The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.No one was more surprised than I was when CRTC chairman Charles Dalfen announced at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s annual conference in February that the commission would be re-examining the New Media Exemption Order (NMEO) of 1999. I was convinced the commission would find itself no more able to address the question of how technology is changing broadcast media now than it was in 1999, but the CRTC is finding it hard to turn a deaf ear to the entreaties of broadcasters who argue they are being broadsided by new digital distribution technologies. The lobby group representing Canadian radio broadcasters has expressed concern about its future in a world of podcasting and peer-to-peer digital music swapping. In response, some of the talent industry associations have proposed that the NMEO be revisited as soon as possible to account for the levels of content found online and on...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The CRTC’s commercial radio review process has again brought to the forefront a decades-old debate in Canada: how do you foster Canadian culture and identity in an era of global competitiveness? Last year, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters requested the commission hold off on its review to give the traditional radio industry time to evaluate the threat posed by two recently licenced, US-based satellite radio services. This, despite both services’ concessions to Cancon and Canadian Talent Development. Other digital technologies are proving even tougher to grapple with. Authorities as diverse as the Competition Bureau and the Canadian Independent Record Producers Association have recommended that when the CRTC revisits the 1999 New Media Exemption Order – something commission chair Charles Dalfen said earlier this year he would do – it recognize that these unregulated digital distribution...
With the public hearings on the Commercial Radio Policy still two months away, comments have come at a steady pace from all players in the broadcast radio industry. Among the submissions by copyright collectives, artists groups and other music industry bodies, radio broadcasters themselves warn the CRTC that Canadian...
It says a lot about the state of high-definition television programming in Canada when a new broadcaster can launch its first two channels and automatically become the nation’s HD leader. But that’s exactly what happened when High Fidelity HDTV Inc. launched Treasure HD and OasisHD on Bell ExpressVu earlier this month....
Two of the Copyright Board of Canada’s five members have released their reasons for dissenting with the board’s 2005 decision to grant Breakthrough Entertainment’s use of excerpts from a book on World War Two. In their remarks, Justice William Vancise and Stephen Callary stated that Breakthrough’s use of...
MTV Canada debuts under CTV aegisMTV Canada has pulled out all the stops in its relaunch as part of the CTV Inc. empire. On March 21, the youth-oriented music and lifestyle specialty channel rolled out its Canadian service through no less than six separate channels, including: conventional and specialty channels; mobile content, which includes not just mobisodes and other programming but also wallpaper, ringtones and...
Toronto-based Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) has lost its chairman of the board. Garfield Emerson, QC, a lawyer with an extensive background in investment banking, had resigned both his seat on the board and the chair. A board member since 1989, and the chair of the board since 1993, Emerson is also national chair at law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Following up on a previous announcement, RCI has also named ex-Callnet CEO Bill Linton to the position of chief financial officer. Linton moves into the role from a senior VP post within Rogers, and replaces outgoing CFO Alan Horn, who will replace Emerson as chair of RCI’s board. Also moving up within the board of directors is ex-Scotiabank chairman and CEO Peter Godsoe, who becomes lead director. The board of directors of VisionTV (now known as S-VOX – see briefs, p. 4) got a boost at the end of February with the addition of Laurence Ginsberg to the team. A veteran business and management consultant with more than 25 years of experience, Ginsberg is founder of Toronto...
Commercial radio broadcasters are asking that their Canadian Talent Development contributions go to two funds instead of the current four. One of the funds which stands to lose is the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR). Below is a submission from FACTOR outlining the group’s contributions to...
While it’s perhaps no surprise that the Internet has been an effective vehicle for Kids Help Phone to provide free counselling, what is somewhat astonishing is that it’s come at no expense to its phone counselling service. In fact, time spent counselling on the phone increased 4% in 2005, meaning all web activity is...
Canada’s telcos are making major inroads into digital music distribution through both their wireline and wireless telephony services. At the beginning of the month, Bell Canada announced that it will take a majority ownership position in Puretracks, an online paid music download service launched in 2003 by...
Yahoo Canada is hoping its users will find no reason to go anywhere else for their online interaction, and has launched a new communications aggregation effort to try and convince users of the benefits of having all your online networking needs met in one spot. Yahoo 360 Degrees is "a social publishing service that allows people to...
Toopy and BinooA new interactive toy box for kids, the Toopy and Binoo website invites both English and French speaking little ones aged four to six to delve into the imaginary world of their favourite heroes. The Web site is the interactive alter ego of the animated series of the same name, broadcast in English on Treehouse and in French on Télé-Québec. The site was produced by Spectra Animation and created by...
Quebec’s Institut national de l’image et du son (National Institute for Image and Sound, or INIS), the province’s foremost professional training institute for media producers of all stripes, has announced a new executive committee for 2006. Patrick Roy, VP at Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm, the Toronto-based programmer’s Quebec distribution arm, has assumed the role of VP, cinema at INIS, while Zone3 VP of creative...
Shortly into the new year, Leading Edge BC – an organization set up to promote British Columbia’s technology sector – and BC Stats released their Profile of the British Columbia High-Tech Sector report for 2005. Included for the first time were industries related to interactive media such as motion picture and video...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Recent moves by Bell Canada, Telus and Yahoo Canada to offer retail music downloads come at an interesting period in the evolution of such services in Canada. This coming September, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) is set to face off against the Canadian Musical Reproduction...
This year is another census year, but it won’t be like previous ones: for the first time ever Canadians will be able to turn to the Internet to fill out the questionnaires that will be coming their way. The 2006 census gets underway on May 16, and the federal government agency responsible for the survey is putting the finishing touches on a Web application that will allow respondents to securely complete their questionnaires online. "We’re in the last stages of tuning and testing the application [and] running it through some volume tests," says Anil Arora, director-general of Statistics Canada’s 2006 Census project. "After that, it’s a matter of setting it all up [and] making sure all the codes are entered properly into the database and that it’s integrated nicely with the rest of our own systems. So, I think it’s so far so good." Performed every five years, the census "is the largest undertaking that the country [undergoes]," Arora says, adding that "it’s a statistical...
It’s a road the CRTC has been down twice before in the past six years, but the commission’s newly appointed chief of broadcasting and telecommunications says the regulator’s latest effort to address service standards and turnaround times on paperwork will be different. In a 2000 document, (Circular No. 440), the...
The CRTC has taken just over a year to consult with the public and come up with findings on how cable firms can best migrate their analog services to digital, and Canadian cablecos seem mostly pleased with the end result. Last month’s Digital Migration Framework (Public Notice...
Other broadcasters looking to capitalize on the growing wireless content trend should look to CHUM Television and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. for advice on how to successfully integrate mobility and other content into traditional offerings. The innovative broadcasters are leading the way in Canada in terms of using...
CSI provides clue to Alliance Atlantis’ fortunesAlliance Atlantis Communications Inc. is riding high on CSI, according to the firm’s latest earnings statement. In the final quarter of 2005 the programmer brought in $84.2 million in revenue, a 16% gain on the same period in 2004. Total advertising revenue was also up by 16% compared to Q4 2004, with ad revenue at the firm’s digital channels growing nearly twice as...
Claude Galipeau will be rejoining Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. at the end of this month as senior VP, digital media, content group. Since 2002, Galipeau has been working to advance new media initiatives at the CBC, as executive director of digital programming and business development. He had previously worked for Alliance Atlantis from 2001 to 2002, as a VP of broadcasting. "Over the past number of years Claude has distinguished himself as an innovative and creative pioneer of digital media in Canada," said content group executive VP Norm Bolen in a media release announcing Galipeau’s appointment. "We are thrilled to welcome him back to the Alliance Atlantis family." Alliance Atlantis also had some changes to its board of directors recently. Veteran board member Pierre DesRoches – who had been an Alliance Atlantis director for more than a decade – plans to retire this year, and won’t be seeking re-election at the 2006 annual general meeting. Meanwhile, new blood comes to the board in the form of...
On March 2, Canadian Association of Broadcasters VP of television and specialty and pay services Wayne Charman offered his comments on the CRTC’s new proposed service standards. In his letter, excerpted below, he urged the commission to broaden the measures it proposes in Public Notice 2006-16.. …The CAB urges the...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It’s about time that Canada’s telecommunications providers decided to get rational. In Canadian Communications Reports’ sister publication, Report on Wireless, executives at Canada’s largest wireless communications firms said that although they’re not above cutting prices to match...
Mobile video content has gained a toehold in the Canadian wireless user market and the industry is bullish on its future, according to industry specialists at a conference in Toronto last month. While its still early days for mobile video in Canada, speakers at the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications...
The Family Channel is claiming a Canadian first with its new series Life With Derek, a television show that will actually premier on the Internet before it airs to television audiences. The show, produced by Toronto’s Shaftesbury Films and St. John’s-based Pope Productions Ltd., will begin a five-day preview...
Remember the phrase, "Content is king"? At one time, Internet video services, interactive TV shows and other new media initiatives seemed set to drive the economy. Although the idea seemed to die with many of the unsustainable business models of the dot-com era circa 1995 to 2001, new endeavours to make homes more tech-enabled could return...
Hexagram taps six new projectsSix new interactive media projects have been chosen for the sixth round of funding from Hexagram, a consortium of Quebec universities. The projects – by second- and third-year students from Concordia University and l’Université du Québec à Montréal – are experimental in nature and range from wearable instruments to building installations that react to the movements of passersby....
Dominique Brown, president and GM of Montreal-based game development and conversion studio Beenox, has been recognized as the most prominent youngest businessperson in the field of technology and research by the Quebec Youth Chamber of Commerce. The annual distinction is given out to a young entrepreneur who is remarkable for the effect they have on their local business community as well as their determination, vision and...
On February 3, Ontario minister of culture Madeleine Meilleur announced a new award, the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, which would provide $50,000 to two individual artists annually. Along with professions such as writing and publishing, film and television production, visual arts, and music, practitioners...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Formal education isn’t everything in new media, but it goes a long way towards establishing a professional’s identity. That’s why it’s exciting to see two new graduate programs addressing the needs of the new media industry: the MBA program at Toronto’s Ryerson University now offers a specialization in media management (which includes digital media), while four British Columbia institutions – Simon Fraser University; University of British Columbia; British Columbia Institute of Technology; and the Emily Carr Institute – have banded together to offer a masters degree in professional digital media in Vancouver. The attention from Canadian graduate schools is certainly welcome in an industry that’s largely devoid of educational standards it can call its own. With the loss of the Association of Web Professionals in 2002, the interactive media industry suffered a great blow. Attempts have been made...
Canada’s new media sector will reach a developmental milestone over the next two years with the admission of students to Ryerson University’s management of technology and innovation masters program in Toronto this fall, and to the professional digital media masters program at Vancouver’s Great Northern Way Campus...
Digital cable transition framework announcedThe CRTC has announced a wide-ranging framework for both large and small cablecos to transition their services to digital distribution. The commission found that the four large cablecos – Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco and Vidéotron – should be required to mirror their analog line-ups and tiers on their digital service, until at least 85% of subscribers have digital set-top...
A new exemption order aimed at distinguishing between wireless telco-based mobile video services and yet-to-launch mobile TV services has some wireless network operators upset over its unique take on the broadcast retransmission regime, while others are indifferent. "There’s a fundamental difference between the rights that [over-the-air]...
High definition television was high on the agenda at this year’s Prime Time conference, an annual event hosted by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). CRTC chairman Charles Dalfen gave the opening keynote, during which he laid out the regulator’s take on Canada’s broadcasting and production landscape. He noted...
Styling himself as a necessary thorn in the broadcast industry’s side, a Canadian Toshiba executive says digital TV providers are doomed to fail in the HDTV market if they don’t get their act together. Robert Gumiela, senior marketing director for television at Markham ON’s Toshiba of Canada Ltd., took aim at telecommunications service providers for trying to squeeze HDTV signals through too small a network connection, thus providing a downmarket HDTV experience. "How much bandwidth are you delivering to the end user? The best I get is about 2.2 Mbps," Gumiela said during a presentation at The Strategy Institute’s Digital Home Summit, held in Toronto February 21 and 22 and attended by home builders, computer chip makers and communications service providers....
Digital television services added nearly a quarter of a million new subscribers in the third quarter of 2005, but the race appears to be more or less an even heat between satellite distributors and their cableco counterparts at present. Mario Mota, VP of broadcast and media research at Decima Research Inc., released the latest installment of The...
The head of Amtelecom says the firm’s recent acquisition of People’s Communications Inc. will not only allow the telecom and cable TV provider to round out coverage for voice and data telephony services, but will help it beef up some of its cable operations. A soon-to-be-launched fibre build project will allow...
Applications for radio licenses in Calgary, Lethbridge being heard nowThe CRTC is holding public hearings in Calgary between February 21 and March 3 to consider applications for radio broadcasting licences in the Calgary area and Lethbridge. The commission is hearing applications from Touch Canada Broadcasting Inc., CHUM Ltd., Evanov Radio Group Inc., Calgary Independent Broadcast Group Inc., Jim Pattison Broadcast Group...
Stephen Stohn and Daniel Weinzweig have joined the board of directors at Alliance Atlantis’ Movie Distribution Income Fund. Stohn, an entertainment lawyer, is perhaps best known for his role as executive producer of the popular Degrassi: The Next Generation television franchise as well as the annual Juno Awards. He is a founder partner at Toronto’s Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Richmond LLP legal firm, as well as a...
CRTC chair Charles Dalfen presented the opening keynote, excerpts of which appear below, at this year’s Prime Time, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association’s annual event. In it, he urged Canadian producers to produce more content in high-definition broadcast formats. As I looked over the program for this conference one thing...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. High-definition television, or HDTV, is an innovation that promises to change the face of video entertainment. Canada, however, is in danger of being left behind. Not by any omission on the public’s part: a quick check of online retailers such as Future Shop shows that the majority of TV sets...
CNM update – February 22, 2006 SilverBirch’s Mobiloke on the move with WirelesStudiosSilverBirch Studios Inc. has entered into an agreement allowing WirelesStudios Inc. to distribute SilverBirch’s mobile entertainment content throughout Europe and the UK. The top offering will be the Toronto-based company’s Mobiloke, a mobile phone-based Karaoke program, with lyrics display, downloadable tracks and pitch and...
There is no question as to whether or not digital signage will pick up momentum – it’s already happening, according to the presenters sharing their experiences with the medium at the Strategy Institute’s recent Digital Signage Summit, held in Toronto February 7 and 8. However, there is still a struggle to get advertisers and their agencies to buy...
Imagine the possibilities if mobile content customers could simply recommend a game or application to a friend by entering their mobile phone number. Cascada Mobile, a Toronto-based wireless company, has announced a new technology that allows mobile content publishers and developers to capitalize on the influence of viral marketing and word-of-mouth buzz for their mobile applications. Cascada’s TAG technology enables mobile subscribers to refer J2ME games and applications to their peers. The "friendly" referral then delivers the recipient directly to the purchasing page of the product. Brian Flanagan, co-founder and director of product management for Cascada Mobile, says the critical element to the success of any viral marketing strategy for mobile content is ensuring the consumer has access to the correct version of the game or application. "The idea behind TAG was to create a service that allowed the referral distribution of content to take place," says Flanagan. "We have all these...
With 11 years of experience in developing online gaming software, Toronto-based Cryptologic Inc. seems well-positioned to take advantage of what is now a surging, US$12 billion industry worldwide – even if they can’t sell their product in Canada. During the BMO Nesbitt Burns Canadian Gaming Conference held...
Six months after its launch south of the border, Sunnyvale CA-based Yahoo Inc.’s online music service is now available in Canada. Unlike other services currently available here, Yahoo Music Unlimited Canada gives users the choice to choose either either pay-per-track downloads or a monthly all-you-can-eat...
Divine Design OnlineLifestyle new media at its best, Divine Design Online is a do-it-yourselfer’s resource aimed at a primarily female demographic with ages ranging from 25-54. This online foray into the genre has been facilitated by the immense popularity of Fusion Television’s Divine Design with Candice Olson, seen weekly on the W Network in Canada and HGTV in the US. The format of the site is based upon the...
CHUM Ltd. has announced the appointment of Gabrielle Free to the post of director of communication for CHUM Television’s music and youth services. As such, Free will head up external communications for such CHUM brands as MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, MuchVibe, MuchLOUD, MuchMoreRetro, Razer and PunchMuch – brands that have heavy online and mobile presences in addition to their traditional television component.Free is a...
Michael Grade, chairman of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), gave the keynote address at the 2006 National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference last month. In his speech, excerpts from which appear below, he gave advice to traditional broadcasters looking to compete in the convergent world. Looking around the convention floor yesterday, NATPE is unrecognisable for this visitor returning after a ten-year absence. So many new faces, some old faces, and, as Johnny Carson once memorably remarked, a few new faces on old faces! I also detected a measure of fear around the convention. This is understandable: the media world is changing out of all recognition. It’s pretty clear we are on the eve of another revolution in our industry and, like Vegas...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Next month, I’ll be moderating a panel at the New Media Business Alliance’s iSummit in Toronto. The session asks the question, "Is It OK to Say Convergence Again?" If we take convergence to mean interactive media and high-tech networks melding with more established forms of...
The "third screen" – in all its permutations – was high on the agenda at this year’s Prime Time, the annual conference of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). Computer displays are often referred to as the third screen after television and movie theatres. However,...
CBC teams up with telcos for OlympicsThe Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is getting its 2006 Olympic Winter Games coverage into the hands of Canadian viewers in some non-traditional ways. The public broadcaster has signed deals with Bell Canada, which will feature CBC telecast content on its mobile television service, and Rogers Communications Inc., which will provide similar content through its video-on-demand (VOD) service...
While many laud the potential of broadband convergence, the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) is a victim of it. Citing the changing face of the cable industry, the 50-year-old organization announced it will cease operations immediately. "The reality is...our major companies...have really shifted from being cable television companies to becoming media and communications conglomerates,"...
Calgary-based Shaw Pay-Per-View Ltd. will soon be coming to eastern Canada, and Astral Media Inc. will just have to learn to share. On January 31, the CRTC approved the Shaw Communications Inc. division’s request for a licence amendment, allowing its well-established terrestrial pay-per-view (PPV) service to branch...
Despite the media attention, the launch of US shock jock Howard Stern’s Howard 100 station on Sirius Canada is being downplayed by both the satellite radio provider and industry groups. "It’s just another channel in our 100-channel line-up," Sirius Canada’s president and CEO, Mark Redmond, tells...
MTS Allstream Inc. and Aliant Inc. are still building out their IPTV offerings even as they struggle to maintain local residential telephony market share. Aliant is in the process of rolling out IPTV to approximately 200,000 homes in Atlantic Canada and hopes to achieve that goal by the end of 2007. The company has...
Predictions about the future of television abounded at the annual US National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference, held January 24-26 in Las Vegas. The "Digital Strategies: Evolve and Prosper" panel was stacked with titans from the world of US convergence. CBS Digital Media...
CRTC rules on drama development commitmentsAfter its 2004 call for comments on a new English-language television drama production regime (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-81), the CRTC has ruled on a formula it believes will increase funding for such productions as well as airtime and viewership. The commission wants to see Canadian broadcasters spend 6% of their gross annual revenues on TV drama production five years from now, while the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, understandably, wanted broadcasters to hit that target sooner – three years from now, to be precise. As for viewership, the commission ruled that separate targets should be set for conventional channels and specialty channels: the former will aim for Canadian drama viewing to account for 16.5% of its total drama audience five years from now, which specialty properties are instead instructed to target a 7.5% increase (1.5% each year) from their current levels – which range from 1% to 44% – over the next five years. The Canadian Association of...
Kirstine Layfield has been appointed executive director of English-language programming at the CBC, ending a five-month search for the right candidate for the job at the public broadcaster that started when Slawko Klymkiw vacated the position to take up the top spot at the Canadian Film Centre.Layfield was most recently senior VP of lifestyle content at Alliance Atlantis Communications, where she was responsible for...
Etienne Dumont, a 26-year-old radio host and producer currently working at CHLT 630 Estrie in eastern Quebec, has provided the first stakeholder comment on the CRTC’s Commercial Radio Policy review process. We kindly thank Mr. Dumont for the English translation of his intervention, which is excerpted below. Although...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. On the face of it, the CRTC’s decision to grant Shaw Communications Inc. dispensation to offer its terrestrial pay-per-view service nationally might seem unfair to Astral Media Inc. While Shaw and Astral had hitherto shared the country – and the Viewer’s Choice franchise – in a...
CNM update, February 07, 2006 Yahoo launches Canadian music serviceYahoo Canada officially rolled out the Canadian version of its music download service on January 31. Yahoo Music Unlimited was first launched in the US last August, and Canada is the first foreign market for the service. "We want our service to truly reflect the music community in this country, and basically speak to Canadians with their tastes...
The lean years after a fateful CRTC decision in 2003 seem to be coming to an end for the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund with another decision from the commission this week. In the course of renewing Bell ExpressVu LP’s licence to operate a direct-to-home (DTH) pay-per-view (PPV) service until August 2012, the commission also approved the satellite broadcaster’s request to direct the entire 5% of its revenue it must currently contribute to independent production funding to the Bell Fund (Broadcasting Decision 2006-22). "We’re just sitting here kind of with our jaws dropped," says Andra Sheffer, executive director at the Bell Fund’s Toronto office. ExpressVu is the sole source of funding for the Bell Fund, contributing a share of revenue from both its DTH PPV operations and from its general DTH broadcast distribution unit (BDU). "The bulk of our funding comes from the BDU revenue, which is all their subscriptions, so that’s where we get [most of] our $6 million a year," she says. While the...
As promised in 2004, Telus Corp.’s funding programs for content producers have been streamlined and reintroduced in partnership with director Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre. The Telus Innovation Fund will provide up to $100,000 per project for three projects drawn from the film, television and new media production communities....
Whether the platform is a console, PC, mobile phone or interactive TV, electronic games are a thriving business. But, not all games make money. An event organized in Toronto on January 20th by the New Media Business Alliance looked at business models, demographics and other facets of game development for gaming in both Canadian and foreign markets....
Mark Greenspan, training programmes manager at the Canadian Film Centre’s Habitat New Media Lab, attended the recent National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) annual conference in Las Vegas on behalf of Canadian NEW MEDIA. Featured below is his report, which analyzes the leading role network television plays in setting the agenda for new media south of the border. Digital entertainment...
Rogers, Melodeo unveil mobile podcast serviceRogers Wireless and Melodeo Inc. have teamed up to launch Rogers podcast Service, the first mobile podcast service on the continent. Through Melodeo’s Mobilcast software, Rogers Wireless customers will now have the option to listen to podcasts on their cell phones covering 16 different categories, including news and sports, technology, music, and comedy. The podcasts are...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Wow. Somebody pinch me. I’ve never placed much stock in my ability to foresee the future, but the events of this week have got me wondering whether extra-sensory perception does indeed exist. In my last editorial, emboldened by news the CRTC was creating a new media directorship and media...
Shaw terrestrial PPV to go nationalThe CRTC has approved Shaw Communications Inc.’s request that its terrestrial pay-per-view service – currently offered only in western Canada – be allowed to go national.In exchange, Shaw must agree to minimum levels of French-language programming, minimum Canadian content requirements, a minimum ratio of French-to-English-language channels, and a transfer of 60% of the gross...
After an eight-year interregnum, the CRTC is ready to re-examine its commercial radio policy after announcing a framework for the review on January 13. Topping the list of issues to be addressed is the impact of emerging technologies – satellite and Internet radio broadcasts, podcasting, and music downloading and file-sharing – on existing...
Satellite radio services may have received their licences to operate in Canada six months ago, but the copyright collectives representing Canadian artistic talent and businesses are still waiting for their proposed tariffs on such services to be approved. One organization, the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights...
Self-styled community broadcaster Jan Pachul is still airing his Star Ray TV signal in Toronto, despite a 2001 order shutting it down and a more recent reminder from the CRTC. "I guess what they’re trying to do is shut down whatever I’ve got on right now," Pachul says, referring to Star TV’s alphanumeric service, a mix of music from local artists and a computer text-based video signal. Despite a mandatory order from the CRTC to shut down Star Ray’s TV broadcasting activity on UHF channel 15 in October 2001, Pachul continued to air a signal (CCR Update, Oct. 26/01). In October 2002, a year after the order was issued, Pachul told Canadian Communications Reports he had discontinued broadcasting a synchronized audio and video feed, but held on to his alphanumeric...
OMNI TV arrives in WinnipegRogers Media Inc. will bring its OMNI brand of multicultural television to Manitoba next month with the launch of multi-faith channel OMNI TV Manitoba. Approval for the deal was granted in May last year when Rogers applied for permission to acquire NOWTV BC (CHNU-TV Fraser Valley) and NOWTV Manitoba (CIIT-TV Winnipeg), as well as for licenses to operate both stations as religious programming...
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) has appointed its new board of directors for 2006. Chairing the Winnipeg-headquartered network’s board this year is Judy Gingell of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation in the Yukon Territory. Judy is a five-year member of the board, a founding director of Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon, ex-chair of the Council for Yukon Indians, and an ex-Commissioner of the Yukon. More...
Late last year, Canada’s broadcasters had a chance to comment on an Industry Canada consultation paper examining the emerging technology of broadband over powerline (BPL), which allows high-speed networking over electrical wiring. In its comment, an excerpt from which appears below, the Canadian Broad-casting Corp. urged...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It’s an exciting time to be writing about audio broadcasting in Canada. Although a look back at the pages of Canadian Communcations Reports will reveal that last year was very much about digital television in all its various forms, radio is now back in the spotlight – at least temporarily – with...
CNM update, January 25, 2006 CFC, Telus launch new innovation fundToronto’s Canadian Film Centre has launched a new funding program with the financial backing of Telus Corp. Dubbed the Telus Innovation Fund, the program will provide money for three projects annually – up to $100,000 per project – in the form of an upfront advance. New media, film and television productions that mostly feature Canadian copyrighted content are eligible for funding under the program, but firms with less than 40 employees and total annual revenues of less than $4 million will be given priority. The Canadian Film Centre already runs a training program in conjunction with the telco, the Telus Interactive Art & Entertainment Programme, as well as its own Interactive Project Lab, a talent incubator and mentorship program that also features a funding component. Look for more on the Telus Innovation Fund in an upcoming issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA. Montreal’s Nurun buys Chinese Web marketerWeb communications firm Nurun Inc. of Montreal...
Saskatchewan’s new media community will have its own home-grown conference starting this spring with the launch of Saskatchewan Interactive. Saskatchewan New Media Developers Association president Deborah Black says she has targeted the game development industry as a likely area where the province could...
Canada’s new media industry will have a fourth national conference this spring with the launch of iSummit, a business issues-focused event from the Toronto-based New Media Business Alliance (NMBA). Despite existing events such as Alliance numériqc’s Montreal International Game Summit, New Media BC’s Vidfest, and Nextmedia from...
Photochannel pairs up with KatzRetail multimedia vending device operator Photochannel Networks Inc. (PNI) has signed an agreement with Katz Group Canada Ltd. – operators of the Rexall, Pharma Plus, Guardian and IDA pharmacy chains in Canada, among others – that will see Katz use PNI’s Digital Media Platform to build an online photo service. Customers will be able to upload their digital photographs to the Rexall...
Robert Desautels is the newest addition to the executive team at Longueuil QC motion simulator firm D-Box Technologies Inc. As VP of sales and marketing, he will guide the Quebec firm’s efforts to take its home entertainment-oriented motion feedback devices to new markets, and increase penetration and profile in existing markets. Desautels held the position of VP of marketing and business development at Montreal...
At the end of 2005, Hamilton ON research firm Hill Strategies Research Inc. released their Artists by Neighbourhood in Canada report. The survey "highlights creative neighbourhoods across the country – areas where artists interact and help shape the character of their communities" by looking at the percentage of...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.At the risk of repeating my last editorial, I’m going to reaffirm my belief that 2006 will be a banner year for Canada’s new media industry. On the heels of last year’s news that the CRTC will create a new media directorate, the public sector and producer communities are coming up with...
Toronto-founded, London-based skill gaming outfit FUN Technologies plc ended 2005 on a high note with a major media holding company bidding for a controlling stake, and that momentum seems to be continuing this year. On Jan. 18, FUN tendered a deal worth up to US$6 million for mobile game developer Octopi LLC of...
A new multimedia marketing campaign aimed at teens and young adults with mobile phones may be the first of many to come, according to an industry analyst. "It’s certainly the highest-profile example we’ve seen of how mobile capabilities can be taken advantage of to market, especially to youth," says Jeff Leiper, director of...
2005 starts with cavalcade of cableco announcementsBy all accounts, Canada’s cable industry is in growth mode, with two major cablecos seeing greater than 100% increases in their net income during recent quarters. Shaw Communications Inc., and Cogeco Cable Inc. both issued earnings statements less than two weeks into the new year, while Rogers Communications Inc., and Vidéotron ltée issued - subscriber growth figures. Calgary’s Shaw grew its net income to $75.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 – a three-month period which ended November 30, 2005 – up from $44.7 million in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. While digital telephony and high-speed Internet growth led the charge in subscriber addition numbers, the firm’s basic cable customer base grew by 29,429 during the quarter, while digital cable added 28,296 new customers. Shaw’s direct-to-home satellite television operator Star Choice also contributed with a 10,199 gain in users. "Both of our divisions [Cable and Internet] are contributing...
Peggy Tabet has been named as director of regulatory affairs and broadcasting at Quebecor Media. She assumed the new position on January 1. Previously, she worked at TVA for seven years where she held various positions in the traffic and sales and marketing division. She also worked as an affiliate relations representative. Board chairman Michael Cytrynbaum and vice-chairman and CEO Gerald McGoey were re-elected in...
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is giving "qualified support" to Rogers Cable Communications Inc.’s and Shaw Communications Inc.’s requests to use the 25% portion of local avails – currently used to promote discretionary programming services and packages, customer service information, channel...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The beginning of a year is a time for change. Accordingly, this will be my last issue as editor of Canadian Communications Reports. It’s been a blast meeting and speaking with all of you about broadcasting in Canada over the past five years. The broadcasting industry is certainly an interesting...
Canadian content levels, talent development payments and spectrum issues are among the myriad concerns that radio broadcasters are expected to raise during this year’s review of the CRTC’s radio policy. Although the CRTC has yet to release its notice outlining the issues it wants to examine, Canada’s radio...
FUN Technologies’ foreign affairsToronto-headquartered FUN Technologies plc, a provider of online entertainment for the casual gaming market, has been busy abroad inking new deals with distributors in the United States and Denmark. South of the border, FUN subsidiary SkillJam Technologies Corp. signed a "comprehensive" agreement to create a private-label gaming platform for Waltham MA-based search engine and portal powerhouse Lycos Inc. The "pay-for-play" platform will be developed and maintained by SkillJam, and be hosted at Lycos’ Gamesville.com Web property. Players will be able to choose per-use, subscription, or download transaction options, and will also be able to interact through leader boards, avatars and self-administered "leagues" of gamers. In a media release announcing the deal, FUN Technologies CEO Lorne Abony hailed the "end-to-end" contract as the firm’s "first ‘360-degree solution for skill-based casual gaming." In Europe, meanwhile, FUN and SkillJam EU Ltd....
Canada’s cultural organizations and unions are dissatisfied with the amount of attention campaigning politicians are spending on communications and cultural matters, and are gearing up to make a change. "It’s easy to focus on gang violence – which is important – by demanding more police or more social...
CTV Inc. is the first conventional network to be named Canada’s top TV service in terms of viewer satisfaction, according to the latest edition of TV Quality Report, a national audience study examining Canadian’s attitudes toward television. In the past, specialty channels Discovery and The Learning Channel (TLC)...
More than four years after many of Canada’s other large cablecos applied for basic cable deregulation, EastLink has followed suit. Paula Sibley, a communications specialist with the Atlantic Canada-based cableco, tells Canadian Communications Reports that applying for the deregulation later than other cable...
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) calls 2004-05 a record year for complaints, with the number of decisions issued soaring to 125. The self-regulatory body of the broadcasting industry receives roughly 2,000 complaints a year based on language, violence, sex-role portrayal and journalistic ethics. CBSC...
Rogers OMNI releases production benefits package detailsRogers OMNI Television has unveiled details of its $950,000 benefits package for independent documentary production in British Columbia and Manitoba over seven years. A maximum of $250,000 will be spent each year, with proposals being reviewed twice a year: January 1 to March 1, and September 1 to November 15. The money will go toward the creation of 30-minute and...
CNM update – January 4, 2006 Copyright a campaign issue: CRIA pollA new poll conducted for the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) claims more than two-thirds of Canadian voters support stronger copyright laws, regardless of who wins the upcoming election. Of the more than 1,200 Canadians selected at random for CRIA by Pollara Inc., more than two-thirds – 68% – said they feel the new government...
Mobile video is on the move in Canada, but how far will it go? Mobisodes—short video episodes carried on cellphones—are attracting the interest of content providers hoping to discover new audiences and revenue streams. But is there really a market for video that is slightly larger than a postage stamp? And are there...
Cookie Jar Entertainment of Toronto has filed CRTC licensing applications for a proposed English-language educational interactive TV channel and a French counterpart. "There is no channel that’s doing what we’re proposing," says Michael Hirsh, CEO of the Cookie Jar Group, which includes Cookie Jar...
Two technology intiatives have combined forces to create a new organization aimed at turning a remote region of British Columbia into a go-to destination for new media and IT software development. The Tech Village project brings together two separate initiatives servicing different business segments in the region. New Media West, which received backing from a local entrepreneur support organization, Community Futures of Greater Trail, was an e-business portal aimed at building links between interactive technology businesses in the Kootenays. At the same time, the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) was promoting the region’s IT software industry. The merger will entail a bit of work to gauge the size and make-up of both types of businesses in the...
