Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) has announced what it says is the first business-on-demand interactive television (ITV) service in Canada, a virtual channel offered to its DSL TV customers promoting events at the recently-opened MTS Centre. The service, developed in collaboration with Toronto-based ExtendMedia and with content provided by True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., provides information about entertainment and sports events at the facility, including about the Manitoba Moose hockey team. It also enables customers to buy tickets through the television, or to request more information. MTS says the announcement is the first of several new ITV applications it will offer to its more than 25,000 DSL television subscribers, including games-on-demand and video-on-demand.

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Cablecos are cheering a CRTC decision that limits the amount of interactive television content that broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs) must carry from broadcasters. On November 4, the commission issued Broadcasting Public Notice 2004-82, which sets out a regime for ITV that forces cablecos and satellite DTH carriers to pass through any content that fits within a normal 6 MHz channel or the bandwidth assigned to a particular channel, so long as it is program-related, but no more.

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Despite a high profile CRTC licensing hearing and extensive media coverage, a small percentage of adult Canadians are aware that domestic satellite radio services may be made available in this country, according to a new survey by Decima Research Inc. This suggests the Canadian groups vying to offer satellite radio services across the country will have their work cut out for them in marketing and selling their services – at least initially.

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All signs point to legislation being ready for debate in the House of Commons by February on the contentious issue of Canada’s international digital copyright obligations, and changing the Copyright Act to ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties. The trends are encouraging for Canada’s music industry, which has stepped up lobbying efforts through the newly-formed Music in Canada Coalition (MCC). The MCC, made up of record labels, recording artists, copyright holders and collectives, and the Canadian Recording Industry Association, took a road show to Parliament Hill on November 24, and heard from politicians that many of the hurdles to putting legislation on the table have been cleared.

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