Given the CRTC's desire to lighten its regulatory burden in the broadcasting space we could be headed for a major industry realignment following February's BDU and discretionary services review. Industry observers, however, are wary about how much the commission can, and will, let market forces reign in broadcasting. "I think once the commission starts to look at what the ramifications of major changes may mean, it will be reluctant to make substantial changes to what's already in place," says broadcasting consultant Michael McEwen. "If they substantially change the rules it is going to be a very different market because there's no question that Canadian services and programs as we know them on DTH and cable just won't be as viable. And that certainly we can show from other markets."McEwen is very familiar with other markets; he was engaged by the CRTC to review the obligations and regulations of international distributors as a reference for the upcoming hearing. But he warns that while it's...
With an absence of defined standards for remuneration for creators in the digital age, individual artists need to exercise due diligence in informing themselves about royalties, licensing fees, and multiple revenue streams to augment compensation for their services or products, says a panel of entertainment association representatives. Discussing pricing rights for the digital and online marketplace at Insight's Entertainment Industries Summit in Toronto, panellists noted the common challenge among actors, writers, musicians, creators, and producers of identifying new revenue streams and ensuring they do not sign away their rights without ensuring appropriate payment for their work. "We are in an artist-centred management structure that we have never had before," said Tony...
While the Copyright Board of Canada certified the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers of Canada's (SOCAN) Tariff 22 (Internet - online music services) last week, those who opposed the tariff feel the issue is far from resolved for multiple reasons. "The overall impact of the tariff is still certainly very much up in the...
In his speech Saturday to the International Institute of Communications Regulators Forum in London, England, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein outlined all of the responsibilities of the commission and gave his international audience a glimpse at how the regulator is handling the constantly evolving communications...
With initial comments due last Friday for next February's BDU and specialty service regulatory framework review the CRTC and the industry at large now has more than three months to examine the thousands of pages of policy wish lists submitted. Certain to be one of the more polarizing issues will be whether to relax the...
When is a primetime top ten list not a top ten list? According to CTV, when that list is issued by Global Television. Of course, the logic seems to also work in the other direction as the two national private broadcasters battle not only in the ratings, but over how to interpret them correctly. Wednesday Global issued the press release Canada's ratings race officially a dead heat, which declared it had finally split...
Advertising is to the television what gas is to automobiles: both are basic elements of their respective industries and it's highly doubtful that either sector will operate completely free from these fundamentals within our lifetime. However, as consumers' attitudes and habits change, each industry must reduce its reliance on these essentials. Also, just as we are constantly reminded that oil is not a renewable resource, so too are we seeing warning signs that TV advertising may be diminishing. Bob Reaume, VP of policy and research at the Association of Canadian Advertisers told Canadian NEW MEDIA earlier this week that dozens of major TV clients have reduced the percentage of...
No longer content to simply tell as many people as possible to ‘Just Do It,' Nike Inc. and many companies like it are finding it's more effective advertising to help people do it, keep track of how often they do it and introduce them to others who are doing it, too. And these companies are turning to the emerging...
If the Competition Bureau was second-guessing itself after more than six years, it can stop: a report released earlier this month reveals the bureau accurately assessed market conditions and reasonably predicted outcomes when it approved Corus Media's acquisition of the WIC Broadcasting assets in 2000. For everyone else...
Last May, Toronto-based mobile media company MyThum Interactive Inc. was named Company of the Year at the Canadian New Media Awards. Since then, MyThum has continued its push in television interactivity and is gaining national, and global, recognition as a result."We've always been strong and focused on the entertainment and new media sector,...
There's more than a month before the CRTC hearing to consider CanWest MediaWorks Inc.'s proposed acquisition of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.'s broadcasting companies (Broadcasting Public Notice 2007-11), which leaves plenty of time to review the 225 interventions the...
Bell Fund Pick ArchiveIn honour of last week's 10th anniversary of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, Canadian NEW MEDIA is proud to offer a look at the monthly profiles of the stellar works of the Fund's recipients. Below is a listing of those profiles, in chronological order. August 14, 2007: Boost your brainpower with...
With the ambitious goal of increasing the workforce at its Montreal and Québec City studios by more than 1,000 employees by 2013, videogame designer Ubisoft has launched the second, and improved, edition of its TooMuchImagination.ca interactive recruitment challenge. This year's goal? To recruit 150 new talented designers, artists and programmers...
Let's be clear, this is not a story about anyone withdrawing from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. In fact, it's quite the opposite. But while the formation of a splinter faction of broadcasters to rival the venerable CAB on regulatory issues would certainly make for great copy, it...
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein kicked off the commission's New Media Invitational Session Monday by asking the three fundamental questions about the treatment of new media in our regulated broadcasting system: Is it a necessity to regulate commercial broadcasting over new media?; If so, what measures need to be...
With $50 million invested in over 500 new media projects associated with television productions, it's impossible for the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund to acknowledge every venture its had a hand in since its inception in October 1997. That's why for its 10th anniversary the fund today announced the selection of its Top 10 New Media Groundbreakers from the past decade, not only to take stock of the impact the Bell Fund has had in Canada, but also the impact those projects have had on the global industry. "[Canada's] had such a huge impact on the industry but typically we don't blow our horns and we thought we would try to do that a little bit," says Bell Fund...
The public hearing for the Review of the regulatory frameworks for broadcasting distribution undertakings and discretionary programming services (CRTC 2007-10) is set to begin on February 4, 2008, but few actual members of the public are likely to appear to address the commission. Before their comments are overshadowed by the lengthy rhetoric of...
Tour guides may soon find themselves housed among museums' relics and treasures if Augmented Reality Experience (ARE) Mobile's Strata program catches on. Mobile-based and GPS-enabled, the interactive mediascape guides users through historical sites, cities, galleries or museums, accompanying them with narrated...
While it held their public hearings two days apart, the CRTC today ruled on both Rogers Media Inc.'s and Astral Media's proposed acquisitions of the Citytv stations and Standard Radio Inc., respectively. Not surprisingly, both transactions were approved by the commission. Rogers/Citytv:In Broadcasting Decision 2007-360, the CRTC approved...
With its inaugural Great Canadian Video Game Competition now over, Telefilm Canada hasn't yet decided if it will sponsor a second instalment of the event. One of the finalists, however, has already made up Telefilm's mind. "I absolutely demand that they do it again this year," says Jason MacIsaac, design...
Representatives from Telus Corp. and the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) have responded to the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) report alleging both organizations offered digital rights management (DRM)-enabled services that violated privacy laws. While both parties seem sincere in their desires to protect customer privacy, opinions appear to differ about what is considered personal property. During the course of its study CIPPIC found that Telus "likely collects" the IP addresses of customers who use its Spark mobile content service. However, Telus' VP of corporate affairs Drew McArthur says that in order for a customer to initiate a download, Telus establishes the dynamic IP address for that customer, but does not keep the address after the download...
The Stuart Langford Show may be going off the air, which is to say it will no longer be streamed live online during CRTC proceedings. Commissioner Langford's current term ends November 15, meaning last week's Diversity of Voices proceeding may have been his final performance at the commission.Langford has a well-honed style of effectively...
Ten months after it was launched, Telefilm Canada's first Great Canadian Video Game Competition ended with Montreal-based MindHabits Inc. being awarded up to $1 million to support the commercialization of its handheld game MindHabits Trainer. MindHabits was revealed as the winner at the opening gala of Canada's biggest annual digital content...
In response to the article DRM-enabled products and services are watching you: CIPPICIn order to understand the controversy around [digital rights management] it is critical to understand that there are two locks: a lock on content intended to circumvent competition policy to only allow access by...
Add independent producers to the list of factions giving the CRTC the sage advice of "Don't mess with what doesn't need fixing." The commission heard this refrain ad nauseam from the major broadcasters and BDUs during last week's Diversity of Voices proceeding, and now it's...
While those who attended the CRTC's Diversity of Voices proceeding in Gatineau to witness the presentations of Shaw Communications Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., at the end of the day Monday and first thing Thursday morning, respectively, certainly saw a contrast in styles - literally a diversity of voices - there was a lot of uniformity in...
Digital Rights Management and Consumer Privacy, a report that was released Wednesday by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), returned some startling conclusions, including that "a number of organizations used DRM to collect, use and disclose personal information for inappropriate...
After a quick, but stern, rebuke by Konrad von Finckenstein for its past misinterpretation of the CRTC chairman's own words, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) took its turn answer the commissioners' questions as the final intervener on day three of the Diversity of Voices proceeding. Von Finckenstein's...
When the CRTC issued the Review of the Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting Services in Canada document last week the suggestion that the commission reassess the impact of simultaneous substitution was so negatively received that it seemed no such alternative existed. However, Stephen Stohn, president of Epitome Pictures Inc., believes there is a...
It seems few new movies warrant repeat views. Directors may hope that a second look will add greater meaning to the story and fans may watch and re-watch films to find inconsistencies, but many movie-goers will only see a film once. In order to fully experience Late Fragment, however, audiences will have to sit through multiple screenings. And that's exactly what the producers, writers and directors intended for the feature that premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.Co-produced by the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and National Film Board (NFB), the film being dubbed as North America's first interactive full-length drama puts the story in the hands of the viewer. It was designed specifically for DVD viewing, enabling viewers to navigate the interlocking narratives...
If the CRTC is hoping for concrete guidelines on how to regulate the increasingly consolidated broadcasting industry to come out of the Diversity of Voices proceeding, day one must have been disappointing. While CBC/Radio-Canada kicked off the hearings yesterday by recommending three new media-ownership rules, the broadcasters that followed urged the...
Does the CRTC need tougher regulations to safeguard smaller players and new entrants or would a more laissez-faire approach help consolidating broadcasters better deal with an increasingly global media world with the likes of giants Time Warner? Not surprisingly, industry players are advocating for...
While most of the initial attention given to the CRTC-commissioned Review of the Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting Services in Canada has focused on its broadcasting recommendations - particularly the suggestion to reassess the impact of simultaneous substitution - the report did cover new media policy and included four...
Just as they were asked to do in April, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP lawyers Laurie Dunbar and Christian Leblanc left no stone unturned in delivering their 337-page Review of the Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting Services in Canada to the CRTC. And even though the commission just made the report public on September 12,...
The big-buzz title at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will likely be unveiled on a big screen, but it may not be too long until you discover future must-see-movies in your very own hand. There's no question about it, mobile videos and mobisodes are on the rise. Most new handsets are video-enabled, YouTube is finding itself on more phone screens and the hype surrounding - and popularity of - new multimedia handsets such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and services such as Telus Corp.'s Mobile TV are setting the foundation for greater mobile viewing.But mobisodes and mobile films still have a long way to go before hitting mass-market penetration levels. Nevertheless, several festivals and co-branded competitions are aiming to accelerate the adoption of...
As with every other traditionally pen-and-paper-based profession, accounting has largely made the leap to working electronically. But other opportunities still beckon in the digital world, and one Canadian firm is beginning to offer digital royalty audits for use of musical works online, even though it's not clear yet...
Two years into its existence the Canadian Interactive Alliance/Alliance Interactive Canadienne (CIAIC) has finally hired its first executive director. And while CIAIC board members are congratulating themselves for finding such a fitting end to what was at times a frustrating search, we at Tech Media Reports can only say...
Industry leaders are responsible for clearing a path. They have to cut through previously uncharted landscape at great expense, even though it leaves a trail their competitors can easily follow. And sometimes during their sojourn they encounter a challenge that, in its retelling, most clearly demonstrates exactly how...
Armed with a renewed mandate to guide Alberta's $165 million film and television industry by helping create a framework for sustainable growth - and realizing the value of new technologies - the Alberta Film Advisory Council (AFAC) has appointed Digital Media Association of Alberta (DMAA) president Ken Bautista to the...
Building on the bonds forged through a relationship that goes back as far as the pivotal Baddeck International New Media Festival at the turn of the century, Interactive Ontario (IO), UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Scottish Development International (SDI) have set up a trade mission to the United Kingdom this fall.Given IO's long-standing ties...
Citytv as owned by Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. will combine the independence and regionally influenced flavour the channel is best known for with the freedom to acquire the first-run US programming required to be competitive. Edginess, however, will not be part of the equation. "Ultimately we came...
While today's CRTC hearing in Gatineau QC considering Rogers Broadcasting Ltd.'s application to acquire Chum Ltd.'s five Citytv stations centred mainly on broadcasting matters, new media factored into its fair share of the discussion. "We can't forget new media, and there are few companies in Canada...
New name, new logo, but same timely and comprehensive coverage You may see a new name and a new logo, but it's business as usual under our new moniker Tech Media Reports (http://www.techmediareports.ca/). We think it better reflects our focus on the Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting spheres. Tech Media Reports will continue to...
With the final report by the CRTC's task force on the Canadian Television Fund in, will the issue finally be put to rest? Given the feedback on the document filed with the commission by broadcast distribution undertakings, it's not likely.The report, delivered on June 29, suggested that contributions culled from broadcasting distribution undertakings - which make up more than half of the CTF's $275-million budget in the current year - be steered towards a more market-friendly programming funding stream. The task force also suggested that $25 million of the fund's capital be earmarked for fostering content production on emerging platforms and new media.Those measures seem to...
Preserving critical information for posterity is a universal headache. Overwhelming amounts of data are accumulating at staggering rates across all sectors. Although data storage costs are plummeting, demand is growing by about 50%, far outstripping the rate of cost reductions.And media companies have some unique headaches - huge unsearchable...
Rear-projection display technology, a 60-inch swatch of touch-sensitive foil, and interactive marketing content melded on Montreal's Ste-Catherine Street earlier this month in a Canadian premiere.Groupe Dynamite Inc.'s Garage store on the city's famed shopping thoroughfare is playing host to the one-month pilot...
Now entering its third season on W Network, The Smart Woman Survival Guide - a cross between The Larry Sanders Show and Martha Stewart Living - is a prime-time drama series that takes us behind-the-scenes of a fictional lifestyle show called Smart Woman, where we follow the team of women who produce the show.To create an...
While many are disappointed with the decisions rendered during last month's CRTC process to determine who will get mandatory carriage on all-digital distribution systems, the staff at Toronto-based National Broadcast Reading Service (NBRS) are happily hard at work readying for the debut of their first specialty...
With three CRTC commissioner positions currently vacant and six more terms ending within the next 12 months, Minister of Canadian Heritage Bev Oda took the first step towards infusing new blood into the commission by appointing Michel Morin as commissioner today. Morin brings more than 34 years of broadcasting experience to the position. He most recently was chief editor of television news for both Radio-Canada and the French language news network RDI. He has also been a journalist, economic news editor and leader of a team of journalists and has handled assignments such as program anchor and research assistant in Ottawa, parliamentary correspondent in Quebec City, and foreign correspondent in Paris. As well, Morin has acted as a guest speaker, workshop facilitator, and consultant...
Given that it's in one of the fastest-moving industries in Canada - and located in one of the most dynamic provinces - it's no surprise that change is constant at Calgary-based mobile video retailer MoboVivo Inc. The company started out as a mobile game development shop in the spring of 2005. However, CEO and co-founder Trevor Doerksen and his...
By now, everyone has heard about Canada's latest interactive media success story. On August 1, Kelowna BC-based Club Penguin, an avatar-driven site for preschool-aged kids up to ‘tweens, was sold to The Walt Disney Co. for US$350 million cash, plus a possible $350-million earn-out over the next two years.In this...
One hour: that's the average drop in the time Canadians spent enjoying television and broadcast radio combined in 2006 compared to 2005, according to the eighth edition of the CRTC's Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report.However, the financial side of the industry converted the subtraction to addition as...
Toronto's Xenophile Media continues to go from strength to strength with its interactive TV tie-ins. The firm's latest work with The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Family channel has earned it a nomination for yet another award - this time, in primetime. The alternate reality game Xenophile created to accompany ABC Family's Fallen series is...
For the second time this year, the CRTC ruled against Pelmorex Communications Inc. last week, denying mandatory digital basic distribution of its The Weather Network and MétéoMédia channels.Although the broadcaster was clearly disappointed when the commission denied mandatory BDU carriage of its proprietary All Channel...
The CRTC seems determined to keep to its rigorous self-imposed schedule of reform: amid all the other proceedings underway at the regulator, it announced a sweeping review of the policy frameworks of both broadcasting distributors and discretionary services earlier this month.Notice of Public Hearing 2007-10 is just the latest policy procedure that...
By all accounts, the scope of the CRTC's newly launched review of the regulatory framework for BDU and discretionary services is impressive. And by embodying chair Konrad von Finckenstein's philosophy of a more compact and market-geared regulatory environment, it also promises to shake up the status quo.But some independent broadcasters think...
Concentrated? White? Laudable qualities in laundry detergent, but arguably not in Canada's broadcasting system. The comments submitted last week as part of the CRTC's Diversity of Voices proceeding offer a glimpse of industry stakeholders' feelings on the level of ‘sameness' in broadcasting. Not surprisingly, the general rule is...
Call it late-90s-style virtual reality, redux. The Internet is rapidly morphing into a 3D medium, and virtual worlds such as Second Life are no longer seen as glorified games but as online spaces with populations, geographies and economies. There are real commercial opportunities in virtual worlds, and many companies are working to develop them.One major player is IBM Corp., which has thrown its considerable weight into the evolution of a commercially viable 3D Internet. Last year, the company announced it was making a strategic investment of $100 million to develop cutting-edge 3D technologies."IBM is first and foremost a consumer in this space," says Chuck Hamilton, a Vancouver-based director in IBM's 3D Internet division. The company used the technology to create an online...
With a decision on his application to launch a new specialty channel celebrating Canada's diversity reportedly due this week, Paul De Silva's mood can be best characterized as cautiously optimistic.De Silva, a founding partner in Diversity Television Inc., simultaneously applied to launch the new service and have it carried on digital basic...
The CRTC's efforts to get to grips with the transformational effects of new media got a new hand last month with the announcement of a New Media Project Initiative (NMPI) led by the regulator.The NMPI was announced by CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein during a speech at the 2007 Broadcasting Invitational Summit on June 26. Von Finckenstein and nine...
When Pepsi QTG Canada wanted to put some pop into its soft drink sales, it knew it had to go beyond traditional marketing campaigns. If the firm wanted to reach the stomachs of young Canadians, it needed to connect with consumers where it counted: on their hips and at their fingertips.Executing such a campaign required more than experience and...
With today the deadline for submissions in the Diversity of Voices proceeding, a Vancouver activist group will soon find out whether its campaign to get Joe and Jane Average involved in matters of media ownership has paid off."There are certainly opportunities to make it more accessible to the public, to make their feelings known to the CRTC and...
The CRTC's stance on free previews and barker channels is the latest policy to be streamlined and scaled back in the spirit of Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein's ‘market forces' mantra.In Public Notice 2007-74, the commission ruled that both Canadian and foreign-originated broadcasting services would be eligible for inclusion on BDUs' promotional and preview channels, as long as at least 50% of such efforts each quarter were devoted to domestic offerings, subject to availability.Provisos include that no undue benefit be conferred on individual services, and that no fees be charged for airtime on such channels. The decision also disbands the CRTC's policy, in effect since 1998, of restricting previews during the March and November national TV ratings periods.The...
The findings of a task force set up to study the Canadian Television Fund suggest that more money should be put toward new media - but not all connected with the fund are hailing the move.In its report issued June 29, the four-person task force, headed by CRTC vice-chair of broadcasting Michel Arpin, recommended that a...
While most others in the broadcasting value chain are remaining mum about the recently released report on the Canadian Television Fund, creators' organizations are venting over a key proposal to treat BDU contributions to the fund differently.The report, which was issued on June 29, recommends that contributions from...
Nokia-Siemens Networks has been officially operating for a little more than three months, and even though the company is the world's number two telecommunications equipment supplier, it has some lofty goals for North America. Currently Nokia-Siemens occupies the sixth place in terms of suppliers in North America,...
Advertising is set to be the fastest growing segment of the Internet's economic equation over the next four years with no region experiencing growth at a faster rate than Canada according to the latest edition of PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2007-2011. But will that increase...
Nokia-Siemens Networks has a message for its competitors: we're gunning for a much bigger share of the North American market. Speaking at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto last month, Nokia-Siemens CEO Simon Beresford-Wylie said the company "is prepared to step up" and has set some aggressive growth...
The number of consumers equipped with digital cameras globally is reaching eye-popping proportions. Driven by the explosion of camera phones, projected sales for 2008 are one billion units, according to the NY-based International Imaging Industry Association (I3A). The tipping point where most people will have the tools for...
Jim seems like a regular guy. He went to university, found a job after graduation, pays rent and would like to own a home someday. But in spite of his regularity, Jim does not have the patience, money, or need for our regulated broadcasting system.It's not that Jim doesn't like TV. On the contrary, he never misses...
A companion to the television series Chiefs and Champions, www.chiefsandchampions.ca is a place to celebrate athletic and coaching achievements. Personal bios include competition history, mentors, words of inspiration, and personal bests. The ubiquity of online culture provides an opportunity for...
For many Canadians attending nextMEDIA earlier this month, a Sling Media Inc. executive's presentation was the first time they'd been privy to details of the firm's upcoming Clip+Sling offering. Indeed, many in the audience referred to the service as "the big story" of the conference.It's not a new tale, however: Sling first announced Clip+Sling - which gives users the ability to record, edit and publish or share video clips from any computer or mobile device equipped with the firm's Sling Player software - at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) conference in Las Vegas in January. The firm also launched an invitation-only beta testing program shortly after that.Ben White, chief creative officer at the Foster City CA-based company, said during his nextMEDIA...
It was standing room only by the time a session on product placement and sponsored programming got underway at the Banff World Television Festival earlier this month.Moderator Sunny Boot - president and CEO of Zenith Optimedia Canada when not on stage - offered up a countervailing position to much of the chatter at the...
With the trend of things user-generated continuing to heat up with the summer weather, the CBC has launched an online competition aimed at finding the best short video from a Canadian producer.Of course, harnessing the Web to drive user interaction and solicit content is a concept that the public broadcaster has played with for a while, most notably...
The development of emergency alert services seemed to get a lift mid-month when the Canadian Association of Broadcasters got behind the CRTC's voluntary, cooperative approach to implementation. But will the lobby group be able to get all of its members moving in the same direction?"The CAB agrees that the broadcasting system will necessarily be a central element of an effective alerting system," reads a June...
Perhaps the most telling aspect of the final session at this year's Banff World Television Festival, billed as a critical look at ‘The Future of Television,' was that it ended with an hour-long talk about the Internet.The panel discussion aimed to address three key questions raised by Nordicity Group Ltd.'s Banff Green Paper 2007: The...
Struggling with a past littered with failed implementations and consumer indifference, broadcasters met with Industry Canada and the CRTC this week to hash out a plan to rescue the future of digital radio in Canada.The sit-downs are an outgrowth of the Commercial Radio Policy released late last year. Public Notice 2006-160 deals specifically with the stalled rollout of digital radio to date in Canada.In its May 25 letter to telecom policy branch director general Len St. Aubin, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters responds to Industry Canada's advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum auction process by asserting that the spectrum between 1452 MHz and 1492 MHz - otherwise known at the L-band - is the domain of broadcasters in Canada."The CAB notes that L-band spectrum is...
The proposed US$3.1-billion wedding of Google Inc. and DoubleClick Inc. announced in April will undoubtedly create a new force in online advertising. But before the deal is sealed, many industry stakeholders are speaking up now rather than forever holding their peace."Is it anti-trust? Hard to say. Will they continue...
Captain Flamingo (52 x 30') is a series following the adventures of Milo Powell who, tired of being overlooked by big kids, dons his terrycloth cape as Captain Flamingo and saves the day, fighting for justice for kids everywhere. The related interactive project, which includes the official Captain Flamingo website, an...
Last year, the board and management of the Canadian Television Fund faced some tough questions from producers and artists at the stakeholder breakfast it hosted at the Banff World Television Festival. At this year's festival breakfast, however, it was clear that many had circled the wagons over the past year to unite in the face of external...
Although the CRTC decided not to stretch the limits of local availabilities any further last week when it denied Only Imagine Inc. (OII)'s application to sell commercial advertising in the coveted timeslots, the commission didn't completely close the door on the possibility of advertising...
It was a busy weekend for all involved in CTVglobemedia Inc.'s acquisition of CHUM Ltd. In the wake of Friday's CRTC decision approving CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM - without the key CityTV stations CTVglobemedia had been so adamant about keeping - Rogers Communications Inc. has stepped forward with a $375-million, all-cash offer to buy...
Konrad von Finckenstein said he'd do it, and he is. In an address to a breakfast crowd at the Banff World Television Festival, the CRTC commissioner reaffirmed his vision for "smarter and lighter regulation" in broadcasting, and enumerated some examples to date.Von Finckenstein weighed some high-profile recent...
BANFF - The immediate future of Telefilm Canada's Canada New Media Fund was reaffirmed yesterday with an infusion of $29 million in federal funding for the program over the next two years.Canadian Heritage minister Bev Oda stressed the need for quality Canadian content in all genres across all platforms in making the...
As many in the industry had expected, the CRTC today approved the transfer of effective control of CHUM Ltd. To CTVglobemedia Inc., minus CHUM's five CityTV stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. The CRTC reasoned that approving the transfer of the CityTV assets would have been inconsistent with...
The Ottawa Senators' Stanley Cup dreams may have been shattered, but New York-based Heavy.com's designs for Canada are still very much alive - and, at least initially, very much dependent on our love of hockey.Knob Hockey, the broadband video site's first effort designed expressly to woo Canadian audiences, consists of a series of videos using figures from the beloved vintage table-top hockey game. It's not new for this year's playoff season, but it is the first time Molson Canada has bought sponsorship rights.David U.K., VP and GM of Heavy.com Canada, points out that it's not branded entertainment, created expressly to suit an advertiser's message. "It's our content that we've allowed Molson to wrap their brand around," he says. "When...
Mark Ruthenberg, GM of Calgary-based community portal operator FoundLocally.com Media Inc., used to live by a simple mantra: "Get revenue where ever you can in order to survive."But now, Ruthenberg is raking in better returns by giving away select revenue streams. He's encouraging designers and developers to...
Despite some initial opposition from incumbent pay audio operators, Rogers Communications Inc.'s Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division has secured a licence for a new service, dubbed Rogers Pay Audio."As an enterprise, I think Rogers is committed to music," says David Purdy, VP and GM, Rogers Television. "The wireless guys have clearly...
"Good things, when short, are twice as good," wrote 17th century Spanish philosopher Baltasar Gracian. But that might not be the case with mobile videos.In a Yankee Group survey of US teenagers, many (45%) said they would use their video-playing mobile phones to watch full-length movies. Just a handful of...
The release of the CRTC's report on profitability of Canadian pay and specialty television providers earlier this month heartened some in the industry. But, with a policy review looming sometime in the next 12 to 18 months, others worry whether those rosy figures might lead the commission to believe all is well at such...
After last year's record attendance, the bar was set high for the 2007 edition of the Canadian New Media Awards. The event didn't disappoint: interactive media players, from the most established to the most embryonic, were feted for their accomplishments before what appeared to be another sold-out crowd.Toronto's MyThum Interactive Inc. took home the Company of the Year award on the strength of its work with some of Canada's biggest corporations in the mobile interactivity space.President and CEO Michael Carter says that since his firm was founded in 2002, Canadian companies have gradually shifted in their thinking toward using mobile platforms as a means to reach audiences...
Generational change most likely comes faster in interactive media than it does in any other industry. It's not surprising then that with every iteration of the annual Canadian New Media Awards - now on their seventh edition - first-time nominees cross their fingers and hope for a win, knowing that it's just the kind...
Last month, the Ontario government's Sector Initiatives Fund announced it wil invest $600,000 this year in business development training for the province's theatre, film, television and museum industries.Propelled by the province's Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Culture, five...
For those broadcasters in favour of fee-for-carriage but against adding more advertising minutes to the broadcast hour, last week's release of the new policy framework governing over-the-air television was the worst of all worlds."This is not good news for us," says Serge Bellerose, VP of new media and corporate affairs at TQS Inc....
John Demco is a pioneer, in the true sense of the word. When the Internet was terra incognito, Demco helped put it on the map, and into the collective consciousness of Canadians. From his early days with the University of British Columbia's Department of Computer Science to his current roles of co-founder and director of Webnames.ca, a...
As new hopefuls get the green light to set up BDUs servicing the multi-unit dwelling (MUD) market in Toronto, Rogers Communications Inc. is asking for a review of winback rules governing MUD buildings with Public Notice 2007-48.Ken Engelhart, Rogers VP of regulatory affairs, says that the rules - which have been in place...
The Ontario College of Art and Design marked the beginning of May with a new multi-million dollar initiative aimed at bringing art and design into the 21st century.Dubbed the Digital Futures Initiative, the program will see the Ontario government provide $2 million annually for the school to explore how best to integrate...
As a thank-you for your support, Decima Reports would like to offer all subscribers a free copy of its latest analytical feature, Green Connectivity: Environmental Sustainability for Network Professionals. Penned by Telemanagement editor Stefan Dubowski, this detail-packed report includes an assessment of supplier efforts,...
As a thank-you for your support, Decima Reports would like to offer all subscribers a free copy of its latest analytical feature, Green Connectivity: Environmental Sustainability for Network Professionals. Penned by Telemanagement editor Stefan Dubowski, this detail-packed report includes an assessment of supplier efforts,...
Earlier this week Pelmorex Media Inc. showcased its public alerting abilities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island by displaying customized alert messages on its The Weather Network and MétéoMédia channels in each province.The demonstration was in recognition of Emergency Preparedness Week and, the broadcaster says, is not an indication of any movement toward an all-channel alert system in Canada."We're certainly committed to getting public alerting information on our own channels...the demonstration kind of goes to that issue," says Paul Temple, senior VP of regulatory and strategic affairs at Oakville ON-based Pelmorex. "I guess it's really a matter of seeing how much real interest there is from others and whether there's a viable business...
