Give cable/DTH subs access to same TV programming online: GlassBox TV

Media | 02/23/2009 8:08 pm EST

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...

MedSchoolTV experiments with Internet broadcasting for medical information

Media | 02/23/2009 7:18 pm EST

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...

Digital platforms, global recession threaten Canadian production industry: CFTPA report

Media | 02/20/2009 2:55 pm EST

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...

Canada’s international co-production treaties need updating: Telefilm

Media | 02/19/2009 8:33 pm EST

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...

Canada will suffer if Hollywood movies go online, unless CRTC intervenes: ACTRA

Media | 02/17/2009 9:16 pm EST

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 that development as imminent, then it puts pressure on these guys [CRTC] to get the regulation right here in Canada," says Garry Neil, a policy issues manager for ACTRA. "We only have less than one per cent of screen time that is occupied by Canadian movies. So it's pretty tough, we are already dominated by Hollywood feature films. It will just be a continuation...

The Weather Network and Fido share secrets to successful location-based advertising

Media | 02/12/2009 6:00 pm EST

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...

CTV consortium launches most ambitious web coverage of any Olympics

Media | 02/12/2009 5:35 pm EST

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 likely to become more invasive: report

Media | 02/11/2009 8:49 pm EST

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...

Advertising on CBC radio an option: Heritage minister

Media | 02/11/2009 2:30 am EST

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 could get more channels if government allows DTH in extended Ku-band

Media | 02/06/2009 8:08 pm EST

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...

Online ads expected to rise – but will it be enough?

Media | 02/06/2009 5:09 pm EST

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...

Intellectual Property Council renews push for copyright reform

Media | 02/05/2009 7:53 pm EST

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...

Commentary: CAB decision to abandon CRTC in favour of political lobbying a “mistake”

Media | 02/02/2009 7:57 pm EST

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...

CRTC narrows scope of broadcast licence renewal hearings

Media | 02/02/2009 3:18 pm EST

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 or reduced....The review is being conducted in light of the concerns raised by conventional broadcasters about the challenges of the broadcasting environment, as well as the current economic climate," reads a press statement from the commission. A CRTC spokeswoman wouldn't explain the "concerns" mentioned in the statement, or expand on the effect of "the current economic climate" on the proceedings. But she did say part of the reason for the...

US privacy petition could be good news for Canadian users of mobile devices

Media | 02/02/2009 12:47 am EST

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...

Budget commitments for new media, television production fall short of expectations

Media | 01/29/2009 8:25 pm EST

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...

Tory budget fails to address venture capital gap: ITAC

Media | 01/29/2009 6:36 pm EST

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...

Kitchener, Stratford unveil details of new digital media research corridor

Media | 01/29/2009 3:00 am EST

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...

Canadian Heritage – not CRTC – should deal with Internet broadcasting policies: Seaboard

Media | 01/28/2009 2:49 pm EST

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 and Montreal.   The report, titled Paradise Lost: On the future of television and the challenge for Canadian public policy, suggests that the CRTC's limited and archaic mandate renders the public regulator incapable of addressing complex challenges to the business models of IP technologies in as far as broadcasting is concerned. It also suggests the CRTC is unlikely to make any headway on...

Airborne Mobile launches new applications in wake of rebranding to reflect expansion ambitions

Media | 01/26/2009 6:46 pm EST

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...

NFB launches digital transformation with 700 online movies

Media | 01/22/2009 8:26 pm EST

After 15 months of behind-the-scenes work, the National Film Board (NFB) finally unveiled a massive $1.3-million online screening room this week as part of a strategic plan featuring a sweeping digital transformation at the public film producer and distributor. NFB.ca hosts over 700 films, ranging from trailers to...

Commentary: War of words erupts between CTV and CBC over sharing Olympic coverage

Media | 01/20/2009 10:01 pm EST

One might think that the country's two largest broadcasters could set aside their differences to ensure that all Canadians can watch the 2010 Winter Olympics on their televisions. But an exchange of letters between CTVglobemedia and the CBC reveals just how far apart the two competitors actually are.   An alliance...

CRTC, Heritage and CBC must do more to promote linguistic diversity: OCOL

Media | 01/19/2009 8:46 pm EST

The CRTC, Canadian Heritage and the CBC are not doing enough to ensure that minority Francophone and Anglophone communities are benefiting from original home-grown programming, according to the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). Appearing before the CRTC Friday, Graham Fraser said as a first step, the CRTC should...

Shaw CEO puzzled over Rogers’ slowdown in attracting new cable subs

Media | 01/19/2009 2:55 pm EST

Shaw Communications is seeing few signs of an economic slowdown in its home operating territories, according to financial and subscriber results released last week. The company added 9,198 new basic cable subscribers in the quarter, versus 8,138 in the same 2007 period. Digital customers grew by 60,717, compared to...

CTV should share Olympics coverage with CBC: CRTC chair

Media | 01/15/2009 3:44 pm EST

CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein has urged the CBC and CTV to put aside differences hampering a deal to work together in covering the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver to ensure that French-speaking communities do not miss out on the games. A visibly frustrated von Finckenstein repeatedly told CTV executives on...

Cogeco in good shape despite recession and troubles in Portugal

Media | 01/15/2009 3:00 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. put out some solid numbers in its first quarter, demonstrating that slower growth reported at Rogers Communications Inc. earlier this month is not a sector-wide trend. "Our results for the first quarter for our cable company continue to be outstanding," president and CEO Louis Audet said...

CAB hits snag in meeting Jan. 19 deadline for new local programming fund

Media | 01/12/2009 9:37 pm EST

The proposed Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) has hit its first snag with a Jan. 19 deadline that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is finding difficult to meet. It's uncertain if the delay will prompt the CRTC to open up the bidding for other groups interested in administering the new fund. In...

Yangaroo claims victory over Destiny in online music patent battle; lawsuits continue

Media | 01/12/2009 7:42 pm EST

Toronto-based Yangaroo Inc. has won a critical U.S. patent battle for its digital music distribution technology, but its legal woes are far from over. Four multi-million dollar lawsuits over patent infringement and defamation with a Vancouver competitor could ultimately decide which company - and which made-in-Canada technology - will get a crack at the lucrative U.S. market. Yangaroo and Destiny Media Technologies Inc. have been duking it out since 2006 over encryption technology that enables music labels to distribute their music online to radio stations - foregoing the need for CDs and costly courier fees. Both companies claim they were first with the technology. But Yangaroo...

Shaw continues to face local opposition in bid to buy Campbell River system

Media | 01/10/2009 1:53 am EST

As Shaw Communications Inc. awaits a CRTC ruling on the controversial sale of the non-profit Campbell River cable system in BC, a group opposed to the sale is hoping alleged anomalies in tax filing will sway the commission to stop the deal. John Twigg, spokesperson for the Committee to Save CRTV, suggests a pending...

CBC, CAB face opposition in bid to delay local avails and VOD reviews

Media | 01/07/2009 11:38 pm EST

A request by the CBC and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to delay two CRTC framework proceedings - one on local avails and another on video-on-demand - has met with stiff opposition from broadcast companies and content producers. A majority of the 18 companies-including big names like Bell Canada, CTV...

Canada-wide survey to gauge state of digital media sector

Media | 01/07/2009 6:47 pm EST

The Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) is surveying companies across the country to find how the digital media sector has changed since 2006. The data will be used by lobbyists to push for new policies and funding to stimulate the sector, primarily through better access to money, skilled labour and markets. The...

Rejected CRTC applicant wants bigger role for French-language community radio; hearing begins Jan. 20

Media | 01/05/2009 8:51 pm EST

Having lost its bid to operate a FM community radio station in Ottawa - and then succeeding in persuading Canadian Heritage to force the CRTC to reconsider its decision - an eastern Ontario group is now pushing the regulator to extend the reach of community radio and provincial public broadcasters...

Cablecos poised to increase lead in broadband speeds, but telcos not out yet

Media | 01/05/2009 2:40 pm EST

Telcos such as Bell Canada and Telus Corp. will lose the war against cablecos such as Rogers Communications Inc. and Vidéotron ltée for broadband service supremacy – unless the phone companies take drastic and expensive actions, according to telecom analyst Dvai Ghose.Speaking at the 5th Canadian Telecommunications Forum late last year, the Genuity Capital Markets’ analyst said many cable companies already offer higher broadband service speeds than some telcos. And now that certain cablecos are rolling out the latest version of the Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS 3.0) for broadband transport, the speed gap between the telcos and the cablecos could grow even...

Future of Canadian new media depends on more support of traditional broadcasters: CBC

Media | 12/22/2008 8:44 pm EST

Conventional broadcasters need more funding, as well as tax changes that give advertisers an incentive to advertise on Canadian websites, if Canada hopes to have a thriving and sustainable industry for new media, the CBC tells the CRTC.The CBC contends that traditional broadcasters provide the...

Mashed up content on social media sites would be illegal under new copyright law

Media | 12/22/2008 3:42 pm EST

Using copyrighted material for satire on social networking sites like YouTube is rampant, but it could also become illegal unless the federal government includes user rights in new copyright legislation, expected to be tabled when the government resumes business after Jan. 27, warns some of Canada's leading copyright...

Decision Makers Series: Long-time public advocacy lawyer leaves Ottawa

Media | 12/18/2008 8:32 pm EST

After five and a half years at the helm of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) Philippa Lawson is hanging up her boots, with a warning that privacy issues on the Internet, convergence and deep package inspection (DPI) still pose challenges that need to be monitored to protect the interests of...

Moses Znaimer targets babyboomers with new social media site

Media | 12/18/2008 8:11 pm EST

Moses Znaimer is at it again. The broadcasting pioneer behind Citytv, MuchMusic and Bravo is aiming his crosshairs at a new, yet older, audience - baby boomers. And he's going after them from every angle.The broadcasting visionary and president of Zoomermedia Ltd. recently launched a social networking site, www.zoomers.ca,...

Supreme Court to hear $100 million broadcast fee dispute

Media | 12/18/2008 7:39 pm EST

After winning one court battle and then losing another in April, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has persuaded the Supreme Court of Canada to hear its case into whether - in effect - the CRTC is a de facto tax collector for the federal government.In a decision released without comment today, Canada's highest...

High costs and scarce bandwidth stifling users and creators of new media, Nunavut group tells CRTC

Media | 12/18/2008 6:27 pm EST

Network throttling in Nunavut is part of daily life and will only get worse unless the government takes action to replace expensive satellite links with fibre as the main method for moving data into and out of remote communities, a Nunavut group tells the CRTC. The situation, it warns, is even more...

MTS Allstream kicks cost cutting into high gear, looks to wireless, IPTV and enterprise for growth

Media | 12/18/2008 2:45 pm EST

MTS Allstream Inc. is going to ramp up cost cutting efforts in 2009 as part of an operational efficiency initiative it kicked off in 2008, president and CEO Pierre Blouin noted during the company's 2009 guidance conference call with analysts yesterday."We will take out more costs in 2009 than...

Satellite radio under threat from unregulated Internet radio, warns Sirius

Media | 12/15/2008 9:25 pm EST

Unregulated Internet radio services delivered on mobile devices pose a financial threat to the satellite radio industry in Canada and may eventually result in the industry failing to comply with its Canadian content obligations and other CRTC-mandated requirements, Sirius Satellite Radio warns in a letter to the CRTC.Unlike...

Anglophone Quebeckers being denied access to must-carry English service, argues Allarco

Media | 12/15/2008 8:39 pm EST

Allarco Entertainment Inc. is using a government-mandated hearing on minority language TV services in an attempt to force Videotron Ltd to make Super Channel available to nearly eight million anglophones living in Quebec.More than a year after its launch, Super Channel still isn't available to terrestrial cable subscribers in Quebec, despite receiving must carry status from the CRTC in 2006. It's now hoping to persuade the CRTC - as part of its hearing into the availability of English and French-language broadcasting services in English and French minority communities - to force Videotron to carry the service, particularly in Montreal and the Outaouais region which have significant...

Audio and visually impaired Canadians get their own channel on basic tier

Media | 12/11/2008 3:28 pm EST

For the first time ever, Canadians with hearing and visual disabilities have a dedicated channel that will feature closed captioned and descriptive audio programming from major Canadian and US broadcasters. Last week’s launch of The Accessible Channel (TAC) – which will cost BDU subscribers 20 cents each per month –...

Telephony fuelling growth for cable TV companies: StatsCan

Media | 12/10/2008 9:34 pm EST

The cable industry’s expansion into the telephone market is producing dividends in the form of a considerable increase in the number of subscribers, which reached 14.2 million in 2007, according to figures released this week from Statistics Canada.The statistics show that more than half of these new customers were...

Lack of funding and talent limiting growth in Ontario’s mobile content sector

Media | 12/10/2008 12:14 am EST

Less than 5% of experts in Ontario's mobile content sector believe the province's wireless industry is a leader in entrepreneurship and innovation, and only 20% agree Ontario has a solid global hold on data-centric mobile devices, such as the Blackberry. Despite the poor showing, survey respondents say there are things the...

Telus warns against ISP levy and calls for new broadband policy

Media | 12/08/2008 8:43 pm EST

As the global economic meltdown continues biting, Telus Communications Inc. is warning the CRTC that it has no mandate to impose a levy on ISPs in the absence of a new policy approach on broadband.Telus made the comments in its comments to the regulator's new media hearing scheduled for Jan. 17. A CRTC-imposed levy on...

Online video games and user-generated videos should be regulated: ACTRA

Media | 12/08/2008 7:37 pm EST

As ISPs rally against any regulation of online content, the union representing broadcast artists says the CRTC should to start licensing anyone who streams video content that originates in Canada, even video games. ACTRA also wants Cancon rules extended to the Internet and ISPs and wireless service providers to contribute $107 million annually into a new media production fund.ACTRA's attempt to apply the full force of broadcasting regulations to the Internet is grounded in its belief that, in the near future, most Canadians will receive their films, television, music and other entertainment and information programs via the Internet and mobile devices. It refers to a recent study conducted by...

Tax incentives credited with creating a global powerhouse for gaming in Canada: UK study

Media | 12/04/2008 7:57 pm EST

Canada's video games sector slipped from third place globally to fifth place this year, but "its long term position in the top echelons of the world's great development territories seems assured". That's the conclusion of a comprehensive study released today in the UK which finds that...

Asking CRTC to review French-language station licence, not political: Moore

Media | 12/04/2008 3:03 pm EST

Heritage minister James Moore says a decision asking the CRTC to review a rejected licence application for a French-language radio station in the Ottawa region is not motivated by politics. Nor, he adds, is it an attempt to influence the regulatory agency.“I am not trying to certainly direct any ultimate decision by the...

Heritage minister says regulatory barriers should not impede rollout of OTA digital TV

Media | 12/02/2008 9:34 pm EST

In what could be his first and last speech to the industry—depending on the outcome of moves for a coalition government next week—Heritage Minister James Moore weighed in on Canada’s transition to digital, urging for an industry-led solution that will see over-the-air (OTA) broadcasters...

Rogers Communications founder and CEO dies

Media | 12/02/2008 5:47 pm EST

Canadian communications pioneer Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers, died at his home this morning in Toronto at the age of 75. Tech Media Reports looks back at a few of the industry issues he has championed over his long career.As the founder and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., Rogers was known for his indefatigable drive in building his company...

Glassbox TV on verge of new deal with Canada’s mobile carriers

Media | 12/01/2008 10:44 pm EST

Glassbox TV is expected to shatter expectations when a new deal with Canadian mobile carriers is announced later this month."Put it this way- the carriers are eager to promote their phones as music-friendly and because AUX has a lot of buzz, and could be the next big music thing there's a strong desire to create a...

The Fight Network’s expansion into French-language market receives boost from CRTC

Media | 12/01/2008 9:35 pm EST

Toronto-based The Fight Network Inc. received a boost to its ambitions to expand into the French-language market in Canada when the CRTC today approved its licence to operate a category 2 specialty program known as Le Réseau des Combats.Le Réseau des Combats would primarily be available to...

Decision Makers Series: Kenton Low predicts dire future for BC digital media sector unless government and academia intervene

Media | 12/01/2008 7:02 pm EST

Kenton Low doesn't mince words when it comes to predicting the fate of British Columbia's digital media sector. "It will be gone in 10 years", he told the province's Finance committee this fall. But the president of New Media BC (NMBC) is also optimistic, having scored some initial...

ISPs should take initiative to stop piracy, without the heavy hand of legislation: Quebecor executive

Media | 11/27/2008 8:11 pm EST

The new VP, corporate and institutional affairs at Quebecor Media Inc. warns that Canadians will look elsewhere for their Internet fix if the federal government and its regulator don’t break with protectionist policies that stifle consumer choice and innovation. At the same time, J.Serge...

New funding will help digital media firms tap into university research and global markets

Media | 11/27/2008 7:28 pm EST

A new $10-million equity fund for early stage companies and up to $600,000 per company for international partnering are among the new initiatives announced this week to move homegrown digital media and information and communications technologies (ICT) more quickly into the market.On Tuesday, the federal government launched a new national commercialization centre that will see the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) partnering with the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) on a new $10-million fund that will purchase equity stakes in early stage and start up technology companies across Canada.The Centre for the Commercialization of Research (CCR) has also partnered with...

VRS, DV and CC top list of concerns at disability hearing

Media | 11/24/2008 4:35 pm EST

Carriers and broadcasters could face hundreds of millions of dollars in new costs if the CRTC sides with advocates for audio and visually impaired Canadians demanding universal access to Described Video (DV), Audio Description (AD) and a Video Relay System (VRS). These were among the top concerns raised at last week’s...

Commentary: Forget Net throttling, governments sold out private communications years ago

Media | 11/21/2008 9:37 pm EST

The CRTC’s decision to deny a complaint from the Canadian Association of Internet Providers regarding Bell Canada Enterprises’ controversial throttling practices has received a lot of attention – mostly negative – on Internet message boards.  But both Canada and the...

Don’t burden small cable with expensive fixes to serve disabled customers: CCSA cautions

Media | 11/20/2008 8:32 pm EST

Small cablecos, appearing before the CRTC yesterday, cautioned against a one-size fits all approach to providing telecom and broadcast services to people with disabilities, saying installing complex and expensive systems is beyond the financial reach of smaller operators and that the eventual...

ISPs will get second chance to fight for Net Neutrality; but status quo remains until 2010

Media | 11/20/2008 7:49 pm EST

Independent ISPs, disappointed with a CRTC ruling today denying a Canadian Association of Internet Providers' (CAIP) application against Bell Canada's traffic management practices, will get a second kick at the can to convince the CRTC that it should uphold Net Neutrality."Essentially what we...

Community radio to get cash for training and skills development

Media | 11/20/2008 4:04 pm EST

Volunteer-run radio broadcasters, long starved of cash, will receive a jab in the arm next year with the launch of a new national program for training and skills development.Armed with $1.4 million in its coffers, the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CFRC) is looking to launch two programs to support community broadcasting. The funding comes from Astral Media Inc. and will be used to manage the Astral Media Radio Talent Development Program and the Astral Media Youth Development Program over seven years, or about $200,000 annually.“If all goes well, we plan to launch the call at the end of January, and stations will have a month to apply,” says Melanie Kaestner, CFRC’s executive director. CFRD members will have a month to submit proposals and Kaestner expects money will be dispersed by...

Economic meltdown hasn’t deterred JLA Ventures from investing in digital media

Media | 11/18/2008 5:18 pm EST

The stock markets are taking a beating and venture capital is at an all-time low, but that hasn't stopped J.L. Albright Venture Partners (JLA Ventures) from seeking out promising investments. In the past 11 months, the Toronto-based VC firm - which also co-manages the $150-million Blackberry Partners Fund - has invested...

Disability rights advocates call for creation of new industry-subsidized fund

Media | 11/17/2008 8:24 pm EST

The CRTC hearing on access of telecom and broadcasting services to people with disabilities kicked off today with calls for the creation of a national fund to subsidize the provision of accessible services to the disabled.The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), which was first up this morning, said such a...

New deal allows distribution of TVO programs on the Internet

Media | 11/13/2008 8:11 pm EST

As TVOntario continues on a digital path announced early this year, the Ontario public broadcaster has inked yet another deal that will see its premium content distributed through a channel on the popular Internet networking site YouTube.The deal, made public today, allows both parties to share revenues through advertising...

New local programming fund could trigger stricter reporting rules for CBC

Media | 11/13/2008 7:58 pm EST

A stipulation allowing the CBC access to money from the proposed Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) is likely to force the public broadcaster to report expenditures incurred by its stations and affiliates in smaller markets to the CRTC -- something the public broadcaster has resisted doing for years.The CBC’s...

Toronto company finds way to increase ad clicks 400% on social networks

Media | 11/13/2008 6:34 pm EST

A re-branded Toronto-based company is finalizing its choice for a CEO and recruited an industry heavyweight to its board, as its seeks $5-7 million in second round financing for a new technology that can increase ad hits on Facebook and other social media sites by more than 400%.Peerset Inc. – which just recently changed...

CRTC budget shortfall to affect delivery of services: von Finckenstein

Media | 11/10/2008 7:57 pm EST

The chair of the CRTC warns that a $9 million budgetary shortfall beginning April 1 will mean slower service and a reprioritizing of activities. Konrad von Finckenstein also ruled out increases in licence fees, and with the global economic crisis continuing, it’s doubtful the federal government will be loosening the purse...

BITE TV targets 18-34 year olds with online, mobile and TV broadcasts

Media | 11/10/2008 2:59 pm EST

Today’s re-launch of Bite TV signals that GlassBOX Television Inc. is ready to take a bite out of youth-oriented channels’ ratings by relying on low-cost, in-house productions. It also sets the stage for the November 24th unveiling of AUX TV- a new digital, interactive, music channel and website.“All of our channels,...

Digital rights continue to stymie business case for mobile reading, despite 25% growth in e-books

Media | 11/06/2008 8:32 pm EST

Mobile reading devices are opening new revenue opportunities for book publishers in Canada, but securing rights and identifying profitable business models continue to be a problem, says Jack Illingworth, a marketing technology consultant with the Association of Canadian Publishers. Like the music...

Gay-lesbian channel scores victory in battle for fair carriage on Shaw systems

Media | 11/06/2008 7:51 pm EST

Shaw Cablesystems Ltd. received a slap on wrist Tuesday for marketing practices that specialty channel OUTtv says have cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost subscriber revenue. While an executive with the gay and lesbian channel welcomes the ruling, he says safeguards are needed to protect independents who often face tough carriage negotiations with cable and satellite TV providers.In regulatory speak, the CRTC said Shaw subjected 6166954 Canada Inc., the licensee for OUTtv, to an "undue advantage" under the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations with respect to marketing of its Category 1 digital channel. At issue is Shaw's marketing practice of not providing OUTtv in...

The Drama Dilemma: The Battle for Canadian Drama

Media | 11/06/2008 3:16 am EST

While the industry – from performers to creators to producers to broadcasters to distributors to even the regulator – all agree more Canadian TV drama needs to be produced and watched, there is little agreement on how it should be financed. A major problem is that broadcasters can’t generate sufficient advertising dollars to cover...

Next Generation Television

Media | 11/06/2008 3:07 am EST

Television has been with us for more than 50 years, and is among the most pervasive and widely used technologies on the planet. Through much of this time period, TV has evolved in a gradual fashion, from small flickering black and white boxes, to colour, to bigger screens, to cable and satellite signals offering an overwhelming choice of programming. As we begin the 21st century, the next generation of TV is now upon...

Local content, interactivity, and multi-platforms key to maintaining competitive edge against big broadcasters

Media | 11/05/2008 9:14 pm EST

Competition from big media companies with vast resources and consolidated markets can prevent Canada’s small market broadcasters from creating niche markets, but an effective embrace of innovative web technology will help them counter the challenge, delegates attending the Canadian Association of...

Industry critics – and two commissioners – question need for new $60 million local news fund

Media | 11/03/2008 8:29 pm EST

A few days after the release of a new policy governing BDUs and discretionary programming services, stakeholders in the broadcast industry have started to ask tough questions about a key proposal designed to boost local programming in small markets. The new fund has also come under fire by two CRTC...

Cablecos anticipate tough negotiations with broadcasters in wake of CRTC framework decision

Media | 11/03/2008 4:44 pm EST

Last Thursday's landmark CRTC ruling on television carriage is winning praise from both large and small broadcast distributors, but the battle isn't over yet. Cable and satellite TV providers now have to sit down with disgruntled broadcasters to decide on a fair price for carrying distant television signals.One of the most contentious issues being considered as part of the BDU structural framework review was a proposal by broadcast networks - led by CTV and Global Television - to charge 50 cents per subscriber each month for over-the-air signals. It would have allowed broadcasters - for the first time - to generate revenue from signals aired in markets other than their own. But the...

CRTC should begin auctioning broadcast licences: AIMS

Media | 10/30/2008 7:27 pm EDT

Broadcasters in Canada could one day be bidding for their spectrum in a government-run auction - just like wireless service providers currently do - if Ottawa greenlights a recommendation in a new report from the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS)."Traditional distinctions between telecommunications and broadcasting are rapidly blurring...

CRTC restrictions, high production costs put Canadian TV beyond reach of visually impaired

Media | 10/30/2008 5:50 pm EDT

The high cost of producing Described Video (DV) and regulatory restrictions are preventing visually impaired people from fully accessing broadcast services on television, says a report commissioned by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) for the CRTC's Nov. 17 hearing on access of...

CRTC to issue new BDU and discretionary services policy

Media | 10/29/2008 9:21 pm EDT

More than a year after it issued a call on input to review the regulatory framework governing BDUs and discretionary programming services, the CRTC has finally reached a decision that will be made public at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Oct. 30.Stakeholders in the broadcast distribution industry hailed the review as appropriate and...

Copyright Board rules SOCAN can collect online music tariffs retroactively

Media | 10/29/2008 6:38 pm EDT

The Copyright Board of Canada has issued a ruling that opens the way for the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Producers of Canada (SOCAN) to charge royalties for the online use of music on websites belonging to radio and television stations.  The decision, reached last week, comes after years of legal tussles and...

Academia-industry partnership aims to boost mobile development

Media | 10/27/2008 6:22 pm EDT

Several Ontario academic institutions and a number of wireless and content companies have banded together to form the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC), an organization whose goal is to develop a centre of excellence for applied research, design and commercialization in Ontario's mobile content and services...

Find middle ground on ISP broadcast levy or prepare for legal battle, Telus exec warns

Media | 10/24/2008 8:34 pm EDT

A top executive from Telus is urging broadcast content producers and ISPs to find a middle ground on the contentious proposal for a CRTC-imposed ISP levy or risk a standoff in court over the issue.  Speaking at the Third Annual Entertainment Summit in Toronto this week, Michael Hennessy, Telus VP,...

Municipal-owned BDU gets green light in Thunder Bay

Media | 10/23/2008 4:56 pm EDT

The City of Thunder Bay scored a long-awaited victory this week when the CRTC approved an application by TBayTel to enter the cable TV business. It represents the latest move by a dwindling number of municipally owned telcos to expand into the television market.In Decision 2008-289, the commission granted TBayTel a seven-year licence for both a...

Lack of subsidies will limit participation by “ordinary Canadians” in new media review

Media | 10/22/2008 8:56 pm EDT

Participation by non-commercial, public and consumer groups will be limited in the CRTC's new media review because legislation only allows for such subsidies in telecom proceedings, warns the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. The alternative, says PIAC, is to make a complaint in the form of a...

Introducing TMR’s New ‘Decision Makers’ Series – First up, Teletoon’s Caroline Soucy

Media | 10/21/2008 7:35 pm EDT

Tech Media Reports' Decision Makers Series probes the top issues affecting Canada's communications industry through a series of one-on-one interviews with business executives and senior government officials. Each installment will feature an article and complete interview transcript - available exclusively to TMR subscribers on our website. Our first interview is with Caroline Soucy, the new director of Teletoon Interactive, who shares her ambitious plan to move the cartoon channel into the top spot in Canada's online entertainment market.Teletoon Canada Inc. is adapting to a changing marketplace and positioning itself for a run at the top slot in Canada's online entertainment market through...

Weak copyright laws force Canadian companies to eye Japanese market

Media | 10/20/2008 9:12 pm EDT

The Canadian Independent Record Production Association (CIRPA) will lead a delegation of 20 Canadian record companies to Japan early as next month in hopes of boosting sales for a Canadian market that has shrunk by 14% this year – primarily as a result of weak copyright laws that allow Internet downloading, and a slow...

CRTC sets January date for minority language hearing

Media | 10/20/2008 7:49 pm EDT

The CRTC will hold a public hearing January 20 to decide whether Canada's television and radio sectors are doing enough to serve the interests of minority English- and French-speaking communities, and whether new digital distribution platforms can help. The regulator has until March 31 to report its findings to Canadian Heritage. In Notice of...

New media content to fall under regulatory lens in February

Media | 10/16/2008 7:57 pm EDT

It's déjà vous all over again for regulating Internet broadcasting. Nearly a decade after ruling to exempt new media from regulation, the CRTC will hold a public hearing February 17 to determine whether new media and mobile broadcasting should continue to be unregulated, or subject to similar access and funding...

Economic meltdown in U.S. poses difficulties for digital start-ups

Media | 10/16/2008 3:06 pm EDT

The current economic crisis in the U.S. is expected to further batter Canada’s weak venture capital (VC) market, spelling long-lasting difficulties for start-ups in the digital media industry.   Financing for digital media companies has been a tough slog since the industry began taking shape in the early ‘90s. Between...

Text-to-movie platform enables clients to make animation videos

Media | 10/15/2008 3:52 pm EDT

Four months after being named as the best show at Digital Media Summit, one of Hollywood’s oldest conferences on digital media, Montreal-based Xtranormal Inc. finally unveiled an innovative text-to-movie platform that allows users to make animated movies and share them with friends.  Xtranormal.com allows users with no animation experience to make movies through simple web-based tools. The platform’s compatibility with such popular social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook enables users to share animated movies worldwide.  “Our motto is if you can type you can make a movie,” says Jean-Francois Deschenes, general manager, web operations.  Users first have to log onto Xtranormal.com, where they can choose a template containing 65 to 80 characters. They then type...

Toronto company launches new business model for online gaming

Media | 10/14/2008 6:59 pm EDT

Groove Games has teamed up with Sports Illustrated to launch a new online game next month that company executives hope will attract a million players and $10,000 daily in revenue. It's a new business model for the Toronto-based gaming company - one based on banner ads, product placements, brand loyalty and no fees.The...

From screen quotas to a Quebec CRTC: How the political parties measure up on cultural promises

Media | 10/09/2008 5:44 pm EDT

They won't win this election - in fact it's doubtful they'll even win a single seat - but the Green Party is proposing to shake up the status quo when it comes to political appointments, screen quotas, copyright protection and freeing up the airwaves. Tech Media Reports also examines the platforms...

MediaScrape scores big break into U.S. market; talks begin with CBC

Media | 10/09/2008 5:43 pm EDT

MediaScrape, the Montreal-based online TV news network, has clinched a deal with PBS that will provide the U.S. public broadcaster with high definition videos from 28 global broadcast partners.Initially scheduled to air on PBS’ Channel 13 in New York City, the videos will eventually be available on PBS affiliate stations...

Canadian Film Centre showcases next wave of interactive media

Media | 10/08/2008 3:26 pm EDT

Canada's first post-graduate program for new media training and production revealed the fruits of its labour on Saturday, demonstrating that interactive media isn't only about art for art's sake - it can also have mass market appeal with bottom line results.Graduates of the Telus Interactive Art and Entertainment Program at...

CRTC approves new BDU in GTA despite objections from Rogers

Media | 10/07/2008 8:25 pm EDT

Amid objections from cable giant Rogers Communications Inc., the CRTC has approved a licence for a new BDU in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), a move likely to up the competition in the already crowded GTA market. Ravinder Singh Pannu, on behalf of a yet-to-be named corporation, applied for the licence in February this...

Program expenditure change would cut funding for Canadian programming: DGC

Media | 10/06/2008 6:35 pm EDT

An application by Teletoon Canada Inc. to change how it reports its Canadian Programming Expenditures (CPE) has drawn criticism from the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), which warns the move will result in a $1.5 million loss for Canadian programming and open the floodgates to similar requests from other channels.  The...

CTF dips into reserves to create $2-million digital media program

Media | 10/02/2008 8:19 pm EDT

Some 18 months after the idea was first conceived, the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) has finally announced a new $2-million pilot program for digital media. While the amount falls far short of the $25 million recommended more than a year ago by a CRTC Task Force, there's still hope that the federal government will broaden...

Ontario invests $3.5 million in digital media & wireless research

Media | 10/02/2008 8:07 pm EDT

With the traditional manufacturing sector facing tough times, the Ontario government is laying the groundwork to become a bigger player in the $1-trillion global digital media market by boosting financial support for university research. The federal government, meanwhile, is cutting the single largest research fund...

NDP pledges to redefine CRTC mandate, strengthen film & TV production

Media | 10/01/2008 5:47 pm EDT

The NDP is positioning itself as the champion of Canadian culture, pledging to strengthen the CRTC’s ability to promote home-grown television and provide sustained funding for television and film production. The NDP’s newly released election platform also calls for tougher licence requirements on broadcasters, cable, and satellite TV companies. The NDP is clearly hoping to sway voters, particularly those in Quebec, who are upset over the Conservative’s promised cuts to several cultural initiatives, including Trade Routes ($9 million), the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund ($1.5 million), the National Training Program for the Film and Video Sector ($2.5 million) and PromArt ($$.7...