for takeoverSuite101.com Inc. has received the necessary consent from the government of India to proceed with its acquisition of GeoGlobal (CNM Update, Jan. 29/03). GeoGlobal is an oil and gas exploration company. Suite101 is the company that originally gambled on an online writers community, as detailed in past issues of CNM. Organic Inc. builds new Benny Moore web siteToronto-based Organic Inc. has successfully completed the new Canadian Benjamin Moore & Co. Ltd. web site. The site provides online visitors to Benjamin Moore, a high-end paint and decorating company, with product support, the ability to mix and match colours and save "scrapbook" designs. The site was built using Macromedia’s Flash Remoting MX with support for both French- and English-speaking users. ecentricarts sees Hot 50 nodecentricarts Inc., a decorated web design firm with a niche of arts groups and not-for-profits, has been recognized as one of Profit magazine’s Hot 50 companies for its growth in revenue. The company weighed in at number 42 in the list on the strength of 185% growth in revenue from 2000 to 2002 from $439,343 to $1.25 million. The Hot 50 list comprises companies formed in 1999 or early 2000 and selected for their quick growth. ATI TV card to offer e-program guide, improved qualityATI Technologies Inc. has released its new TV WONDER PRO and TV WONDER PRO REMOTE CONTROL EDITION in North America. The PCI cards offer digital VCR and electronic program guide features, as well as improved video capture quality. The digital VCR feature allows recording of scheduled TV programs to a computer’s hard drive, and will allow users to record to DVD format allowing them to archive TV recordings on DVD. They also include the Gemstar GUIDEPlus+ electronic program guide that allows users to view and search TV listings by category, actor/performer, or date, and schedule their computers to record the shows. SPORTALITY.com announces ecommerce capabilitiesSPORTALITY.COM, a service aimed at executive entertainment, has now added ecommerce features into its site. Users will be able to buy tickets to such events as the Super Bowl, the Masters or the Canadian Grand Prix on a Verisign-secured site. SPORTALITY is a division of Toronto-based The Executive Needs Inc. 24/7 introduces new permission-based email list24/7 Canada Inc., Toronto, has introduced the Gold List, its newest permission-based email file. The list offers the email addresses of more than 700,000 Canadian adults who have given permission to be sent email marketing messages. The file also includes targeting criteria including demographics such as language preference, gender, age and geographic location as well as interests including technology, personal finance, small business, sports and travel. 24/7 is promising to control tightly the number of times a single person receives an email in a month, immediately honour all unsubscribe requests, and review offers to ensure that marketers receive the strongest possible results. The list is being released as 24/7 says open and click-through rates have improved through the first quarter of 2003. CBC trials broadband gearCBC/Radio-Canada has successfully completed an inter-city trial of the broadband transport technology Dynamic synchronous Transfer Mode (DTM) for the transport of contribution quality video, radio, IP/Ethernet data and voice-over-IP, says vendor Net Insight. The testing took place between the broadcaster’s Toronto and Montreal operations using a combination of dark fibre and OC-3 capacity using a DTM-base Nimbra One access switch located at each facility. The trial represents the first phase of a partnership between Net Insight and Broadcast Systems and Equipment Inc., a supplier of broadcast hardware and software. Aliant offers ultra high-speedAliant Telecom has launched a new Ultra High-Speed Internet service that offers customers up to 3 Mbps for $64.95 per month with a 12-month contract. It is the highest speed option offered by the Atlantic Canada telco. CBC to shut down arts site: PostThe National Post reports that the CBC will shut down its ArtsCanada web site, to be replaced with a new site in several months. The Post quotes CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles as saying, "The new site is going to be going in a completely different direction. CBC.ca is not abandoning arts coverage. In fact, this move is to improve it." The backend technology for the ArtsCanada site was developed by SNAP Media (CNM, March 7/02). SNAP will not be involved in building the new site. BioWare wins rare back-to-back monthly Top 5 rankingsEdmonton-based BioWare Corp. has achieved back-to-back top five monthly sales rankings for independent titles on both PC and console platforms for its Atari-published Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide and the LucasArts-published Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The company is also touting the games’ critical success, saying the Star Wars title is the 18th highest-reviewed game of all time, the second-highest rated title ever on Xbox, and the highest-rated role playing game of all time for all formats. iLoveTV and Scribes announce multi-million dollar dealiLoveTV Entertainment Inc. and Craftsman and Scribes Creative Workshop Inc. have announced a new co-development deal to create a new children’s show for a major U.S. broadcaster. iLoveTV will receive US$3 million for providing enhanced production and interactivity for the kids’ show, tentatively dubbed ArtVentures, which will focus on art. Production is slated to begin this fall and to air in late spring 2004, with 65 shows to be produced over a five-year period. The show will use a number of imbedded interactive elements that will allow each viewer to participate in the experience, both in real time and on an archived site. The interactivity will likely be along the same lines as other trials by iLoveTV, including for Corus Entertainment Inc. (CNM, March 7/02). Blast Radius launches email campaign for IntrawestBlast Radius has announced a deal with resort operator Intrawest Corp. to build an e-card campaign targeting golfers. Terms were not released. New Media BC to examine HR issues in interactive designNew Media BC has recently formed a steering committee of industry experts in interactive design to research and develop a strategy for human resource development in the interactive design sector. The project is a direct response to the association’s recently released report on the new media industry in the province that showed human resource needs as a key stumbling block (CNM, July 11/03). CANARIE creates collaborative e-learning content creation labCANARIE Inc.’s Office for Partnerships for Advanced Skills has launched a Collaborative Content Creation Lab (C3L) initiative that will develop web-based and desktop e-learning content authoring tools and help systems for collaborative use by faculty at Canadian universities and colleges. The total budget will be about $1.1 million, half of which will be provided by CANARIE’s E-learning in the Workplace program, and half from partner organizations. Partners include Desire2Learn, Recombo Inc., Royal Roads University, the University of Guelph’s Office of Open Learning, Centennial College and the Canadian Microelectronics Corporation. Moontaxi announces long-awaited music serviceMoontaxi Media Inc. has finally confirmed that it will launch an à la carte music download service this fall with the participation of all five big Canadian record labels (CNM, May 30/03). The service will provide Canadians with access to digital music for as low as $0.99 per song. The tracks will be playable on the Windows Media platform, and have a choice of about 250,000 different recordings. The service will be called Puretracks. ISPs file arguments in Tariff 22 Supreme Court music caseInternet service providers, the Canadian Cable Television Association and Canada’s incumbent telcos have filed their factum in the Tariff 22 case now before the Supreme Court of Canada. The parties are asking the court to set aside a judgment by the Federal Court of Appeal that would see ISPs forced to pay royalties on cached music files, among other measures (CNM Update, July 16/03).

CNM Short Takes

News | 08/28/2003 4:00 am EDT

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