The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Auditor general Sheila Fraser recently looked at the Department of Canadian Heritage and its support for Canadian culture, including its funding of Telefilm Canada. Below are excerpts of the report.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Québec’s Regroupement des producteurs multimédia [Multimedia Producers’ Network) elected a new administrative council at its recent annual general meeting. Phil Belec, president of Productions Innovision, was nominated to head the council, while Kutoka president Tanya Claessens won re-election as vice-president and Donald Charest of Productions Donald Charest was named secretary-treasurer. Retaining their seats on the council were Garim Bang of Techni-Logique and Guy-Charles Pelletier of Pecunia, while two new members – Andrée Harvey, a producer at Idées au cube, and Frédéric Lambert, president of Artis Communications – joined the council for the first time.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

FUN to gain new majority shareholder
Englewood, CO’s Liberty Media Corp. has launched a bid to take a 51% stake of online game developer FUN Technologies plc. The plan involves Liberty Media creating a new Canadian-registered holding firm, dubbed New FUN, which will acquire all the currently issued shares of FUN Technologies, making it a subsidiary of New FUN. Liberty will then purchase 83.7 million pounds Sterling ($170 million) worth of New FUN’s to-be-issued shares, giving it 51% ownership of New FUN, as well as make a US$50 million ($58.5 million) cash payment to FUN Technologies. The plan still needs the approval of regulators in the U.K., as well as the sanction of FUN Technologies’ existing shareholders, who will either own or have first dibs on the remaining 49% of New FUN. FUN Technologies’ management has already come out in favour of the proposed deal. "This is a landmark achievement, both for FUN stakeholders and for the future prospects of FUN’s businesses," said Lorne Abony, FUN Technologies’ co-founder and CEO, in a media release. "We believe that this transaction will significantly enhance shareholder value in both the short and long term." Abony registered FUN Technologies in the U.K., but founded the company in Toronto and still runs it from there. Earlier this month, FUN Technologies announced a deal with U.K. specialty programming provider Flextech Television Ltd., which operates several channels in the U.K. including LivingTV, Challenge and Bravo. The firm will provide customized games for Flextech’s broadcast and online properties. FUN Technologies designs and builds skill-based games such as Bejeweled 2, Solitaire and Zuma for use on its own and other third-party web sites, as well as operating the world’s largest fantasy sports site, Fanball.com.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

The Vortex, a competition that lets new media producers pitch their concepts in a series of 15-minute sessions, lost one major funder as a partner but gained another larger benefactor for this year’s installment.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

The body representing U.S. film studios here in Canada is ramping up the fight against pirates videotaping movies in theatres, and has hired a lobbyist to press for tougher penalties for so-called camcording.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

With the film industry apparently recovering from its recent slump, two BC entrepreneurs have launched a Web portal that will marry the entire movie-making process with the Internet – something they say hasn’t been done before.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Canada’s two main sources of new media money are moving in the same direction once more, with a new common funding application template for projects in the production and product development stages.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.