CRTC creates new media and technology directorship

Media | 12/22/2005 5:00 am EST

The CRTC looks set to devote considerably more resources to interactive media with the creation of a new director’s position dedicated to new media and technology.   As part of the wide-ranging reorganization announced December 15, the commission is creating a third "pod" to supplement the existing broadcasting and...

CNM Editorial

Media | 12/22/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.News of the CRTC’s restructuring has generated a lot of excitement at the Decima Reports offices.My colleagues covering the broadcast and telecommunications industries have enthused about the possibilities for progress on some currently stalled issues, and new media, of course, is no exception....

Mobile video offers opportunities for new formats: iLunch panel

Media | 12/22/2005 5:00 am EST

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...

CCR People

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

 Judith A. LaRocque, deputy minister of Canadian Heritage, has been named as president of the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications (IIC). She replaces Alliance Atlantis Communications executive chair Michael MacMillan, who held the position for several years. He was replaced at the IIC Canadian chapter’s conference on December 12-13.  The Ontario branch of the Society of Cable...

U.S. satellite distributors seek relief from carriage requirements in Alaska, Hawaii

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

Distributors in Canada often cry that they don’t have enough capacity when the topic of regulated carriage of both analog and digital versions of TV channels comes up. In Canada, the CRTC has regulated that distributors must carry both versions of over-the-air channels in the transition period to digital, and has yet to rule on specialty TV channels. In the United States, a familiar debate is raging with direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributors DirecTV and EchoStar Satellite trying to be excused from having to distribute both versions of conventional local stations in Hawaii and Alaska come June 2007. The U.S. National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), however, is opposing such a...

CCR Editorial

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC reorganization announced last week is a concrete example of how the CRTC appears to be positioning itself to better deal with new technologies, along with the converging broadcasting and telecommunications industries that it regulates. It deserves praise for the move.  The new integrated...

CRTC reorganization aimed at greater efficiencies in converging world

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

The CRTC has created a converged broadcasting and telecommunications group under the leadership of Len Katz in a major reorganization aimed at streamlining its broadcasting operations and enabling it to better deal with emerging technologies.  Three divisions or pods – under the control of an associate executive...

Broadcasters, advertisers reluctant to embrace high-definition TV broadcasting

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

Broadcasters are reluctant to invest in high definition (HD), stating that advertisers aren’t on board either and that there simply isn’t the necessary revenue flowing for adoption of the technology known for its superior picture quality.  "Advertisers aren’t prepared to pay a premium for [the airing of] HD...

Canada’s first 24-hour HD channel launches

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

Discovery HD, a 24-hour high-definition channel owned by CTV Inc. and U.S.-based Discovery Communications, launched in Canada on December 19. It’s on free preview until July 2006, but an HD-capable TV and an HD set-top box are needed to receive the channel. The channel’s high-resolution digital TV programming covers topics ranging from science and...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 12/21/2005 5:00 am EST

More foreign-owned ethnic channels seeking entry into CanadaMore foreign-owned specialty TV channels are seeking authorization to be carried in digital in Canada, including Sun TV, a 24-hour service from India offering programming in the Tamil language (Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-125) and ATV Home Channel (America), a service from Hong Kong with programming in Mandarin and Cantonese (Broadcasting Public Notice...

CNM Update

Media | 12/14/2005 5:00 am EST

UPDATE – Wednesday, December 14, 2005 Wagering Network application approvedThe CRTC has approved an application by Michael Garrow, operator of hand-to-hand combat channel The Fight Network, to launch a new TV offering aimed at gamblers. The Wagering Network will refer to sports from a gaming perspective, but will not air any sporting events itself; instead, it will feature a limited amount (no more than 10% of its...

Canadian kids-and-family portals hitting their stride

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

Of all the niches for interactive content on the Internet, the business of creating spaces for kids online seems to be gathering momentum with two Canadian firms making major announcements recently.   Toronto’s Kaboose is one of those rare firms that managed to ride out the tech-stock meltdown to come back a winner. Starting with $250,000 in...

Survey shows kids embrace the adventure – and danger – of life online

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

The Ottawa-based Media Awareness Network has revisited the landmark study of young Canadians’ Internet use it first conducted in 2001, and found that the pace of technological adoption among youngsters has accelerated greatly over the past four years.   More than 5,200 children in Grades 4 to 11 – a group that...

Author of new book hopes to lure Canadian new media firms to La-La land

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

The US-based author of a guide to new media opportunities in California is hoping his labour of love will mean lucre for Canadian firms.   Thomas Palamides, trade commissioner at the Canadian Consulate General in Los Angeles, spent nearly a year meeting with decision-makers at 11 digital animation houses, game development studios, and wireless content providers, ranging from those owned by major international players to smaller independents. "A lot of little Canadian companies really don’t have access to this market down here. This book is actually a vehicle by which they can enter this market and feel confident," he says. For the book, titled Hollywood...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

Bell Globemedia opens up to Teachers’, TorstarBCE Inc. has relinquished some of its hold on media juggernaut Bell Globemedia. The firm recently announced that it would take a $1.3 billion payment to pare back its stake in Globemedia to 20%, with Woodbridge Co. Ltd. – controlled by Ken Thomson, one-time owner of the Globe and Mail newspaper, a jewel in the Globemedia crown – increasing its share of the media...

CNM People

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

Toronto-based kids’ and parents’ portal Kaboose Inc. (see cover story) recently welcomed the newest member of its management team. Jason Hovey, a former general manager of Yahooligans and Yahoo Education – both properties of Sunnyvale CA’s Yahoo Inc. – is now VP of kids and educational properties at Kaboose. A 10-year veteran of the online family content industry, Hovey will assume leadership of the Canadian...

Kids embracing Internet era: study

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

Ottawa’s Media Awareness Network recently released Phase II of its landmark Young Canadians in a Wired World study. In this section, titled "The Mainstreaming of Networked Technology in Kids’ Lives", the study examines kids’ attitudes towards the Internet and network technology, and finds that many find it as transparent and...

CNM Editorial

Media | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.As the parent of a toddler, this issue’s overarching theme of "kids and the Internet" is one that’s dear to my heart.  The recently updated Young Canadians in a Wired World survey by the Media Awareness Network (see p. 4) claims the Internet is becoming "like wallpaper" to...

CNM Update

Media | 11/30/2005 5:00 am EST

UPDATE – Wednesday, November 30, 2005 D-BOX widens loss in Q2, wins CES awardLongueuil, QC’s D-Box Technologies Inc. posted its second-quarter results recently. While the firm’s revenues grew 50% in the quarter year-over-year, from roughly $546,000 to $821,000, the red ink also grew by more than 10% with a $751,000 net loss compared to $675,000 in the same quarter last year. The firm credited its Quest X3ME motion simulator, introduced in September, for much of the upswing in sales revenue, and said in the short-term it will focus on growing its U.S. distribution presence as well as on forging relationships with providers of entertainment content. The Quest X3ME won recognition at an awards event affiliated with the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The motion-enabled seat was named "Best of Innovations" in the furniture category at the 2006 International CES Innovations Design and Engineering awards; as such, D-Box will be fêted at a special presentation for award-winners when CES 2006 gets underway...

CCR People

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Telecommunications and cable industry veteran Louis Brunel has been appointed to the National Research Council Canada’s governing council for a three-year term. He spent 11 years as a senior executive at Vidéotron ltée, and is president and CEO of the International Institute of Telecommunications.  Astral Television Networks senior VP of marketing and sales Domenic Vivolo has been elected president of the Cable...

With election on the horizon, ACTRA pushes politicians to change CRTC

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the United Steelworkers descended on Parliament Hill on November 24 to push their cause to politicians prior to the next election, expected early next year. The two organizations challenged politicians to make developing a strong cultural...

Tackling new technologies a priority for CRTC vice-chair Arpin

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Helping sort the wheat from the chaff in keeping Canada abreast of new communications technologies is a top priority of the CRTC’s recently installed vice-chair of broadcasting.  "I think new technologies are issues that require the constant examination of the CRTC. As vice-chair, I will have to say they are a...

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Canadian Heritage needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan for reconfiguring the Canadian Television Fund.The fund, which benefits from millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money courtesy of Canadian Heritage, has long been criticized for the complex manner in which it is run....

Telcos rave about success of TV services

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

The TV services offered by telcos are attracting more customers than anticipated and are proving to be a valuable tool in the fight with cablecos for consumers, according to representatives from Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS), Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel) and Aliant Inc.  The three telcos were the first out of the gate...

Auditor general’s report questions Frulla’s proposed plans for CTF

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Measures have already been suggested to improve the efficiency of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), but a report released last week by the auditor general questions some of those proposals.  Sheila Fraser’s report (CCR Update, Nov. 22/05) is cautious about a proposal announced in June by Canadian Heritage minister...

Branding more important than ever for broadcasters in world of new technologies

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Conventional and specialty TV branding is relevant and can help viewers know what to expect when they tune into a particular station, agreed participants in A Brand Apart: The New Marketing Imperative for Broadcasters, a panel at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) convention on November 7 in Winnipeg.  The...

Telcos entering TV market could further accelerate digital TV rollout: Decima

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Telcos entering the TV distribution sphere should further drive the rollout of digital TV, even as satellite TV and digital cable continued to accelerate the digital transition in the second quarter of 2005, according to Decima Research VP of broadcast/media research Mario Mota. Mota has revised upwards his previous...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 11/29/2005 5:00 am EST

Global podcasting news, informationCanWest Global MediaWorks has been podcasting news and information for over a month, according to Steve Wyatt, senior VP of news and information at Global Television. Wyatt tells Canadian Communications Reports that since Global doesn’t have an all-news specialty TV channel, it is important to deliver the news in other forms, such as podcasting or streaming. Global podcasts four bulletins a day from its news show Global National – usually 30-second updates with video and audio. "I don’t really know who’s watching, how they are used [the podcasts], or where they watch them. All that kind of stuff is fascinating to see if they are of any value at all," Wyatt said. Global is also podcasting entertainment update bulletins from its Entertainment Tonight Canada show, and will be expanding to other areas such as weather and business updates. "We can do a 30-second business update on conventional [TV] and just drive that right to podcast. It’s really simple to do and it’s seamless for...

Telefilm, Bell Broadcast and New Media funds begin harmonizing application procedures

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

Canada’s two main sources of new media money are moving in the same direction once more, with a new common funding application template for projects in the production and product development stages. Charles Zamaria, financial director of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Marilyn...

BC duo launch film marketing and production portal

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

With the film industry apparently recovering from its recent slump, two BC entrepreneurs have launched a Web portal that will marry the entire movie-making process with the Internet – something they say hasn’t been done before. "It’s like chocolate and peanut butter – it’s the combination of the two that gives rise to what makes this...

Movie distributors’ association seeks to modify Criminal Code, C-60

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

The body representing U.S. film studios here in Canada is ramping up the fight against pirates videotaping movies in theatres, and has hired a lobbyist to press for tougher penalties for so-called camcording. The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA), which is affiliated with the international Motion...

Vortex pulls through to return for a second year

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

The Vortex, a competition that lets new media producers pitch their concepts in a series of 15-minute sessions, lost one major funder as a partner but gained another larger benefactor for this year’s installment. "We’ve done [it] once before, and we did that with OMDC’s [Ontario Media Development Corp.] backing," says Bill Marshall,...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

FUN to gain new majority shareholderEnglewood, CO’s Liberty Media Corp. has launched a bid to take a 51% stake of online game developer FUN Technologies plc. The plan involves Liberty Media creating a new Canadian-registered holding firm, dubbed New FUN, which will acquire all the currently issued shares of FUN Technologies, making it a subsidiary of New FUN. Liberty will then purchase 83.7 million pounds Sterling ($170 million) worth of New FUN’s to-be-issued shares, giving it 51% ownership of New FUN, as well as make a US$50 million ($58.5 million) cash payment to FUN Technologies. The plan still needs the approval of regulators in the U.K., as well as the sanction of FUN Technologies’ existing shareholders, who will either own or have first dibs on the remaining 49% of New FUN. FUN Technologies’ management has already come out in favour of the proposed deal. "This is a landmark achievement, both for FUN stakeholders and for the future prospects of FUN’s businesses," said Lorne Abony, FUN Technologies’ co-founder...

CNM People

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

Québec’s Regroupement des producteurs multimédia [Multimedia Producers’ Network) elected a new administrative council at its recent annual general meeting. Phil Belec, president of Productions Innovision, was nominated to head the council, while Kutoka president Tanya Claessens won re-election as vice-president and Donald Charest of Productions Donald Charest was named secretary-treasurer. Retaining their seats on...

Telefilm’s efficacy questioned in AG’s report

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

Auditor general Sheila Fraser recently looked at the Department of Canadian Heritage and its support for Canadian culture, including its funding of Telefilm Canada. Below are excerpts of the report. Lack of a clear mandate for the audiovisual sector and the significance of Telefilm Canada’s activities in television, sound recording, and new media...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/25/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming editor four months ago, it’s that the world of new media is always exciting – and unpredictable. The few outlets for funding mean competition can be intense, and only the best projects survive. However, there’s also a wonderful spirit of...

CCR Update

Media | 11/22/2005 5:00 am EST

Canadian Heritage needs clearer overall strategy, more control over Canadian content: auditor generalCanadian Heritage needs a clearer overall strategy for its support of Canada’s cultural industries, according to a report tabled today by auditor general Sheila Fraser in the House of Commons. The audit determined that "without a clear overall strategy, Canadian Heritage risks having each Cultural Affairs branch set...

Corus solicits new forms of radio advertising

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

Corus Radio sees a future in non-traditional advertising and has formed a separate company, Splice Interactive Media, to provide custom advertising for clients. With 1.9 million unique monthly visits to its web sites and a listener database in excess of 600,000 radio listeners, Corus Radio Toronto general manager J.J. Johnston says the results so far...

Networks retain aggregator role in world of citizen journalism

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

Average citizens are participating more in the gathering of news, but there will always be a need for broadcasters to aggregate it, concluded a panel at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) conference examining the future of news media.  CTV News president Robert Hurst gave the example of news outlets airing...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

TELUS launches TV service in Calgary, EdmontonTELUS Corp. is finally beginning to roll out its TV service neighbourhood by neighbourhood in Calgary and Edmonton, according to the company’s financial results for the third quarter ended September 30. "Friends and family of TELUS employees will be the first invited to experience the differentiated and unparalleled customer choice offered by TELUS TV," reads the...

CCR People

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has elected new board members for 2005-2006. The executive consists of Rob Braide (joint chair), Alain Gourd (past chair), Rael Merson (chair, radio), John Hayes (vice-chair, radio), Pierre Lampron (chair, television), Rick Brace (vice-chair, television), Sophie Émond (chair, specialty and pay), Shan Chandrasekar (vice-chair, specialty and pay), Charlotte Bell (treasurer),...

Media can survive, often thrive, in state of perpetual evolution: Rabinovitch

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

Technological innovation should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat, according to Canadian Broadcasting Corp. president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch. Speaking at the World Electronic Media Forum II in Tunis, Tunisia, he said the emergence of the iPod and other new technologies doesn’t mean the downfall of television. After all, newspaper and radio are still surviving. Below is an excerpt from his speaking notes.  The challenge broadcasters face today is strikingly similar to the one faced by newspapers in the 1920s with the dawn of radio; by radio, in the 1950s, with the onset of television; and by newspapers, radio and television in the 1990s with the upsurge of the Internet....

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The Internet, iPods and other new technologies are bound to change the way TV broadcasting is run in Canada, but there is no need for panic. As CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch noted in a recent speech (see Newsmakers column on this page), technological innovation should be viewed as...

Out-of-home TV viewing happening at work, PPM study reveals

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

The second most common place for out-of-home TV viewing is during daytime hours at work, according to data obtained from a portable people meter (PPM) trial in Houston TX. "We now have evidence that out-of-home television viewing is during the day – Monday to Friday, right smack in the middle of the day, not on...

Upstart Canadian broadcaster says U.S. carriage deal is imminent

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

The Fight Network is currently only available on Rogers digital cable, but the upstart channel is looking to do something rare for a Canadian broadcaster. The Category 2 diginet devoted to martial arts and other fighting forms is in talks to be distributed in the United States – initially on satellite TV and then on cable...

Large firms reluctant to try new forms of advertising, says Mediaedge: cia president

Media | 11/18/2005 5:00 am EST

The head of a Canadian media buying agency says advertisers will continue to count on the traditional TV commercial for the majority of their advertising needs. Calling them conservative, Mediaedge: cia Canada president Bruce Grondin stated there is a reluctance by big firms to try new ad forms, such as Inte-rnet...

CNM Update

Media | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

  UPDATE – Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Telefilm, Bell Fund templates mergeThe Telefilm Canada New Media Fund and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund have streamlined the early-stage funding application process by offering a co-branded template common to both organizations. The new document negates the need for projects at the production and product development stages to complete two separate budgets for each fund. While some of the budget categories and descriptors for each fund have been harmonized, others – such as budget notes and parameters – will be reconciled in the months to come. The changes take effect in time for Telefilm’s deadline for full project funding applications coming up next month, as well the Bell Fund’s February 2006 deadline for production applications. Telefilm Canada faced criticism in April when it changed its funding templates, bringing them out of synch with the Bell Fund’s. The changes also occurred less than a month from a May application deadline. Telefilm abandoned the changes and...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The Canadian Internet Project’s recent Canada Online! report might appear, at first, to contain some sobering statistics about our collective interest in the country’s cultural heritage. Only 16% of Francophones interviewed said they were completely satisfied with the accessibility of Canadian...

Keeping it real at the Montreal International Game Summit

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

Taking gaming to a new level by taking users away from the desktop was a key theme during the second annual Montreal International Game Summit last week, with several sessions focusing on merging traditional screen-based games with elements of physical play. On the conference’s first day Adrian Hon, director of play...

Canadian culture suffers from low profile online: CIP study

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

Despite the millions spent this year to promote Canadian culture online, seven out of every 10 Canadians interviewed for a survey of Internet use in Canada said they rarely, if ever, sought out such material. That state of affairs was high on the agenda during the official unveiling of the Canadian Internet Project’s...

Joint Canada Council/NSERC media research initiative names 2005 winners

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

Art that interacts with the viewing public and a 3D auditory virtual environment are the focus of two projects selected for funding in 2005 through the Canada Council for the Arts and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) New Media Initiative. While both the Canada Council and NSERC have offered...

Blister grows bigger with Sprint Nextel signing

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

Calgary’s Blister Entertainment Inc. is making a name for itself south of the border as a top-tier provider of innovative mobile games, but that wouldn’t have been possible without homegrown support. In August, the developer launched its two flagship offerings, Swordfish and Torpedo Bay, on the pre-paid Boost Mobile service operated by...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

Parks Canada to interview new media playersCanada’s federal agency responsible for parks and conservation areas is curious about new media, and wants to meet with representatives of the industry this month in Toronto. The New Media Business Alliance is facilitating meetings with its members and Parks Canada in the morning of November 21, but interested parties should contact the NMBA before November 14. The announcement...

CNM People

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) has named Claude Lemieux to the position of VP, communications and member services. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Lemieux began his career working as a journalist in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Since then, he’s played a major role in organizing the Canadian presence at such high-profile international film and television industry events as the Cannes...

Telefilm head lauds new media

Media | 11/11/2005 5:00 am EST

  Wayne Clarkson, executive director of Telefilm Canada, provided an opening address at the 2005 Montreal International Game Summit. During his talk, Clarkson linked Canada’s storytelling traditions with the country’s growing importance as a provider of content in both old and new media. You may ask what this guy from Telefilm Canada is doing...

CCR Update

Media | 11/10/2005 5:00 am EST

O’Farrell tells convention that debates herald a move forwardCanadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell said that debate around how broadcasters should deal with new technologies was the "beginning of a forward movement, not its end." Speaking at the association’s 79th annual convention in Winnipeg, he continued, "To find our path to the future, we must support entrepreneurial action with a new policy environment. Industry and government must work together in the public-private partnership that has served Canada so well. We must revitalize the framework to meet the new challenges."  The challenges, he said, include the rapid pace of adoption of new technologies. In his opening address, O’Farrell listed off a number of developments that will change broadcasting, including audio and video content being sent to consumers through ubiquitous technology, smarter devices such as the iPod, the arrival of commercials and ads for cell phones that receive video content, the licensing...

Broadcasters test podcasting although no business case has yet emerged

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

 Because they think it will become more important in the on-demand listening and viewing world, broadcasters have begun to experiment with podcasting even though there is no established business case yet for the delivery of non-real-time audio feeds.  "I think broadly speaking as television and radio become more...

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. With viewers mad (and politicians too – see article on page 7) that programming was interrupted during the recently concluded eight-week-long lockout, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch should try some humility. He refused to take full responsibility when he...

Sears wishes for advertising sway in deal with Corner Gas

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

Sears Canada’s Wish Book will make its way to Dog River SK this year, joining past guests such as Canadian icons the high-flying Snowbirds, the band Tragically Hip, and former NHL hockey player Darryl Sittler on CTV Inc.’s hit series Corner Gas. But the Wish Book’s involvement comes courtesy of a deal brokered by...

Broadcasters profiting at expense of producers, CFTPA argues

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

Canada’s regulatory framework for broadcasting has led to increased profitability for private broadcasters, but they have not upped their financial contributions to Canadian programming on the conventional TV side, states the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). The release earlier this week of the...

Shaw adds Turner Classic Movies to analog cable tier at no cost

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

 Eight years after getting CRTC approval, Time Warner’s Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is now available in Canada, having launched October 31 in analog on Shaw Cablesystems and nationally on Shaw Communications Inc.-owned direct-to-home satellite TV distributor Star Choice. The reason the U.S. cable TV channel, which features classic movies, took so long to launch, according to both Shaw and the U.S. broadcaster, was due to having to work out copyright clearances for the Canadian market and to negotiating wholesale rights.  Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette says Shaw’s agreement with Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a subsidiary of Time Warner, has nothing to do with what’s happening in the pay television arena. Spotlight Television is among four applicants vying for...

Rabinovitch tells hostile committee timing made lockout necessary

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

The chair of a House of Commons committee urged the head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. to soon approach the federal government about the public broadcaster’s funding allocations for next year.  Marlene Catterall, chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, appeared bewildered when CBC president Robert...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

CAB questions CRTC on conventional viewing targetsThe Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) calls the CRTC’s proposed goal of increasing the hours of viewing of English-language Canadian drama to 16.5% of all TV drama viewing on conventional networks, or an 80% increase from current levels, over five years "unrealistic." The association also disagrees with the commission’s expenditure target of an 80%...

CCR People

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

Sandra Pugielli has left CHUM Ltd., where she was director of publicity for music and youth channels, to join CanWest MediaWorks Inc. as director of publicity, television and radio. She will be in charge of all publicity efforts for Global Television and will coordinate publicity for other TV brands (CH/Global News/Specialty Networks). She takes up her new job in late November. Also joining CanWest’s publicity team in...

New unregulated technologies could undermine broadcasters: CAB

Media | 11/07/2005 5:00 am EST

 Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell says that there are many challengesfacing broadcasters in the on-demand world. In a speech before the Canadian Club of Winnipeg on November 2, he said there is no turning back from the new developments – Internet, cell phones, digital music...

UPDATE – Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Media | 11/02/2005 5:00 am EST

Gaming industry in crisis: opening keynote at Montreal International Gaming SummitThe second Montreal International Gaming Summit opened today on a sobering note, with a veteran game designer warning the game design industry is at a crossroads. "Ironically, it’s not going to be the game guy who’s going to be so cheery and upbeat," said...

Strong new media presence at BDC’s young business awards

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

New media firms could be found in abundance at this year’s Young Entrepreneur Awards, an event sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The annual awards recognize the best companies led by under-35 management from each province. Interestingly, Quebec-region winner Triotech Amusement Inc. almost...

CCR Update

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

Corus, Astral fight pay TV hopefuls; licensing hearing underwayPublic hearings on pay TV got underway this week, with the four pay TV hopefuls and the incumbents reiterating many of the arguments that they made in the written part of the process (CCR, Oct. 24/05). Spotlight Television, Allarco Entertainment, Quebecor’s Archambault Group, and Channel Zero’s The Canadian Film Channel are all vying for national pay TV...

Formule i revs up at the Festival de nouveau cinema

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

For the fifth year in a row, Montreal’s Festival de nouveau cinéma staged a "cyberpitch" competition allowing young new media producers to pitch their work to a jury of professionals drawn from the city’s new media community. This year, however, through an adjunct program called Open Source: Creative Encounters, the festival’s...

Inukshuk e-learning plan on solid ground, Rogers VP says

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

Would-be broadband wireless network operator Inukshuk Internet Inc. has reaffirmed its commitment to interactive learning programs, even though some in Canada’s content community say they feel burned by past experiences with the entity. "As the ownership structure of Inukshuk got batted about, there was clearly some concern...about what the status of this was," says David Robinson, VP of at Rogers Wireless Inc. "We’ve been very clear about it: it’s an obligation [and] as a licensee, we are absolutely totally committed to it." In October 1999, Montreal’s Microcell Telecommunications Inc., Milton ON’s Look Communications Inc. and ID Internet Direct LLC of Toronto teamed up to bid on licences to operate wireless broadband networks - known as multipoint...

Home networking needs help to grow: study

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

The concept of the networked home where computers and entertainment devices seamlessly merge is still a long way off, according to a recent survey by Port Washington NY-based market intelligence firm NPD Group. While thousands have already connected their PCs and DVD players, that phase may be ending according to Darrel Ryce, director, NPD Group...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

Quebec well down digital highway: surveyAlliance numériQC, the association for Quebec’s new media industry, recently released its Indicateurs numériQC 2005 survey of digital device adoption in the province. Conducted in partnership with CEFRIO, a provincial educational/IT think-tank, the survey found that two-thirds of Quebecers now have a computer - either desktop or laptop - in the home; as well, 63% own DVD players...

CNM People

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

Claude Martel was reappointed as president of Montreal-based Alliance eLearning during the election process for the organization’s 2005-2006 executive committee. Martel is president of Montreal’s Educonsillium, an e-learning services provider. Two new members will also be joining the administrative team at Alliance eLearning: Rowena Roy, president and general manager of Netic Hypermédia Inc., and François...

Game design still predominantly a WASP male world: IGDA survey

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

The International Game Developers Association recently released its Game Developer Demographics: An Exploration of Workforce Diversity report, a global survey that for the first time examined the demographics and makeup of the game development workforce. Almost 6,500 game industry professionals responded to the survey, some...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/27/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.If a new media fund gets relaunched in a vacuum, will anyone know? Not necessarily, if two government-affiliated bodies are in charge. Earlier this year, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) teamed up to replace their separate initiatives providing grants for interactive projects that meld art and science. The resulting New Media Initiative, launched in April (CNM, April 1/05), offers Canada Council funding worth as much as $60,000 per year for a maximum of three years, while NSERC doesn’t set a ceiling for grants. That’s big money, and of major interest to Canada’s new media players and the people who serve them, such as Canadian NEW MEDIA. The Canada Council’s web site states that the results will be announced in October. By the time many of you get around to reading this, Halloween will have come and gone. We’d love to tell you who...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

CTF to releases $7.8 million in additional fundingThe Canadian Television Fund (CTF) last month announced that it would release $7.8 million in additional funding for production financing support in this fiscal year. The additional funding will support dramas, children’s and youth programming, documentaries and variety and performing arts productions in English and French. As well, $300,000 will be added to the special...

CCR People

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

Jean-Claude Bellefeuille, of Moncton NB, has been appointed to the board of directors of TV5 Quebec Canada. He is owner and president of Bellefeuille Production, and founding member of l’Alliance des producteurs francophone du Canada. From 1994 to 2001, he produced 160 programs for the series Temps d’Affaires, which aired on Radio-Canada Atlantique, TV5 and RDI.  Lynne Godin has left her position of product...

CCTA questions need to broaden access to inside wiring

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) tells the CRTC that Bell ExpressVu’s attempt to expand third-party access to inside wiring goes beyond the original intent of the regulations. The direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor would like current CRTC rules that set the lease rate for inside...

CAB attacks Copyright Board over its decision to increase music tariffs

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is likely to appeal the Copyright Board of Canada’s decision this month to hike music tariffs for higher profit radio stations after years of no rate increases. On October 14, the Copyright Board raised the royalties that commercial radio stations pay after their first...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It is time for the CRTC to open up the pay TV world to competition. Astral Media and Corus Entertainment have long been coddled under the wing of protectionism, and a new kid on the block would be like a breath of fresh air. The key is for the CRTC to open the doors in the right way, which...

Corus, Astral argue for status quo in pay TV; licensing hearings begin today

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Not surprisingly, Astral Television Networks and Corus Entertainment are telling the CRTC that new pay TV licensees would result in a slew of negative consequences to the broadcasting system, including a probable decline in their contributions to Canadian content. Public hearings into the possible licensing of new pay TV...

CRTC advised to take cautious approach to introducing competition to pay TV sector

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

Members of Canada’s creative community are urging the CRTC to proceed cautiously as it considers licensing four new pay TV services. The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) states it neither supports nor opposes any of the applications, but nonetheless raises some red flags. "We would be...

Cable TV signals should be made available to third- parties: Cybersurf

Media | 10/24/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Long-distance telephone and Internet provider Cybersurf is recommending that the CRTC make TV signals available to third-party resellers – just as it currently resells Internet service over Shaw cable lines, for example. The company’s VP of law and general counsel Chris Tacit tells Canadian Communications Reports that...

CNM Update

Media | 10/19/2005 4:00 am EDT

UPDATE – Wednesday, October 19, 2005  Pl@tform back for a second yearWinners of the New Media Business Alliance’s (NMBA)Pl@tform program, which seeks to give up-and-coming new media designers and developers a marquee for their talents, were announced this week. Three Toronto firms – Learning Edge Corp. with its NovICE: A Beginner’s Guide to Hockey, Snoek Media’s Global Kitchens, and The Wine Dating Game from The Wired Schoolhouse – will have their creative featured on the Sympatico/MSN website sometime next year: The five winners of the competition’s inaugural round in 2004 are gearing up for their debut on the portal. NMBA presents Pl@tform in conjunction with – and with funding from – the Ontario Media Development Corp. (OMDC), which looked to be facing a funding cut of around $2 million earlier this year (CNM, July 20/05). NMBA president Ian Kelso says the Ontario government arm is operating on the same budget as last year, and fears of those cuts seem to have been overplayed. "They’re kind of working...

New interactive media association down to final details before debut

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s official national new media industry body is gearing up for its debut this fall - but is finding itself temporarily bogged down by the name game. "We’ve got all of our due diligence done, and...we submitted our name application [to Industry Canada] a couple of weeks ago," says Ian Kelso, head of...

Telefilm fund going strong heading into five-year review

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Although a lifeline was extended last year and the successful recipients of another round of funding have just been announced, the turbulence of the past may soon return for the Telefilm Canada New Media Fund (CNMF). "Overall, the financing is in place [for the next fiscal year]," says Bruno Légaré, new...

Heritage, Industry reps provide copyright clarification at forum

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Controversial aspects of a proposed bill to amend the Copyright Act were debated at a recent forum in Ottawa as policymakers from Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada faced questions on the future of copyright reform. While much of the session focused on setting the stage for where Canada sits in the copyright world...

Canadian gaming conference gets name change, new venue

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

A town of 78,000 nestled between Lake Huron and Lake Superior with a traditional economic base of blue-collar manufacturing, Sault Ste Marie ON seems an unlikely birthplace for an internationally renowned conference on video games. However, FuturePlay - which runs this week from October 13 to 15 in East Lansing MI - is...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Palm, Nettwerk strike mobile music dealLeading Vancouver indie music label and artist management firm Nettwerk Records has teamed up with handheld device maker Palm Canada Inc. to offer a new music service offering exclusive content. The Nettwerk-to-Palm channel, as it’s been dubbed, will feature digital music and screen image files available to download for users of Palm’s Treo 650 smartphone, and music, screen images and video files for LifeDrive mobile manager hardware users. Among the more than 10 Nettwerk-represented artists to be profiled under the program are Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Swollen Members and the Be Good Tanyas. The Treo 650 runs on the Bell Mobility network, while the LifeDrive features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Palm says both devices share a common user profile: over 25 years old, frequently online while on the road, and enthusiastic about embracing new technology and content channels.  XM readies for rollout in CanadaOne of the two U.S.-backed satellite subscription radio...

CNM People

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Dan Fill has left Decode Entertainment to take a job with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Fill was VP, interactive with Toronto’s Decode, and was responsible for the interactive and online properties for such programs as Angela Anaconda, The Save ‘Ums and Franny’s Feet. Down under, Fill will fill the position of head of development at ABC’s new media and digital services unit, starting in December....

Stand up for Canada, not “broadcasting”: McOrmond

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

Ottawa’s Russell McOrmond is founder of FLORA Community Consulting, owner of the Digital Copyright Canada forum and web site, and a vocal opponent of the focus of the current round of copyright reforms. Last month, he sent the letter below to Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla, Industry minister David Emerson, and...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/14/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The impending arrival of the Canadian Interactive Alliance/Alliance interactive canadienne (CI@IC), the new voice of interactive media at the national level, is good news for the industry.   In an previous life, I was a business journalist, and earlier this year reported on a successful move by...

CCR Update

Media | 10/13/2005 4:00 am EDT

CRTC turns down Multivan request for looser language requirementsThe CRTC has denied a request for a licence amendment by Multivan’s multilingual Vancouver over-the-air ethnic station Channel M that would have restricted the number of hours it can broadcast in any one third-language (Broadcasting Decision 2005-485). Its current conditions of licence require the channel to broadcast more than 20 hours per week (between 6...

Rogers looking to add more mobile applications, switched video

Media | 10/07/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Rogers Communications is looking to introduce more mobile applications and switched video services as it buoys up its video-on-demand (VOD) offerings with other enhanced services targeted at the multi-product customer, according to the company’s chief strategy officer Michael Lee. While a 750 MHz or a 860 MHz...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/07/2005 4:00 am EDT

CCTA doesn’t want access to inside wiring broadenedThe Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) tells the CRTC that it should not amend its regulations to broaden third-party access to inside wiring to include properties such as hospitals, hotels, nursing homes and other commercial and institutional multiple-unit dwellings (CCR, Aug. 19/05). The organization states that changing the regulations would...

CCR People

Media | 10/07/2005 4:00 am EDT

Ana Rodrigues has been named as sales executive at CHUM Television International. She will be responsible for the sale of CHUM’s programming to broadcasters in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Rodrigues has over 10 years experience in TV sales, business development, integrated marketing and advertising. Most recently, she was a national account executive at Alliance Atlantis in the...

Telcos want more pay TV options, but not mandated carriage

Media | 10/07/2005 4:00 am EDT

TELUS Communications, Saskatchewan Telecommunications and MTS Allstream in a joint submission last month tell the CRTC to go ahead and license more pay television services. The submission was filed in a process undertaken by the commission to determine if it should greenlight any of the four applicants seeking a pay TV...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/07/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Aurora Cable deserves praise for being innovative and taking those first crucial steps toward using wind power at its headend. Using windpower will reduce the operation’s carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases. As the broadcasting distribution industry launches more and more applications - many of them requiring energy to power them - it is vital that the industry consider the impact of the new technologies on the environment. Companies across all business sectors need to invest in being environmentally friendly. Aurora anticipates that if it installs three wind turbines at its headend, it will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 100 tonnes a year. If the turbines remain in place for decades, the cableco will have contributed significantly to decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas it has generated. Moreover, once the wind turbines are working, the cableco will consider...