Balance between the rights of consumers and creators are some of the top concerns expressed by a number of parties to Industry Canada’s online consultation on copyright reform. The first two days of the public consultations, which began last Friday in Vancouver, elicited 35 formal submissions. But Michael Geist, an Internet law professor at Ottawa University, wrote on his blog that the consultation Tweeter feed showed that nearly 200 responses had been received over the course of the week. Students, hackers, ordinary consumers, professors, software developers, programmers, and writers were some of the people who posted the submissions. Russell McOrmond, a software author, is one of...
Industry Canada and Canadian Heritage are reviving efforts to update the Copyright Act, announcing on Friday that it would begin a new round of public consultations starting today in Vancouver. The consultations run across the country until Sept. 13. The framing of the consultation is as follows: “The Government of Canada has committed to modernizing Canada’s copyright laws, to provide meaningful rights for creators and promote the use of digital technology by its citizens. We are consulting to ensure that all perspectives are taken into account in an open and transparent process, to help deliver new legislation in the Fall that is forward-looking, reflects Canadian values, and strengthens Canada’s ability to compete in the global digital economy.” The...
Few details have been publicly released on the Government of Ontario’s $263 million perk to French video game maker Ubisoft, and the promise of 800 jobs over 10 years. Tech Media Reports provides an insider look at how the money will flow, and why one business lobby group views the subsidy as anti-competitive. On...
The specialty television sector, for the first time ever, has dislodged private conventional broadcasters as the top revenue generator in the Canadian broadcast industry, according to an industry report released by Statistics Canada. In fact, every segment of the broadcasting sector earned more money in 2008 over 2007,...
If many community and campus (C/C) radio stations have their way, broadcasters, BDUs and even telecom companies will be forced by the CRTC to begin subsidizing community radio. It’s a controversial proposal, and one of many that will be hotly debated at a November hearing to consider new funding models, micro-radio...
The last two days of the CRTC’s hearing into traffic management practices saw the large ISPs reveal details on how they throttle peer-to-peer traffic – practices that might prove illegal for at least one of those ISPs, according to an Ottawa law professor. Speaking with Tech Media...
The volume and quality of independently produced Canadian programming is expected to get a major boost as a result of the CRTC’s decision to shift from individual broadcast licences to a single group licence for integrated corporations. Television and film producers are also lauding a new rule that will force broadcasters to negotiate terms of trade, or risk not having their licences renewed. The CRTC begins a public hearing Sept. 29 (2009-411) in Gatineau PQ to consider how it can harmonize the rules and obligations governing all conventional, pay and specialty services controlled by an ownership group. The new licensing rules will take effect when the next round of renewals get...
An online telethon for sick children last year went offline periodically because the ISP treated the broadcast’s video stream as an unwanted peer-to-peer (P2P) upload, according to the telethon’s producer. At the CRTC hearings into Internet neutrality today, Brad Fox argued that it’s time for the...
Canada will not follow the US lead in converting all over-the-air television stations to digital. The CRTC stated Monday that only major markets, including capital cities, will be mandated to do the switch by August 31, 2011, leaving smaller markets to consider alternative delivery mechanisms. Broadcasters have long...
BDUs across Canada will have to pony up $102 million over the next year towards local programming, but whether or not they pay a monetary “fee” for carriage of broadcast signals will be decided by the parties involved, not the regulator, says CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein. However,...
Some digital media industry executives are worried that the new Canada Media Fund (CMF) won’t support interactive media projects as well as it could because it lacks digital media representation on its board of directors, and the consultation process for fund management might not be as comprehensive as hoped....
An Ottawa company has unveiled plans to bring the first large-scale movie download service to Canada. Its announcement on Friday comes just days before a CRTC hearing begins into internet throttling and other bandwidth management practices. Company executives are preparing to make their case before...
The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto this June made one thing very clear: the mobile internet will change our world in ways we are only beginning to understand. Specifically, traffic management will be a necessity, and advertising will increasingly be pushed to mobile users who are well-known based on their...
Executives from Canada's biggest private broadcasters lobbied Heritage minister James Moore for "immediate relief" from Part II fees and "a negotiated settlement" out of court, prior to a Supreme Court fall hearing on the contentious fees, according to Access to Information...
Industry Minister Tony Clement wound up a major digital conference Monday with a promise that Canadians will start to see segments of an action plan for a digital economy in the fall, although he also stressed that the task of making Canada a leader in the digital economy is huge and that it might...
Where are they now? Nine and six years after winning financial support from the Quebecor Fund, TV/new media firms Galafilm Productions Inc. and Decode Entertainment Inc. (respectively) are still going strong, and they’re getting ready to launch new digital projects. Tech Media Reports catches up with the companies as the latest Quebecor Fund winners are announced. Now in its 18th round, the Quebecor Fund awards financial support to a handful of producers to develop advanced TV/multimedia projects. Fund winners invariably promise to generate engaging television programming accompanied by interactive elements via video on demand, interactive TV (ITV), wireless devices and the Web....
Rogers Cable’s broadband television portal, pitched early this year to the CRTC as alternative that will keep subscribers paying for cable services, is set to launch between now and September, with a tiered service of premium content and pay and specialty channels to follow early next year....
Armed with $25-million from the sale of VisionTV and other television assets to a company owned by CITY-TV pioneer Moses Znaimer, the charity (VTV) that controlled the services is looking to digital content creation and unregulated media channels as just two of the potential money-makers to fill its...
The federal government should remove regulatory and fiscal barriers and offer incentives if it expects the telecom industry to build the broadband infrastructure required to underpin a digital economy. Executives from Bell Canada and Telus Corp. made the comments a week before Industry minister Tony...
The federal government should depart from previous practices of funding broadband and take a more creative approach to allocating funds under its $225-million broadband stimulus program, according to one of the organizers of the Canadian Telecom Summit. Speaking with Tech Media Reports, Mark Goldberg said that it would be a...
A top Rogers Cable executive says broadcasters need to think beyond advertising for the lion’s share of their revenue and stop giving away their content for free online. Speaking at the 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto on Monday, David Purdy called giving free content that is not tethered to a subscription base “stupid”, and stressed that broadcasters need to find ways to examine a holistic revenue generating mechanism. “I question whether not there’s a better model. I believe that if customers subscribe to Discovery Channel, they should be able to watch everything about the Discovery Channel online. But if you don’t...
Atlantic Canadian new media companies seem to be doing better than the national average, according to a recent report. But this east-side industry is also in flux, and some say what happens with the provincial governments and their support for the sector could make or break the fledgling scene....
Pelmorex Communications Inc. won a critical battle today in its decade-long effort to launch a national emergency alerting system. The CRTC approved its application for the national service, but now the tough task begins to convince BDUs and broadcasters to carry its emergency weather information service. The CRTC...
If recommendations for a national digital strategy are embraced by the federal government, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty says he’s ready to lend his government’s support and collaborate with his federal counterparts to make Canada a leader on digital issues. “First of all, I think if we put our ear to...
Senior executives in the digital sector yesterday welcomed Industry Minister Tony Clement’s promise at the Canada 3.0 Conference in Stratford ON to work with industry to develop a strategy to make Canada a leader in digital media. But they cautioned that challenges still remain. In a...
This week’s decision by the CRTC to exempt new media platforms from regulation was one that was not surprising if the testimony by several groups on various sticking points was anything to go by. Even before the new media hearing kicked off, the question of determining whether broadcast activities on the Internet constitute broadcasting as it...
The CRTC has decided to keep its hands off regulating broadcast activities on the Internet, at least for now. Speaking with Tech Media Reports in the wake of the decision, CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein says there wasn't enough evidence to support regulating broadcasting on the Internet and mobile devices, but notes a...
Industry minister Tony Clement, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and industry heavyweights will meet in Stratford ON June 8 for what organizers hope will become a catalyst for spurring both government and industry to embark on a digital media strategy for Canada. Organizers say Canada’s...
Inspired by the successful launch of three African specialty channels in the UK, four Toronto area investors hope before winter to launch Canada’s first specialty channel catering to a growing African and Afro-Caribbean population – assuming the CRTC approves their application....
What started out as essentially as a 10-year reunion for the people who helped bring competition to Canada’s long distance telecommunications market in 1992, the Canadian Telecom Summit has evolved over the past eight years into an annual conference many consider a must-attend event. Taking place from June 15 to 17, the show will feature keynotes from the leaders of Canada’s communications landscape, including the CRTC, service providers, equipment suppliers and content companies. Rewind eight years and the event almost didn’t get off the ground. In 2002, the telecommunications industry was still suffering from the bursting of the 2000/2001 tech bubble and professional...
Forget “new media.” The future lies with “digital” pursuits, according to one Canadian visionary. Sara Diamond, president of the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), has tossed the old moniker and says we should get on with the job of making this industry a veritable...
The chair of the CRTC appears to be softening his demand that Canadian broadcasters convert all their over-the-air signals to digital by 2011. Konrad von Finckenstein told a Parliamentary committee yesterday that a hybrid solution – one that sees urban areas receiving digital OTA and smaller markets continuing to rely...
A Canadian IPTV pioneer is considering a partnership with U.S. satellite TV companies as a way to break into the multi-dwelling unit market, according to G. Scott Paterson, NeuLion Inc./JumpTV Inc.’s Toronto-based vice-chair. It also hasn’t given up hopes of further expansions into the Canadian market....
Not all small cablecos deserve to be treated equally. That’s the conclusion of both Telus Corp. and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) which are urging the CRTC to not create a loophole that would allow Canada’s largest cable operators to bypass production...
Bell Canada’s 11-year-old Bell University Laboratories (BUL) program has been cancelled and replaced by a smaller fund that targets skills development and telecom technologies more likely to generate a return on investment. The new Bell Innovation Fund (BIF) has been implemented in Quebec and negotiations are ongoing with universities in other provinces to expand it nationally. The change to one of Canada's richest corporate-academic funding programs comes as Bell seeks to re-orient its corporate strategy following last year's failed attempt to go private, which raised the ire of shareholders seeking to maximize their return on investment. It also follows a marked decline in BCE Inc.’s R&D spending, which fell 13.6% in FY07 to $1.26 billion. (also see chart) At its...
Nearly a decade since his short-lived web company iCraveTV.com set the broadcast establishment on its ear, William Craig is back, and he’s preparing a new business venture. “It relates to technology, and it’s a brilliant idea,” he says. “It will take me into the States, as well as...
CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein told MPs this week that CTVglobemedia and the CBC should be able to reach an agreement that will allow CBC to broadcast the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to Francophones communities in Quebec. Testifying before the Standing Committee on Official Languages on Tuesday, von...
As the CRTC awaits comments on the distribution of Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera English (AJE) in Canada, two of Canada’s major BDUs have expressed interest in carrying AJE if the CRTC approves the move, according to the president of a company that is acting on AJE’s behalf....
The newly appointed president and CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) says his policy directions will mainly centre on pushing for more shelf space for Canadian content and encouraging independent producers to exploit new digital platforms - but not at the expense...
Bell Canada says it’s prepared to spend $5 million annually to convert analog broadcast signals to digital, but it wants concessions in return from both broadcasters and the CRTC, the Commons Heritage Committee heard yesterday. “Broadcasters would avoid the massive cost of upgrading their analog transmitters...
Proposals from Industry Canada to give additional satellite frequencies to direct-to-home (DTH) television services and to allocate more bandwidth for tactical systems are being criticized by the wireless industry. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) tells the department that giving portions of...
A year after Remstar Broadcasting Inc. bought cash-strapped TQS, the president of the Quebec-based company has told the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that TQS’ bad days are behind it – but the network still needs another revenue stream to stay afloat. Maxime Rémillard said TQS’...
Ten years in business. Nearly two million subscribers. No profit. This is Bell TV today. It begs certain questions: Is satellite broadcasting a viable business model? If so, what’s wrong with Bell? Around the world, most direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV providers “of the size and scale of Bell TV…are...
The next few weeks could represent the broadcast industry’s best chance yet for convincing regulators and legislators that fee-for-carriage is the only salvation for Canada’s ailing broadcast industry. The president and CEO of CTVglobemedia, Ivan Fecan, even went so far yesterday as to assure CRTC commissioners that the tens of millions of dollars it would generate from carriage fees would go to local programming – despite concerns to the contrary. The much-awaited CRTC licence renewal hearings kicked off yesterday to a passionate plea from Fecan for the regulator to do everything in its power to save local programming, which he suggested should include both...
Financial trend-spotters and digital media companies say a new BC-based venture capital fund started by people with serious electronic know-how is excellent news for the industry – especially in light of a dismal 2008 for Canadian venture capital overall. “The investment community is small and young in...
An independent consultant’s report commissioned by the CRTC puts the cost of converting over-the-air (OTA) transmitters to digital at more than $424 million, a figure likely to raise the ire of broadcasters who have long argued that OTA conversion is too expensive and not justified since most Canadians receive...
American stations are baffled by a CRTC rule that allows cable and satellite companies to re-transmit local TV stations – a situation that is creating unfair competition for local stations and undermining their financial survival, CTVglobemedia president and CEO Ivan Fecan told the House of Commons Heritage Committee...
Corus Entertainment Inc. has inked an agreement with MySpace Canada that will deliver Corus’s 50-plus radio stations to the popular networking site via a new web portal ( www.MySpace.com/radio). The move is designed to offset a drop in advertising revenues that shows no sign of reversing anytime soon. The Montreal...
Rogers Communications Inc. took its battle against fee-for-carriage to Parliament Hill yesterday, hoping this time to convince legislators that carriage fees are effectively a consumer tax that will prove unnecessary once the current advertising crisis is over. Rogers executives were the first industry representatives to appear before House of Commons Heritage Committee as part of its review of the financial crisis affecting broadcasters, particularly local TV stations. The broadcast industry insists that the conventional over-the-air system is broken, and that introducing a monthly fee for carriage for their signals is the only solution. Rogers vice chair Phil Lind described their claim...
Tapping into its strength as one of Canada’s largest carriers of popular television shows, Global Television has unveiled a redesigned website—its biggest digital makeover yet—equipped with a robust video centre that is expected to enhance user experience, attract more online...
If BDUs want to keep as much as $109 million in new revenues from ads inserted into the two minutes per hour of local avails on US programming, they should be prepared to hand over half to support Canadian programming, organizations representing actors, producers and film directors tell the CRTC....
Amidst the backdrop of the global economic meltdown and dwindling ad revenues for the broadcast industry, Canada’s big cablecos are calling on the CRTC to allow advertising on local avails, arguing that the move will open up a new stream of income that will benefit the whole broadcasting system. But the move is...
Canadian companies, already laggards when it comes to integrating social media into their marketing, need to start developing plans for the next technology wave: mobile searches, warns search engine expert Jeff Quipp. Google is already leading the way with its launch in March of a free business locator “411”...
Two of Canada’s big cablecos are cautioning the CRTC against changing the existing video-on-demand regulatory framework and adopting rules that restrict the growth of VOD and its expansion onto digital platforms. Cable giants Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc....
Canwest Television Ltd. wants the CRTC to make it easier for broadcasters to access a new $60-million local programming fund by eliminating complicated allocation formulas, and allowing funding to go to expenses other than strictly local news. The CBC disagrees, saying new money should only reward...
The CRTC should not use its regulatory might to bail out CTV Inc., Canwest Television Ltd, and Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. for financial woes that have been largely self-inflicted, warns Canada’s actors, producers and screen writers. One union blames the problem on an “orgy of self-indulgence” that has seen...
Three of Canada’s largest broadcast distributors are attempting to stave off any further moves by the CRTC to hike cable and satellite TV bills as a way to subsidize money-losing local television stations. Instead, the companies are using the OTA licence renewal proceeding (2009-113) to pitch other ways in which local...
As other middle power countries like Britain, France and New Zealand gear up to create national digital strategies, there are calls in Canada for the federal government and industry leaders to create a similar strategy here – one that encompasses everything from broadband infrastructure to content creation and intellectual property. The idea, floated by the chair of the National Film Board in February, is now finding support at the highest levels of the CRTC. CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein told a Heritage Committee hearing last month that Canada needs a national digital strategy as part of a holistic plan to improve the prospects of the broadcasting industry. In February, Tom...
Canada’s biggest telecom players – including BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Bell Aliant – as well as smaller ICT and digital media companies will face some stringent new reporting rules when applying for research tax credits this year, warns Canada’s largest technology association. Some companies will be...
Francophone and Anglophone minorities will have to rely on the Internet to get more programming in their own language, following a March 30 CRTC report to the federal government that rejects demands from some community groups that broadcasters and BDUs offer more minority language content. Released this week, the report...
Ontario’s interactive media industry – tagged as one of the province’s growth sectors – says the Ontario government is doing the right thing in providing a $100-million boost to tax credits, increasing funding to the Ontario Media Development Corporation and creating a new venture capital fund....
“Will the broadcaster portal survive?” This was the last question at the last session of the Interactive Exchange conference held earlier this month in Toronto. And while nobody yet knows the answer, broadcasters admit the learning curve is steep and difficult. “The business of television is...
While conventional broadcasters struggle to stay solvent, discretionary services continued to enjoy stable returns in 2008, primarily as a result of nearly $1.9 billion in subscriber fees from BDUs -- a regulatory concession broadcasters have been lobbying to get for years. More than 65% of the discretionary services sector's total annual revenue came from monthly carriage fees. Statistical and financial summaries released by the CRTC today show that specialty, pay, PPV and VOD reported a 7.6% increase in total revenues last year, to $2.9 billion, up from $2.7 billion in 2007. While profits before interest and taxes rose by 5.9%, coming in at $686.1 million, the PBIT margin...
CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein told MPs yesterday his agency is doing everything it can to help cash-strapped broadcasters over the next year, but points out that other measures – including allowing drug ads and eliminating Part II licence fees – could generate more cash and in a...
Before announcing massive layoffs at its ‘A’ stations in early March, CTVglobemedia Inc. was involved in a busy lobbying campaign targeting Heritage minister James Moore, leader of the official opposition Michael Ignatieff, Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae and a host of opposition critics on the Heritage...
When nearly everyone in the communications industry is shrinking under heavy debt loads and a weak economy, Canada’s digital media industry is bucking the global trend with 2008 revenue results that exceed even the most optimistic predictions. Overall, the industry generated $4.7 billion in 2008 – a 50.9%...
Guy Mayson, outgoing president and CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), says despite the country’s economic woes, he remains optimistic that smart policies and incentives will continue to fuel demand for independent productions. “The reason I am optimistic is that,...
The CRTC has summoned the CBC for a public hearing on June 2 to answer charges that the public broadcaster is flouting regulations by enacting an unauthorized change in the licence conditions of a television service catering to rural Canadians. The CRTC says CBC’s broadcast of the television service, called Bold,...
Private broadcasters are hinting the CRTC may have to lower its expectations for local programming in light of the global economic meltdown. Responding to the commission’s request for a framework for the proposed Local Programming Improvement Fund, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters says the CRTC’s...
Bell Aliant’s ability to compete with EastLink for TV customers in Atlantic Canada could be severely curtailed if the federal Cabinet doesn’t overturn a recent CRTC decision on speed matching – a ruling that gives competitors wholesale access to next-generation facilities. Speaking with Canadian...
Quebecor Media Inc.’s Internet business is still making money but that could change if the CRTC decides to impose a levy to support the creation of Canadian content online. Quebecor’s chief executive Pierre-Karl Péladeau made the comments yesterday during an appearance...
After 18 months of behind-the-scenes work, cable giant Rogers Communications Inc. is launching a broadband television portal by mid-year that it says will keep subscribers paying while offering pay and specialty services a chance to expand audience reach at minimal additional cost. “This service will improve the value of the traditional TV platform and reduce churn. This in turn will keep viewers connected to the Canadian broadcasting system,” said David Purdy, VP and general manager, television services at Rogers Cable. Unveiled today at the new media hearing, Rogers executives said the video portal will also save pay and speciality services, who depend on subscription revenues from Broadcast Distribution Undertakings (BDUs), the pain of “cannibalizing” or...
In the wake of CTVglobemedia Inc.’s payroll purge across its “A” TV stations earlier this month, some people now wonder if the layoffs were as much a political ploy as an economic necessity. Bob Smith, former a.m. news anchor at A London – one of the stations affected by the cuts – figures...
The head of regulatory affairs at Rogers Communications Inc. slammed Pelmorex Media Inc. for saying his company makes it difficult for consumers to view a broad variety of wireless content on its devices. Ken Engelhart, senior VP of regulatory affairs at the media and communications giant, said what Pelmorex and others are...
Governments need to work more closely with banks, venture capitalists and multinational companies to create a bigger funding pipeline for Ontario’s nascent mobile industry, and collaborate with post-secondary institutions to develop a mobile workforce strategy, recommends a new draft...
The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) is urging the CRTC to extend the new media exemption regime to allow time to test a new partnership that could dramatically boost the amount of video advertising on the Internet. Online video advertising in Canada represents less than 1% of all online advertising, generating...
The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) says it has come up with a cost-effective plan for implementing digital over-the-air in small markets but claims broadcasters are ignoring the proposal because they want to abandon OTA transmissions altogether. The union, which represents 6,000 workers in public and private broadcasting, says costs for converting analog transmitters to digital can be drastically brought down through a process called multiplexing, which allows broadcasters to split the cost of operating transmitters. Karen Wirsig, CMG communications coordinator, says the guild has commissioned research that shows that the average cost per broadcaster could be reduced to $22,000, compared to...
Facing what it calls an “immediate” threat from unregulated Internet radio, Sirius Satellite says CRTC should use its regulatory powers to force ISPs to block audio content that does not comply with Canadian content requirements in order for satellite radio to be competitive. “The reason I...
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association argued before the CRTC this week that imposing a levy on wireless operators to support the development of Canadian content online is nothing more than a cash grab. Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the CWTA, told commissioners mobile broadcasting and video services...
Broadcasters who purchase new media rights for programming should lose those rights within a year if they are not exploited, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association told the CRTC’s new media hearing Tuesday. The idea caught the attention of chair Konrad von Finckenstein who asked the CFTPA to table...
The CRTC should adopt new rules that allow cable and satellite TV subscribers to access the same television services on web and mobile portals, executives from GlassBox TV told the CRTC’s new media hearing today. Raja Khanna, co-CEO of the Toronto-based multi-platform broadcaster, said such a move could—over...
The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto is transforming Instructional television (ITV) into a free web-based broadcasting service that is experimenting with new advertising models, new formats and new technologies to find out how people use ITV and why. It’s also demonstrating how universities and other...
The challenge of reaching audiences through digital platforms and the global economic downturn pose considerable threats for the Canadian film production industry, warns a report released yesterday in Ottawa. The 83-page 09 Profile report examines the economic state of the film and...
The executive director of Telefilm Canada says Canada's international co-production treaties are antiquated and need to be updated to conform to the digital era. Wayne Clarkson made the comments at a panel discussion on day one of the annual convention of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association...
A potential move by Hollywood producers to distribute films online could further shrink the market for Canadian films unless the CRTC adopts protectionist regulations, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) told the commission during day one of the new media hearing. "If you see...
Location-based services (LBS) have been have plagued by device fragmentation, privacy concerns and screen sizes too small for optimal map views. But that isn't stopping companies like The Weather Network and Fido from tapping into the potential of SMS to build customer loyalty and new revenue streams, delegates learned at this week's Canadian Marketing Association's Mobile Marketing conference in Toronto. "Some of the key trends to watch out for are in location-based services," said Dré Labre, creative director at Tribal DDB. "Pull automation and push automation offer a lot of potential." The popularity of GPS-enabled mobile devices is one of the key factors...
The CTV-led Olympics broadcast consortium has announced the launch of two websites that are expected to attract over 200 million visits in the one-year period leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but plans for distribution on mobile platforms are yet to be finalized. Launched this week,...
Internet traffic management could soon become more acute as some vendors adopt tougher inspection capabilities to overcome the limitations of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology, a new report released this week by the CRTC suggests. The report, prepared by Heavy Reading, is part of the commission's proceeding...
Heritage Minister James Moore suggested Monday that advertising on CBC Radio "is an option." Moore made the comments during an exchange with NDP heritage critic Charlie Angus during the minister's first address to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. As the CRTC's April deadline for the renewal of broadcast licences approaches,...
Star Choice Communications could see a major boost in its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV services, including high-definition, if Industry Canada authorizes the use of additional satellite frequencies. The department launched a consultation in December on the possible use of extended Ku-band frequencies for DTH...
Advertisers are turning to online news portals and social networking web sites to connect with customers - but this shift to digital might not offset ad-dollar losses in traditional media, according to industry insiders. While market analysts haven't crunched the numbers yet, the situation seems dire for broadcast and print companies. Major Canadian newspapers and broadcasters are cutting jobs (the Halifax Chronicle-Herald recently chopped 20 newsroom staff members) because of poor advertising revenue. And with the economy now in recession, things could get even worse. Compounding this is a general shift to new media. "Any executive with teenagers in their households sees the writing on the walls," says Darren Kelly, general manager of social media marketing firm...
A wide-spread sale of fake and pirated goods on Internet platforms in Canada is costing the country millions of dollars in lost revenue, and undermining capacities for innovation and economic growth, warns a report from the Canadian Intellectual Property Council (CIPC). Titled A Time for Change: Towards a New Era...
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) believes it can find a more sympathetic ear from federal politicians and senior bureaucrats than from the CRTC when it comes to influencing copyright and broadcasting policy. But to direct our industry's attention away from an informed and independent...
The recession has affected consumer confidence, corporate coffers, and investment attitudes. Now, it's even affecting broadcast regulatory hearings. On Friday the CRTC said it would review the scope of the licence renewal hearings for private TV stations "to determine how the focus can be significantly narrowed...
Canadians traveling to the United States, or visiting a U.S. website, will be affected by a petition to the Washington DC-based Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to get tough on mobile marketers and consumer privacy, some experts say. And while consumer protection laws are more stringent here in Canada, a Montreal lawyer...
Stakeholders in the new media and broadcast industries say they welcome commitments in this year's federal budget to spur growth but warn that the money is still not enough to enable both sectors to realize their full potential. The federal government budget allocated $28.6 million over the next two years to the...
While the Conservative Party's budget recognized the importance of the knowledge economy by investing in some information and communications technologies (ICT) sectors - such as broadband and electronic health records - it missed the boat on stimulating venture capital investment in early stage companies. For years...
Digital media companies will soon be able to kick the tires of new technologies and collaborate with researchers when the two hubs of a Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media (CACDM) open later this year. The centres in Kitchener and Stratford ON will offer a full suite of services and collaborative opportunities...
Next month's new media hearing isn't likely to address the challenges of broadcasting on the Internet and it is time to transfer policy issues from the CRTC to Canadian Heritage, says a report from the SeaBoard Group, an independent marketing and technology research company with offices in Toronto...
After securing $2 million in funding from iNovia Capital, Montreal-based Airborne Mobile Inc. is set to usher in the new year with a slew of new product enterprises--an application for home buyers, an interactive TV application and a privacy application for cell phone users--that will cement the company's reputation as a leading contributor to the ever budding mobile media space. The mobile content company is touting the application for home buyers and real estate agents as a revolutionary move that will help home buyers and real estate agents buy and sell houses easily. To get set up, users send a simple text message on their mobile phones, thereafter allowing them to browse and...
