The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Recent news that the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund is again in a position to fund new media projects (see story in this issue) is most welcome. It’s the latest in a series of developments over the past 12 months that signal a banner year for new media in 2007. The Department of Canadian Heritage’s Tomorrow Starts Today (TST) initiative – and its all-important Canadian Culture Online component – will certainly be under the microscope next year. However, Heritage minister Bev Oda said in February 2005 that TST shouldn’t receive one-year extensions ad nauseaum, as was the case under the previous Liberal government. Rather, Oda said she favoured TST receiving "A-based" status, which would make it a permanent feature in the department’s budget. Perhaps the next Conservative budget will solidify those plans – provided an election isn’t called. Telefilm Canada demonstrated the...
He shoots, he scores! But that National Hockey League player isn’t the only one celebrating. Vancouver’s Exponentia signed a five-year deal with the NHL earlier this month to provide live-action interactive games to hockey fans across North America on their mobile phones – and both momentum and prospects are growing. "We’ve already got a database of [more than] 1,000 users, and about 25% are actively playing," says Jim Fawcett, managing partner at Exponentia. Fawcett and his partner Andrew Gregory started Exponentia about seven years ago, and now have a staff of 15. "We quietly launched it with only three teams, but players are really getting into it," he says.Fans wielding cell phones participate in the game, called PlayAction, in real time by answering trivia...
An independent production fund that until four years ago was one of the few sources of funding for new media projects without broadcast licensee partners hopes 2007 will be the year it gets back into the new media game. With its funding reduced and an uncertain environment for technology-based projects after the dot-com boom-and-bust, the Canadian...
Six months after Canadian Heritage minister Bev Oda ordered a report on the impact of technology on broadcasting in Canada, the CRTC has delivered. The Future Environment Facing the Canadian Broadcasting System was released on December 14 and if you consider the current government’s attitude toward the commission, the...
The worst fears of many broadcasters failed to materialize when the CRTC released its Commercial Radio Policy on December 15: the commission kept Canadian content requirements for English-language daytime music at 35%. But the regulator also ruled that those who earn the most should pay the most to Canadian Talent...
On December 14, Federal Court of Canada Justice William Shore ruled against the federal government in favour of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and 17 broadcasting licensees on the legality of Part II broadcasting licence fees. Justice Shore found that since the fees aren’t necessary to regulate the broadcast...
There was no shortage of opinion on how Canadian programming and production spending quotas should evolve at the conventional television review earlier this month. Consensus, however, was more scarce. When asked whether they’d favour the reinstatement of spending and additional airtime requirements for Canadian programming – shades of the pre-1999 policy – both Charlotte Bell, VP of regulatory affairs for television and radio at CanWest MediaWorks Inc. and CTV Inc. president Rick Brace said the matter should be taken up with both broadcasters during licence renewals next year, and not in a public policy framework. However, Ira Levy, chair of the Canadian Film and Television...
Is it friend, foe – or just a flash in the pan? Developed by two frustrated Silicon Valley engineers who wanted to catch their San Francisco Giants games in real-time when they were on the road, Sling Media’s Slingbox enables users to "placeshift," or redirect their home cable signals to their computers – wherever they may be...
January 16, 2007 - January 18, 2007NATPE 2007 Conference and Exhibition - Las Vegas. This premier event, organized by the National Association of Television Programming Executives, is dedicated exclusively to television content. With predictions it will draw more than 8,000 top media executives from 76 countries this time around, better get your tickets early. Also, don’t miss NATPE Mobile ++ for the scope on mobile...
Viewership grows at CanWest’s GlobalCanWest Mediaworks Inc. says it’s gaining ground on main conventional television competitor CTV Inc. with its latest crop of programming for the 2006-2007 television season. Despite the loss last year of The Apprentice, its number-one ratings earner in 2005, Canwest’s Global Television Network had nine of the top 20-rated shows in both Toronto and Vancouver in the fall of 2006,...
After nearly a decade of detailed paperwork and $680 million worth of revenue collected, the CRTC’s Part II fee regime was all but dismantled overnight by a Federal Court judge’s ruling on December 14. "All of the evidence before this court supports the conclusion that Part II fees are a tax," the judgment by Justice William Shore reads....
Stephen Green, formerly of Entertainment One, has joined Astral Media’s Astral Television Networks as the Montreal-based firm’s VP of sales and affiliate marketing.In a media release, Astral Television Networks senior VP of marketing and sales Domenic Vivolo said he was "thrilled" by Green’s arrival at the company, adding that Green’s presence will enhance Astral Television’s acquisition and retention...
Vancouver’s gaming community is welcoming back Rory Armes, who has been named group general manager at Electronic Arts Canada. As such, he’ll have oversight of the game developer and publisher’s three Canadian studios in Vancouver, Burnaby and Montreal. As well, Armes will preside over an aggressive expansion strategy that will see EA Canada hire as many as 400 new developers over the next few years. He has a long...
On November 28, the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Canadian Heritage met to review the mandate and priorities of the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund. Readers will remember that CIFVF used to provide funding for new media projects without broadcast licensee partners, making it unique in Canada. In the following...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.In his article "Pornography, gambling, lies, theft and terrorism: The Internet sucks" in the October issue of Macleans magazine, writer Steve Maich derided the Internet for, well, all the reasons in the title of the article, as well as for his contention that the Web "has produced precious...
One of Canada’s biggest specialty broadcasters has turned the cameras – and the broadcast paradigm – around and launched a video blogging service aimed at the Canadian public. "This is our one major move in social media," explains Claude Galipeau, senior VP, digital media at Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. of the launch of the firm’s BlogTV.ca site. Demonstrating some of the importance placed on Canadian content and distribution networks by Alliance Atlantis’ specialty channel and movie distribution units, Galipeau notes that many Canadians have to go to US sites such as YouTube to showcase their homemade productions. "We saw an opportunity [to] provide a platform for Canadians to express themselves and share content, self-publish and...
Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, in part, that "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom…to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." While these freedoms are...
The frontier of the World Wide Web expanded in September with the public launch of a domain geared to viewing on mobile devices. Far from the dot-com gold rush mentality of a decade ago, however, registration is largely happening at a more measured – but still respectable – pace. "Definitely it was pretty quick uptake,"...
Mobile marketing is just beginning to gain traction in North America, but already the prospects are good. According to UK-based consultancy Ovum, spending on mobile advertising in the US alone is expected to grow from $45 million in 2006 to $1.3 billion by 2010. While mobile marketing has evolved more slowly in North America than in Europe and...
Go global with Delilah and JuliusGlobal Assignment is a replayable online game based on the TV show Delilah and Julius. Each time the game is played, the computer selects from a random number of cities, clue locations, villains, and mini games to create a unique puzzle for each new visitor. As a result, the game can be played in a possible eight million combinations before the exact same configuration is played twice.The...
Rogers to replace Sportsnetnews in the new yearOn January 8, 2007 Rogers Sportsnet will launch its new flagship sports news and information show Sportsnet Connected. The show will have a new set, music and graphics and will be complemented by enhancements to Sportsnet.ca. "The new Sportsnet Connected brand will provide new innovations but the home team coverage which became the cornerstone of Sportsnetnews will not be compromised," said Dave Ballingall, VP of marketing at Rogers Sportsnet, in a press release. "Whether a viewer is in St. John’s or Vancouver we will continue to strive to give them the sports news they desire first." Rogers, ExpressVu launch HDNet Last month, Bell ExpressVu and Rogers Cable Communications Inc. both announced carriage agreements with HDNet. Launched in 2001 by co-founders Mark Cuban and Philip Garvin, HDNet was the world’s first national television network to broadcast all of its programming in high definition. Its original programming includes: HDNet World Report; Dan Rather...
Long-serving CHUM Ltd. personality Paul Ski has been named president of the broadcaster’s radio division. In his former role as executive VP, radio, Ski was already responsible for all CHUM’s radio stations across the country. He has been with CHUM for more than 30 years, joining the broadcast group at its CFRA station in 1972, and has also worked in Halifax and Vancouver for the broadcaster, residing in the latter...
Among the other pressing matters to consider at last week’s review of over-the-air (OTA) television (see chart) – most notably the contentious issue of fee-for-carriage making national media headlines – the CRTC weighed the public policy ramifications of shutting down over-the-air transmission altogether. The...
Ottawa consulting firm Nordicity Group Ltd. says growing HD programming levels will strain the capacities of Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice. In its Market Assessment of Broadcast Market for Satellite Services in Canada created for Ciel Satellite Group, the research firm concludes that both DTH BDUs will have to at least...
Almost two years after it eliminated the competitiveness test for foreign-owned, third-language general interest specialty channels (CCR, Dec. 20/2004), the CRTC issued a public notice last month that should finally level the playing field for Canadian broadcasters with similar services. Posted on November 22, Public...
As far as the general population is concerned, the Emmy Awards generally fête TV stars for various roles and in various genres – drama, comedy, mini-series, et cetera. But beneath the red-carpeted sheen, a Canadian technology firm is taking top honours for its pioneering work in HDTV. Gennum Corp., a Burlington ON semiconductor company, was...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It’s a bit dangerous to prognosticate on what the current over-the-air television policy review might yield, but for interest’s sake, here goes. First off: given current scrutiny of the CRTC, it seems unlikely that any of the various fee-for-carriage proposals will be adopted. The 2006...
In the first part of this two-part series, contributor Norma Reveler examined Internet rebroadcaster JumpTV and its market strategy. This installment focuses on Planetvu, which – like JumpTV – has hitherto focused on bringing international third-language broadcasters to Canadians via the Internet but has now set its...
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2006 Entertainment and Media Outlook, the global videogame market is expected to increase from $27.1 billion in 2005 to $46.5 billion in 2010. It was widely agreed upon by experts at the Montreal International Game Summit earlier this month that the best way for the market to achieve...
One of the oldest forms of media is drawing on one of the newest in a bid to publicize a contest based on a popular series of tongue-in-cheek survival guides. Vancouver publisher and distributor Raincoast Books has tapped New Westminster BC-based Pocket Cine Inc., another publisher and distributor – in this case, of mobile video – to help with a competition to see who can create the best viral video in the spirit of the Worst-Case Scenario Handbooks, a series of how-to-survive-anything guides published by San Francisco’s Chronicle Books and distributed here by Raincoast. "There’s so much bad and dark news about impending disaster in the world," says Philip Shaddock, the man behind Pocket Cine and the self-described "Johnny Appleseed" of mobile viral...
A new interactive advertising tool from the out-of-home advertising division of Montreal’s Astral Media Inc. offers clients the opportunity to build additional brand recognition and engage consumers through SMS text messages. "I think the gizmo of the future is the cell phone," says Luc Sabbatini,...
NMBA changes name to Interactive OntarioThe New Media Business Alliance, Ontario’s digital media trade association, announced following a meeting on November 16 that it will change its name to Interactive Ontario. "We have chosen the name Interactive Ontario to better communicate the mandate and commitment we have to represent interactive media companies in this province," said Ian Kelso, NMBA’s president,...
At the same meeting where it voted to re-brand itself as Interactive Ontario (see CNM Short Takes), the New Media Business Alliance also voted to make changes to its board of directors. The current board will be dissolved at the organization’s next annual general meeting and reconstituted with a new board. The new directors will take two year terms, instead of the current three year terms, and the number of directors...
Although much of the focus on copyright in the networked digital world has rested on audio-visual works, other forms of copyrighted media also have much at stake. In his paper "Google Book Search and Fair Use: iTunes for Authors, or Napster for Books?" Hannibal Travis, assistant professor at Florida International...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Looking back at some old Canadian NEW MEDIA editorials, it appears my predecessor, Jeff Leiper, had the right read on Telefilm Canada’s role in the console gaming market. Reflecting on the increasing numbers of video game companies securing money from the Telefilm Canada New Media Fund, Jeff wrote in early 2004: "If policy-makers are looking for the right funding formula, they could do worse than create a new fund without touching the old, with at least half the old fund’s resources, dedicated to games." With the creation of its Great Canadian Video Game Competition, Telefilm has essentially done that – and may have even gone one better. With prizes ranging from mentoring with private-sector game studios right up to full commercialization funding for one lucky finalist, Telefilm has formulated a strategy that should give indigenous game developers a much-needed boost. And, the profit...
When SaskTel announced last month that it was launching 27 high-definition channels on its Internet Protocol television service, it signalled a narrowing of the gap between IPTV offerings and cable (CCR, Oct.24/06). However, a closer look shows that the telcos still have a long way to go before they close the gap entirely. While it may come as a...
If ever a family exemplified convergence, the Rogers crew would be it. Recognition of that fact came last month when two of the Rogers family were inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame for their impact on the broadcasting and communication sectors. A gala function at the Carlu in Toronto welcomed Edward S. Rogers Sr. (1900-1939)...
Dalfen briefs Parliamentary Heritage committeeOutgoing CRTC chairman Charles Dalfen appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage at the end of October to brief its members on the commission’s evolving mandate and priorities. In response to questioning from the various members of Parliament sitting on the committee, Dalfen defended the lower Canadian content requirements on satellite...
Vancouver’s Rainmaker Income Fund has named Wade Flemons to its board of trustees. A founder and principal of Vancouver private equity shop Pender West Partners Inc., Flemons has more than two decades of experience in investment and merchant banking, including mergers and acquisitions, raising capital, and restructuring. He also sits on the board of directors at Tapp Technologies Inc., and has previously served as a...
With the bold assertion that "English Canadians are the only people in the industrialized world who seem to prefer the content of another country to their own," CBC Television executive VP Richard Stursberg opened his November 7 address before the Economic Club of Toronto. During his speech, he stressed the...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. As a first-time attendee of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ annual event recently, it was very instructional to hear in their own words how broadcasters, distributors, producers and creators see each other. Broadcasters, for instance, see the current regulatory framework as...
Considering its theme – "New Realities, New Rules" – you’d expect the dialogue at this year’s Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention to reflect the siege mentality in the industry today. Indeed, much of the attention was on the upcoming policy reviews, and what effect they might have on...
By approving The Sports Network Inc.’s (TSN) application to distribute multiple feeds of live sports programming on a digital basis (Broadcasting Decision 2006-620), the CRTC has provided another incentive for Canadian viewers to go digital. Even though the CRTC only ruled on TSN’s application on November 9, the...
Learning from the lessons of iCraveTV, today’s Internet rebroadcasters are clearing rights with program providers and becoming a force to be reckoned with. In this, the first part of her piece, Norma Reveler looks at JumpTV Inc.’s market strategy. The second part of this story will focus on Planetvu, which – like JumpTV – has hitherto focused on bringing international third-language broadcasters to Canadians via the Internet. Canada’s biggest Internet rebroadcaster is expanding beyond subscription-based services that deliver mostly third-language TV channels to people’s computers to provide competition for conventional broadcasters. That competition is manifesting itself not...
A new website hopes to play matchmaker between resource-starved organizations in Canada’s arts and heritage industries and consultants with the expertise they need. "A lot of cultural industries just don’t have core financing to be able to keep regular staff," explains Diane Williamson, project manager...
Advertisers are feeling the pressure to keep up with audiences increasingly moving from one screen to the next. A panel at Insight Information’s Entertainment Industries Summit late last month discussed strategies for growing advertising revenue in the face of audience migration, and explored ways to take emerging...
A panel consisting of corporate and general counsels for a handful of Canada’s top entertainment companies and organizations joined forces at Insight Information’s Entertainment Industries Summit in late October. During a panel discussion titled "Copyright Reform: Bringing Canada up to Global Standards,"...
Picture a future where nearly everyone spends every waking hour immersed in computerized virtual environments: working, interacting with neighbours, playing games, and generally forsaking their flesh-and-blood existence for a digital daydream. Sounds like something the Wachowski Brothers – creators of The Matrix –...
MadeinMTL makes over Montreal tourismMadeinMTL is a rich media application site that enables the user to explore Montreal through more than 15,000 photographs, 500 texts, 50 hours of video, 40 sound bites, as well as 25 short films that truly capture the spirit of the city in a virtual experience. MadeinMTL is both an environment as well as an exploration tool. Its user navigation seamlessly exhibits multiple windows where users select, search and view urban itineraries in an organic environment that reflects not only the essence of the city but also that of its producers and collaborators. In fact, MadeinMTL is the accomplishment of more than 50 local artists who offer their personal preference of destinations in the city. What distinguishes MadeinMTL.com from other city websites is its immersive technology combined with its power to dynamically build personalized itineraries according to the user’s frame of mind. The site enables each visitor to quickly find a venue or product within the city. By using images, sound and video to...
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority appointed a number of new board members last month after elections held in September. Former chair of the board of directors Clyde Beattie will return as a director for a one-year term, while past secretary John Demco also takes a seat as director. New to the board are Ross Rader and Jeff Rybak, who’ll be serving two- and three-year terms respectively. Other returning...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad student Ilya Vedrashko examined in-game advertising as part of his thesis. In the excerpt below, he concludes that the in-game advertising market is immature at present, but offers opportunities for early adopters. The full paper can be downloaded from www.gamesbrandsplay.com....
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Like the proverbial deer in the headlights, Canada’s broadcasters seem overawed by the new media juggernaut bearing down on them. At the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ annual convention earlier this month, the crème de la crème of Canada’s media executives assembled and, in large...
The Canadian video game sector further solidified its position as a mainstream entertainment industry with the launch of Telefilm Canada’s Great Canadian Video Game Competition at the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS) on November 8. While the up to $800,000 of development and commercialization funding...
Earlier this year, the CRTC begged off on ruling whether or not DTH providers should be allowed to offer service at two separate addresses on one account until after a public consultation. Last month, the commission released another public notice outlining the results of its analysis, but now it’s deferring a decision on the complaint that sparked the...
Canada’s broadcast industry is taking steps toward a new distribution system – television programming streamed to computers. Not only are many broadcasters now offering their hit shows on their websites, but producers are also beginning to create webisodes tied to TV programs. In September, Canwest’s Global...
Look Communications Inc., Canada’s largest wireless cable company, is searching for a new owner or partner it hopes will take the Milton ON-based firm into the future. The wireless cableco announced on October 24 that it had hired investment banking firm Greenhill & Company to assist in a "strategic repositioning." Gerry McGoey,...
CanWest, Rogers announce financialsIt’s that time again: the last week has seen a slew of quarterly and year-end earnings announcements from some of Canada’s largest media companies. Winnipeg-based CanWest Global Communications Corp. announced that net earnings for the 2006 fiscal year weighed in at $179 million, a massive jump from last year’s $10 million. However, fully $164 million of that improvement was due to...
Reg Pearson, Ontario’s most senior government conciliator, has been appointed to mediate negotiations between ACTRA and the CFTPA for a new Independent Production Agreement. Pearson is the director of the Office of Mediation with the Ontario Ministry of Labour and has film and television industry experience from working in labour management with the CBC before becoming a mediator. Léon Arcand had been named executive producer of Image In Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Section Rouge Média Inc. Arcand was previously the VP of production for Cineflix, and spent several years at CinéGroupe working as producer of more than 10 live action and animated productions. He was also assistant VP at the film and television financing division of the Banque Nationale de Paris’ Canadian operations. Arcand will work closely with the senior VP of development and financing and will overlook the day-to-day business of productions at Image In Media. CHUM Television has named Dina Pugliese as co-host of BT-Breakfast Television with...
Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell addressed the Vancouver Board of Trade on November 2. Playing on the theme of this year’s CAB annual conference – "New Realities, New Rules" – O’Farrell told the audience that regulators need to recognize that Canada’s broadcasting...
The rise of broadband signifies "a game change" for broadcasters, a researcher told an opening-day audience at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ annual conference in Vancouver. In keeping with the conference’s theme of "New Realities, New Rules," the Sunday presentation by Stephen...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Like two dreadnoughts from some naval battle long ago, the organizations representing Canadian producers on one hand and artists and performers on the other have spent a lot of time firing broadside salvos at each other lately. Scarcely a day went by last week without several back-and-forth press...
As contract renewal talks between the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) headed toward government mediation in late October, CFTPA president and CEO Guy Mayson told delegates at Insight Information’s Entertainment Industries...
Carrier brings high-speed to Haida Gwaii In late September Telus Corp. announced it was working on connecting Haida Gwaii – also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands – to high-speed Internet service. While reaching a new region with high-speed Internet hardly qualifies as news these days, Telus will be connecting Haida Gwaii via the world’s longest over-water radio Internet transmission. The project is part of Telus’s Connecting Communities program – a joint venture with the British Columbia government through which Telus has invested $110 million to connect remote BC communities to high-speed Internet and to expand broadband services. And as far as remote communities go, perhaps none fit the bill as well as Haida Gwaii. An archipelago of more than 150 islands, Haida...
Ever since the personal computer came equipped with games such as Minefield and Solitaire, users have easily spent thousands of hours playing these time wasters. Over time, the method to deliver games has shifted from embedded software to access via websites. Now, online gaming is booming thanks to trends like poker and retro-themed arcade-style play....
It’s perhaps fitting that Neverblue Media Inc.’s Todd Dunlop and Jordan Visco are auto racing enthusiasts: being an adrenaline junkie puts you in good stead for a career in the fast-paced and rapidly shifting world of online marketing. Dunlop and Visco are, respectively, president and VP of affiliate marketing at Neverblue, a Victoria-based...
All bets are off for Chartwell-Parlay mergerChartwell Technology Inc. of Calgary and Oakville ON’s Parlay Entertainment have called off a planned merger, citing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act recently passed into law south of the border (CNM, Oct. 18/06). The two firms signed a letter of intent in August to combine their operations, but now say it’s become too complex a plan to execute. "The...
Jason Roks has been named chief technology officer at Independent World Television, a non-profit online alternative news media organization. Roks was a key figure in and co-founder of Toronto-based file-sharing pioneer Hotline Communications, and has been featured in such publications as Wired, Time and Maclean’s. He most recently helped plan and execute the New Media Business Alliance’s iSummit conference this spring...
In an October 18 speech at the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Telus Corp. CEO Darren Entwistle said it’s time for a "regulatory revolution" to go with the digital revolution. In addition to calling for more funding for new media creators, he urged the government to move forward with reforms to the Copyright Act....
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.It’s no small task to create legislation that can adequately protect the rights of digital media developers and creators, while simultaneously ensuring the rights of private citizens to make legitimate use – including copying – of the works they’ve purchased. But consultation on how best to...
The Conservative minority government has just over six weeks to make good on its avowed intention to introduce a bill to reform copyright legislation before the house breaks for the holidays on December 15. Department of Canadian Heritage minister Bev Oda appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on October 18....
A year after its launch in the US, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS) broadband video game and entertainment network GameTap is now available in Canada. With more than 600 games offered through a monthly subscription, the service should have broad enough appeal that it won’t necessarily have to dominate any particular demographic market, an...
Canadian broadcasters used the over-the-air television review to press for a redesign of the rules governing television advertising. But while there was little appetite for increasing the hourly limit on conventional spot advertising, product placement is a whole new ball game. In a bid to create a flexible policy that would provide broadcasters with the financial leeway to maximize their Canadian production spending requirements, the CRTC solicited comments on the current rules governing advertising as part of Public Notice 2006-5. In particular, it asked whether or not the current 12-minutes-per-hour maximum should be restricted to standard advertising "breaks" or...
Television over Internet Protocol (IPTV) took another step in its march to become a viable competitor to cable TV last week when SaskTel launched 27 high-definition channels on its Max digital TV service. And as the first provider in North America to deploy HD over IPTV, SaskTel is leading the telco TV charge from the...
It’s an idea that’s been around since the turn of the millennium, but the Department of Canadian Heritage is now starting to get serious about finding ways to capture viewership numbers for Canadian films exhibited to audiences outside of movie theatres. "Everybody agreed then, and everybody agrees now,...
CRTC wants input on new preview policyWith the ever-increasing pace of third-language specialty services being licensed for distribution in Canada as well as the mounting importance of digital programming, the CRTC is revisiting its restrictions on previewing pay and specialty channels. In Public Notice 2006-136, the commission notes that existing policy forbids the airing of previews during national ratings periods, so...
Veteran broadcast journalist Eric Sorensen has been appointed Washington Bureau Chief for Global News, effective November 1. Sorensen spent the past 14 years reporting for CBC’s The National, where he has covered the world’s major stories including the Swissair crash in Nova Scotia and Princess Diana’s death in London. He was also the first Canadian to receive the Benton Fellowship in broadcast journalism from the...
Earlier this year, DTH and cable BDUs squared off over Star Choice Communications Inc.’s policy of allowing subscribers to access its service at multiple addresses (CCR, May 5/06). Last week, after weighing input from both sides as well as the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the CRTC ruled the practice violates the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations. Below is an excerpt from the CAB’s reply to Star Choice’s initial comments. The CAB does not agree...that the commission should accept account stacking as a proper marketing and billing practice. The practice is not contemplated and is not authorized in affiliation agreements between programmers and BDUs, and there are some...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The recent over-the-air television review has served to highlight a lot of the pressing issues that broadcasters, producers, regulators and other parties must deal with to ensure a future for Canadian broadcasting. One of the most important, of course, is the financial viability of private...
The SEDNA IV takes audiences on an Antarctic MissionIn September 2005 an adventurous and dedicated team of scientists, sailors and filmmakers sailed south to Antarctica aboard the 51-meter SEDNA IV to document and raise awareness about the most important environmental challenge facing our planet – climate change. For one of the greatest expeditions undertaken in modern times, the Antarctic Mission team sailed through...
The founder of Toronto mobile content producer and distributor SilverBirch Inc. announced he has stepped down as CEO to make room for the founder of another mobile content firm. Kevin Birch will relinquish the top job at SilverBirch and move into the role of chief technology officer (CTO) and president of the company’s product development division. The roots of SilverBirch go back to 2002, when Birch and three partners...
Below is an edited version of a submission from Paul Hoffert, chair of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, tendered as part of the CRTC’s review of the regulatory framework governing the over-the-air television broadcasting system. In it, Hoffert notes that a small market fund created in 2005 competes with the Bell...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Is privacy a thing of the past? The digital era has seen the rise of myriad ways in which your personal information can be accessed, and nowhere is this more true than on the Internet. Does a day go by when you don’t get some fraudulent warning claiming suspicious activity on your bank or auction...
Canadian firms were quick to react to news on September 30 that the United States Congress had passed a proposed piece of legislation ostensibly banning Internet gambling, and one US academic says their fears of retribution from the US government might be well-founded. "The only country where the lawyers say...
The days of listening to bad music at bars, clubs and even airports could be numbered. VirJ (www.virj.ca), a virtual jukebox in prototype stage, will arm mobile phone users with the power to choose music of their liking in public spaces – using only a phone and a visual interface. Created by Rawl Benton, Geoff Phillips...
For younger Canadians, attending university marks a transition of sorts: a move into the adult world of personal responsibility and critical thinking. But post-secondary students need to brush up on the implications of social networking services, according to Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner....
When Mountain View CA search juggernaut Google Inc. materialized out of nowhere eight years ago, the instant results returned by its search engine seemed uncanny in their precision. People were initially stunned at its seeming ability to read their minds. Now that the company has grown into a billion-dollar business, its omniscient and omnipotent presence on the Web is described as God-like. But God is slipping. Google’s brute-force statistical approach to search may not be up to the task much longer. The total amount of digital information available is increasing exponentially, doubling every two years. About two billion new gigabytes are generated annually: 250 megabytes...
Discretionary multicultural specialty channel owner Telelatino Network Inc. (TLN) and CBC/Radio-Canada have teamed up to land the broadcast rights for the next seven years’ worth of international soccer tournaments. "[It’s] certainly not a matter of the CBC needing the financial contribution of Telelatino," Telelatino president Aldo...
A recent Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) survey measuring producers’ activities and views regarding high-definition television production shows the majority of Canadian producers are delivering content in HDTV format, and some of that is going to broadcasters that don’t have the capacity to...
In a panel discussion titled "The Future of Canadian Commercial Animation" at last month’s Ottawa International Animation Festival, speakers explored the questions and quandaries facing Canada’s animation industry and found that it’s facing pretty much the same pressure as other forms of...
Admittedly, Andrew Coyne isn’t a fan of the CRTC. In fact, the National Post columnist would like to see Canada’s communications regulator – which he characterizes as intrusive and ineffective – abolished. His speech, "The End of the CRTC?" was presented to nearly 100 guests at Toronto’s Spoke Club...
All’s well that ends well at MPD?After a turbulent summer for the management of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.’s Motion Picture Distribution LP (MPD) arm, things seem to be settling down with a September 29 announcement that departed chairman Victory Loewy will continue to work with the film distributor as chairman emeritus and consultant. Loewy’s term with the company will extend until at least the end of 2008, and he will continue to oversee MPD’s relationship with key client New Line Cinema, which had seemed poised to end its partnership with MPD after Loewy’s departure.The distributor’s fortunes took an adverse turn in July, when CEO Patrice Theroux and general counsel Paul Laberge were dismissed from the firm, with Loewy resigning in protest shortly thereafter. The following month, MPD announced it had commenced legal action against Loewy, alleging that its ex-chairman was considering starting a competing distribution company. While MPD still maintains that Theroux and Laberge were justly dismissed for allegedly...
Industry veteran Karen Macdonald has been named news director at CanWest MediaWorks Inc.’s Global Television operations in Quebec. With more than two decades of experience in both the editorial and management sides of the media business, Macdonald will oversee the network’s three Quebec news bureaus in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke from her office in Montreal. She currently serves as station manager at...
In a letter to the CRTC regarding its review of over-the-air (OTA) television (Public Notice 2006-5; see cover story), Industry Canada offers insight on its rules for using the spectrum allocated to TV channels 2 to 69 and suggests the commission declare a specific shutdown date for analog TV. Below is an edited excerpt of...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Reading the comments tendered as part of the over-the-air television review, one can’t help but wonder how the CRTC can possibly arrive at a decision that doesn’t blatantly favour either broadcasters or BDUs. In 1999, the commission hypothesized that digital technology would add more consumer...
In tandem with a Section 15 order from the Governor-in-Council earlier this year (CCR, Sept. 13/06), the CRTC’s seven-year review of Canada’s over-the-air (OTA) broadcast industry places a lot of emphasis on technology’s impact on broadcasting. Faced with mounting competition from specialty channels as well as...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.At the recent Ottawa International Animation Festival, a lively panel discussion examined the ways producers can make money off mobile content. Perhaps inevitably, the conversation also broadened to include the online world as well. All was going well until the Q&A session, when one audience...
Arguably, kids-and-family programmers and producers are leading the interactive media charge in Canada. But while content creation for these platforms is picking up steam, many are still wondering where the sustainable business model is. A multinational panel titled "Cartoons on the Go: Tomorrow’s media...
A big infusion of cash for cross-platform content production announced in the Ontario government’s springtime budget was finally formally introduced two weeks ago. The $7.5-million Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnership Fund was launched on September 21 by Caroline Di Cocco, Ontario’s Minister of...
A digital world inhabited by bipedal rabbits, dragon-men and other bizarre creatures might not be the first place you’d expect to find a Telus Mobility store, but the wireless carrier broke new ground – literally and figuratively – when it opened up shop in just such an environment last month. "It’s a...
While last year saw Ubisoft forge a number of partnerships with Quebec’s education system to access the human resources it needs, this year has seen the Paris-based game designer and publisher take a different tack. Last month, Ubisoft launched Too Much Imagination, an online quiz aimed at identifying and wooing the cream of Canada’s game design community. The www.toomuchimagination.ca site contains 28 questions to test the wits of would-be additions to the company’s workforce – 25 queries in multiple-choice format and three longer-form "developmental" questions. Applicants can also upload a resume with their completed questionnaires. "We made a big...
