The CRTC has announced that the public hearing into the application by HDTV Networks Inc. to operate an English-language high definition (HD) over-the-air (OTA) television service with transmitters in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Halifax has been rescheduled to February 12, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. The hearing was originally scheduled to begin on February 11. The hearing will also examine the application by Yes TV Inc. for a licence to operate a high definition (HD) over-the-air (OTA) television station serving the Greater Toronto Area.

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Internet video site YouTube has announced that it's expanding its mobile service to include virtually all of the videos available on its website. The site has been showing videos on phones since 2006, but until now there were only a few thousand clips available. Now YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc., is estimating that more than 100 million devices worldwide should be able to access the expanded mobile service. The service will be offered in 15 countries in addition to the US and Canada, and 11 languages. YouTube is also offering a new application that can be installed on some handsets to make it easier for people to upload videos from the site. Cell phones must have streaming capability and a 3G operator to be able to access YouTube.

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Vidéotron ltée has announced that it will use Georgia-based Concurrent's MediaHawk Back Office Software Suite (MHBOSS) to upgrade and expand its on-demand service. The Quebec cableco will test the system over the next two months, with plans to implement the system later in the year. "When we began plans to upgrade our VOD system, we realized we needed a more scalable back office based on open standards," said Alain Boissonnault, principal director, development of video technologies, Videotron. "Concurrent's new MHBOSS is highly scalable and supports any next-generation applications we may be considering for the future, such as time-shifted TV." The MHBOSS system enables operators to deploy new services such as time-shifted TV and DVR in a phased manner without any service interruptions.

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Nominations are now open for the seventh annual FITC Design and Technology Awards in 17 categories including animation, converging media, e-commerce, game design, motion graphics and video. Presented in April, the FITC awards celebrate the hottest talent and work in design and technology. Award contenders can either submitted their own work or be nominated by someone else and entries will be judged over a three-week period by 50 industry experts from seven countries. The deadline for nomination is March 1. Interested individuals and companies can click here for more information.

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CBC/Radio-Canada has received board approval for a deal to sell international distribution rights and assets currently managed by the public broadcaster's international sales division to Fireworks International. First announced in December, the deal includes rights to CBC's program catalogue of approximately 135 active titles, accounting for 700 hours of programming. "We believe this represents a significant win for CBC, for Canadian taxpayers and for the producers, actors and others who have a stake in the programming, which will now have an opportunity for greater exposure and sales internationally," said CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix. "We made a strategic decision to act quickly to pursue what we see as a unique opportunity to bring Canadian programs to a wide international audience, based on current market circumstances." The agreement is expected to be completed in coming weeks. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

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Visitors to theweathernetwork.com and meteomedia.com can now view up-to-date highway road conditions on an interactive map. Using Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping software, the Weather Network and MétéoMédia allow consumers to zoom in to street level or zoom out to view conditions across the entire country. "Our coverage of nearly 69,000 kilometres of Canadian highway in all provinces and territories testifies to our dedication of providing the most extensive and accurate highway conditions available," says Taylor Emerson, VP & GM, interactive services, The Weather Network. The system provides road conditions on an interactive map and through satellite images. The next planned enhancement for the venerable weather broadcaster is traffic flow cameras to further increase the interactivity for Canadians.

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