The CBC has re-launched two of its existing digital channels under new monikers and with new mandates. The former CBC Country Canada is now bold, and The Documentary Channel assumes the slimmed down name documentary. The former is touted by the public broadcaster as home to the world’s best performing arts, intelligent drama and daring comedy, while the latter brings viewers proactive and entertaining documentaries from Canada and across the globe. "We are thrilled to launch bold and documentary," said Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president, CBC English Services. "As the names suggest, these channels will showcase the best of new programming that will excite, challenge and provoke." Both digital specialty channels launched March 27.

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Performing right organization Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) today released its annual mobile music market projections 2008. The company predicts that ringbacktones, musical works that are performed to the caller when they place a call to a participating mobile subscriber, will surpass $210 million in US retail sales during the calendar year 2008, up 50% from BMI’s 2007 market estimate of $140 million. On the other hand, BMI predicts the US ringtone market will decline from $550 million in 2007 to $510 million this year. "The market for ringbacktones has grown stronger than we originally forecasted last year," said Richard Conlon, VP, new media and strategic development, BMI. "Its growth, coupled with the positive gains that streaming mobile media have made in 2008 alone, supports our bullish point of view on the growth of the mobile entertainment business. We see gains in mobile audio and mobile television style services in the coming years as well."

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