The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is strongly urging the CRTC to reject a proposal by the cable industry to sell commercial advertising in Canada on U.S. specialty TV services, such as CNN and A&E. The CAB tells the CRTC that approving the proposal would grant cablecos a new revenue stream from the sale of commercial advertising on U.S. channels, which is a serious departure from its original commitment to only use these local avails to promote Canadian TV broadcasting services. The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) is proposing being allowed to air two minutes an hour in advertising, while Vidéotron is requesting to be able to use 50% of the local...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It’s time for the cable industry to step up to the plate and improve their community TV channels as a way to counter the aggressive competitive moves made by Bell recently in the TV distribution business. The BCE conglomerate is intensifying competition in the TV business on a number of fronts. Bell Canada has applied for two Class 1 broadcast distribution licences, primarily to better be able to tap into the multiple unit dwelling (MUD) markets in Ontario and Quebec – currently a cable stronghold. Now, this week it has repackaged and repriced its TV line-up in ways that research shows would better attract analog cable TV subscribers. It’s now the cable TV industry’s turn to up the ante to keep existing customers and draw new ones. Due to linkage rules, cablecos are restricted in how much they can rearrange their packaging. One way to distinguish themselves from the satellite TV distributors is to beef...
Bell ExpressVu LP is taking dead aim at acquiring current analog cable subscribers with new user friendly channel packaging and lower entry-level pricing, as well as new dual tuner receivers. The company has simplified its channel lineup, introduced the new Digital Standard TV channel package priced at $25 a month, and is...
In your CNM article noted above and the accompanying editorial, both CNM and Mr. Mark Goldberg suggest that Canadian Internet service providers (ISPs) should adopt a self-regulatory approach to block access to Internet sites containing hate or child pornography and reference is made to Mr. Goldberg...
There will likely be little shift in the anti-piracy efforts undertaken by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) as longtime industry executive and lawyer Graham Henderson takes over the helm from outgoing president Brian Robertson. Both Henderson and Robertson share the view that litigation must move ahead at...
Magic Lantern launches new divisionMagic Lantern Group Inc., Oakville ON, has formed a new division for the unified creation of catalogue information, DVD masters and online digital streaming files called Parasol Video Inc. The company is seeking financing for the spinoff, with equity positions of up to 50% available. Parasol will offer Magic Lantern partners, educational video distributors and e-learning producers...
Canada could be well-placed to take a share of the 2008 Beijing Olympics broadcasting technology dollars in the aftermath of a study that shows a critical mass of interactive-television-related companies already doing business here. A survey conducted by Vancouver consulting shop At Large Media and the National Research Council (NRC) shows 103 different firms engaged in at least one of five different technology activities related to ITV. The study, Interactive Digital Delivery Marketplace: An overview of Canada’s multimedia broadcasting capabilities, is still under tight wraps, but initial results obtained by Canadian NEW MEDIA show a thriving sector in this country. That’s good news for...
Chalk Media has recently appointed Carrie Harrison to the position of director, sales and marketing, and Calvin Mah to chief financial officer. Peter Fuchs, previously a partner at Accenture, has been named to the board of directors of Blast Radius. Mediagrif has named its board of directors. Comprising this year’s board are: Léon Courville as lead director; Pierre Donaldson of Bioscrypt Inc. as executive chair;...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.There are millions of reasons why access to publicly available Internet material should be freely given to academic institutions for use in the classroom. Each of our children has the world to gain by exposure, with the guidance of trained teaching professionals, to the content available at the click of...
Canada’s education community is asking Ottawa to enact a controversial new measure during the current round of copyright reform that would give teachers free access to materials found on the Internet for use in the classroom. A coalition of teachers, professors and provincial ministers of education held a press conference...
Toronto-based Fourth Wall Media has scored a major coup in winning a contract to install a system-wide network of advertising screens in the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) subway trains and stations. The company is currently considering bids from major broadcasters and equipment vendors to provide equipment and...
Friday, October 1, 2004 Bell ExpressVu lowers price in major overhaul of its digital TV lineupDirect-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Bell ExpressVu has lowered the price of its standard TV package to $25 a month from $36. The package includes more than 100 channels, free time shifting on Canadian channels, and no extra fees for service access or multiple receivers. It has also simplified its lineup and...
Lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting is once again calling on the federal government to stop political patronage appointments to Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the CRTC. Friends made the call as CBC president Robert Rabinovitch’s five-year appointment is set to end on November 15. The call was made in...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC has a duty to ensure pride of place for Canadian content in any subscription radio services it licenses - whether by ensuring that a specific percentage of each service’s revenues is spent on new Canadian content, or by using the linkage approach to ensure Canadian options are adequately...
Fears over digital piracy and the Americanization of subscription radio in Canada have emerged as the two greatest concerns by interveners in the CRTC’s ongoing licensing procedure. The two proposed satellite subscription services - one by a partnership of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., Standard Radio Inc. and the Canadian...
The CRTC is a vital cog in the broadcasting system and must have jurisdiction over it, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) hopes to tell the Federal Court of Appeal in the Genex Communications Inc. case. The CAB filed this month for leave to intervene in the case, in which Genex argues that the CRTC doesn’t have the jurisdiction to revoke its radio licence for CHOI-FM (CCR Update, Sept. 1/04). The CAB argues to the contrary, but isn’t taking a stand on the Genex situation itself. "As you know, we don’t always agree with what the commission says or what they do. But we do feel that it’s in the public interest and in the broadcasting system’s interest that the...
Defying naysayers who predicted that new independent broadcasters wouldn’t be able to withstand the digital competition of established players, Stornoway Communications Inc. is set to launch its third channel, which will be devoted to pets. The Pets Network, licensed in November 2000 as a Category 2, will be carried on...
Canadian satellite TV subscribers are generally more satisfied with their television service than cable subscribers including digital cable customers, according to results from the 2004 wave of Decima Research Inc.’s syndicated consumer research study on digital TV service. But satisfaction ratings were generally lower in...
A CRTC decision on September 16 to allow entry of U.S. cable news network MSNBC and the U.S.-based financial channel Bloomberg Television into Canada on a digital basis is a sign that the commission is becoming more flexible in the news area, according to the president of the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association...
Cable association changes name, embraces telecommunicationsThe Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) has changed its name to the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association to better reflect the digital offerings its members offer to consumers. The new name underlines the fact that in a digital/IP-based environment, consumers will access broadband networks to obtain a range of on-demand services that encompasses...
Norma Bolen of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Inc., Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment, Ted East of the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters, and Paul Gratton of CHUM Television are the new board members of the Canadian Television Fund. Outgoing members are Paul Gross, Julia Keatley, Deepa Mehta, Peter Moss, and Bill Mustos. The CTF’s five independent board members are CTF chair Douglas Barrett, Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association president Michael Hennessy (representing the CCTA), the University of Montreal’s André Caron (independent member nominated by Canadian Heritage), Canadian Heritage’s Susan Peterson (representing Canadian Heritage) and a yet-to-be-named member. Pierre Boivin, president of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club and of the Bell Centre, has been appointed as director and chair of the board of Kangaroo Capital. As well, Raynald Brière, president and COO of Radio Nord Communications, and Jean-Denis Talon, chair of the board of AXA Canada, are also nominees to Kangaroo’s...
Ciel Satellite Communications Inc. has been awarded the rights to the 129 degrees west orbital slot over a competing bid by BCE Inc.-owned Telesat Canada. The decision, released on September 24, should be welcome news to the satellite services industry as it introduces facilities-based competition in the Canadian satellite services market. For more...
Thursday, September 23, 2004 Academics urge learning exception to copyrightA coalition of teachers, professors, K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions is urging the federal government to adopt a new exception in the Copyright Act that would give teachers the right to use “publicly available” material found on the Internet in their classroom lessons without charge. At a press conference on September...
Dear Editor, The article published on September 8, 2004 (CPCC asks for new audit powers to deal with recalcitrant CD manufacturers) contains numerous misstatements and exaggerations. CPCC is not seeking new audit powers or strict new regulations. What CPCC is actually seeking is clarification of the current tariff wording regarding CPCC’s audit...
Radar Pictures takes piece of C.O.R.E. Digital PicturesLos Angeles-based Radar Pictures has taken an undisclosed minority interest in C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures and C.O.R.E. Feature Animation. Radar is the company behind The Last Samurai, The Chronicles of Reddick and Runaway Bride, and has seen its films gross $3.25 billion since 1984. C.O.R.E. touts itself as Canada’s largest employer of digital animators in Canada,...
Paula Gignac has been named as executive director of IAB Canada. Gignac has served in a number of capacities in the interactive industry, including as GM of Chatelaine.com and as VP or Rogers’ women’s group of web sites. Sheila de La Varende has been named executive director of the Festival of Nouveau Cinema in Montreal. She takes over the position from Bruno Jobin, who has served as interim executive director...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.In a lengthy interview late last month with Canadian NEW MEDIA, telecom and broadcasting consultant Mark Goldberg argued that the precedent set by the decision to put Al Jazeera on the list of authorized services in Canada could serve as the basis for making ISPs liable for the transmission of hate and...
The CRTC’s decision to grant Al Jazeera carriage in Canada but at the same time require TV distributors to ensure no derogatory comments are broadcast on the station could serve as the legal basis for holding ISPs accountable for illegal material transmitted through their lines. Mark Goldberg, a prominent telecom and...
The executive director of CBC.ca says recent Olympics coverage was a success by almost every measure, but that the absence of streaming audio remains a sticking point with the Mother Corp. Claude Galipeau tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the public broadcaster couldn’t meet obligations to keep its live radio coverage...
The Creative Commons rights licence, touted as an alternative to copyright, will be launched at the end of this month. Developed in large part by the students and faculty of the law and technology program at the University of Ottawa, the licence is a modification of the American version that has been used on more than three million digital works since being introduced in late 2002. The licence, which is a do-it-yourself approach to putting works into the public sphere while retaining copyright rights for later exploitation, offers legally binding language to protect creator rights without the need to hire a lawyer.Marcus Bornfreund, manager of the law and technology program at the school,...
A small battle is brewing online as proponents of open source software gear up to fight the CBC’s decision to switch its streaming format to Windows Media Player. For the past week, participants in the discussion forum at www.digital-copyright.ca have expressed their frustration at the decision by CBC to abandon the Real...
After a high-profile year and a half in operation, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) is set to grow significantly to deal with an increasing number of requests for help, as well as a widening scope of activities. The clinic is currently seeking to hire a second full-time staff lawyer....
Thursday, September 16, 2004 CHUM makes appearance before CRTC on Craig acquisitionCalling CHUM’s proposed acquisition of Craig Media one of the most important applications CHUM has ever presented to the CRTC, CHUM president and CEO Jay Switzer said, “This transaction represents an important milestone in CHUM Television’s development and evolution into a national independent system of local television...
Genex Communications president Patrice Demers demanded September 9 that the CRTC move ahead with a review of its radio policy and that it remove strict content quotas so that various formats can survive. The Quebec entrepreneur, currently in a battle with the commission over its CHOI-FM radio licence, told Canadian...
The head of Canada’s cable association believes that the CRTC will make a "quick decision" and agree to allow FOX News and NFL Network to be distributed in Canada (CCR, April 22/04). Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) president Michael Hennessy sees little problem with getting the NFL channel admitted because it is "so niche" and there are other similar digital channels, such as the NHL Channel and Raptors TV, already on air. "I can’t see any problem with NFL Football. It’s really not significantly competitive with anything that exists today," he said. "Even the opposition to it was limp." The Canadian Association of...
While there are a growing number of Canadian households that subscribe to a digital television service, a majority of households, or 60%, that have signed up for a television service still appear to be happy with analog cable service, according to results from the 2004 wave of Decima Research’s syndicated consumer...
Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla sees good news in a recently released Statistics Canada report on culture, despite the report’s evidence of a growing cultural trade deficit and continued reliance in Canadian film and television on imported product. In a September 9 media release, Frulla reacts to the bureau’s...
Pelmorex Communications Inc.’s has worked out an agreement with Star Choice whereby its two weather channels will remain in the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distributor’s basic package. The latest deal follows a temporary agreement - made after Pelmorex turned to the courts - that guaranteed that The Weather Network...
Shaw launches new HD plus personal video recorderShaw Communications Inc. announced September 1 it was offering a new high-definition (HD) plus personal video recorder (PVR), the Motorola 6208. The new Shaw HD + PVR digital terminal automatically begins saving the channel being watched, storing it for immediate access by the viewer. The built-in hard drive can record up to 60 hours of programming, including...
Bruce Hamlin has been promoted to VP of sales at Vancouver-based multicultural TV station Channel M. He joined the channel in January 2003 as director of sales. He oversees the station’s sales team as well as national business in conjunction with Airtime Sales in Toronto. Prior to joining Channel M, Hamlin worked as senior account manager for Rogers Media, Greater Vancouver Radio Group. Sheila de La Varende has...
Telefilm Canada and the Quebec provincial cultural ministry Société de développement des enterprises culturelles (SODEC) this week put out a call for proposals for public funding for a "broadly inclusive film event in Quebec." Telefilm Canada chair Charles Belanger tells Canadian Communications Reports that...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC’s policy restricting the number of specialty channels in any given genre to one, with Canadian versions given priority, is bound to become watered down over the next few years. The policy has resulted in a number of politically controversial decisions, and the situation can only heat up....
Former Vidéotron director of product development Guy Charbonneau, who was responsible for the company’s ITV and Internet services, has been named senior VP of Dallas-based Bluestreak Network. Bluestreak was formed on the acquired technologies of the late Montreal-based ZAQ Inc. and Source Media. Pierre Dion has been appointed executive VP and COO of TVA Group. He was previously president and CEO of The Reader’s...
The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) and a coalition of retailers have become embroiled in a quiet dispute before the Copyright Board of Canada over rights of access to records, according to documents obtained by Canadian NEW MEDIA. In dueling letters dating through the summer, the CPCC has asked the board to approve strict new regulations governing how it gathers financial and other records from manufacturers and importers of compact discs. The CPCC argues that the changes are necessary to deal with "recalcitrant" manufacturers, but the retailers counter that the proposed regulations are overarching and inappropriate. Further, there is a question about when the CPCC let...
One of the most controversial aspects of recent copyright reform worldwide has been the proposed prohibition on the circumvention of digital rights management (DRM). This proposal is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) copyright treaties that specific members of the Canadian Parliament wish to ratify soon. DRM is...
On the eve of Parliament’s return to its usual business, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has reiterated its concerns over the copyright reform process to the responsible ministers. In an August 16 letter to Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla, and her counterpart at Industry Canada, David Emerson, the...
Chalk Media is set to launch its new television series, Spy Academy, with a slick interactive component that should test the use of companion web sites to market to media-savvy tweeners. The show will launch on YTV on September 11 with the first of 13 episodes, at the same time as the interactive component which will be...
New media industry players are abuzz with news that Collideascope Digital Entertainment Inc. partner Steven Comeau will soon be moving to Toronto from Halifax where the company is located. Canadian NEW MEDIA recently asked him about his reasons for the move, and how it fits in with his plans for the company, which is widely...
Toronto’s elite new media producers and broadcasters were called upon recently to help their colleagues in the rest of Canada learn the sector’s best practices. Seventeen producers from B.C., Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland were invited, many of them with provincial film and television agency financial support, to take part in an intensive week-long session in Hogtown, August 23-27. The seminar series was organized by the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund as part of its ongoing efforts to provide professional support to the industry. The idea behind the event, says the fund’s executive director, Andra Sheffer, was to bolster the working knowledge had by regional...
Iceberg launches new online radio station for young adultsIceberg Media.com Inc. has launched a new streaming music service and portal aimed at college and university students, FatPipeRadio.com. The site features 11 radio channels including rock, alternative, lounge and hip hop formats. Besides the tunes, the FatPipe portal will also feature webcast events and concerts, contests and columnists. The site has plans to make...
Wednesday, September 1, 2004 VisionTV wins another wholesale rate increase in licence renewalIn renewing the TV broadcast licence of Vision TV, the CRTC has granted it a wholesale rate increase to 12 cents a month per subscriber from the current 10 cents. The rate increase comes into effect on Dec. 1, 2004 (Broadcasting Decision 2004-397). “In the commission’s view, Vision TV plays an important role in the...
CHUM Ltd. has overcome a major hurdle in receiving CRTC approval for the acquisition of Craig Media with its announcement last week that it had reached an agreement to sell recently launched conventional station Toronto 1 to Quebecor Media. In agreeing to purchase financially strapped Craig Media for $265 million in cash,...
Canadian producers, writers and directors are raising a number of concerns about CHUM Ltd’s proposed $20 million benefits package offered up in conjunction with its acquisition of Craig Media. Among the most vocally opposed to the benefits package are the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), which tell the CRTC that...
CHUM rival CanWest Global Television Network is charging that the Toronto-based broadcaster is underplaying the impact of its acquisition of Craig Media, saying the added reach will give it the clout to aggressively pursue foreign programming and increase its spending patterns, which in turn will generate higher ratings and...
CorrectionThe story on page 7 of the Aug. 17, 2004 issue of Canadian Communications Reports on Canadian digital TV subscriber growth contained incorrect information. Canadian digital TV subscriber growth in the first quarter of 2004 was actually higher than the same period a year earlier. Q1 2004 subscriber growth was inadvertently compared to that in the previous quarter, which saw higher growth, instead of Q1 2003....
Former Canadian Heritage staff member Marc Séguin has joined the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) as senior policy director. He will work on policy issues related to feature film and new technology. Over the past 12 years, he has worked in the area of film and TV policy development at the departments of Communications and Canadian Heritage. He has also worked at Telefilm Canada, implementing...
On August 16, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) filed an action plan for examining issues concerning the presence, portrayal and participation of persons with disabilities in television programming. The organization proposes establishing a steering committee and outreach committees to oversee and conduct...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.CHUM Ltd.’s acquisition of Craig Media, which is likely to get CRTC approval, may provide a much-needed shakeup in the broadcasting world. Watch for the development to force other Canadian broadcasters to rethink their models of surviving on the U.S. programming they acquire, and focus more on creating original viable Canadian programming. Along with broadcasting U.S. blockbusters, CHUM has concentrated on creating original shows of its own, which it sells internationally. Will CHUM’s move into the marketplace cause rivals CTV Inc. and Global Network to consider a similar model on some level? The Craig Media purchase will vault CHUM into a new status as a national broadcaster with a reach of about 85% of English Canada and the power to bid aggressively for lucrative U.S. programming. Rival Global Television Network is well aware of the threat (see article in this issue). If CHUM causes bidding for U.S....
Three of five licensed Category 1 French-language specialty TV channels are set to launch late next month, almost four years after they were licensed. TVA is moving ahead with the September 30 launch of its mystery channel Mystère (originally licensed as 13ième rue) and its business news channel LCN Affaires, while CTV...
Wireless cablecos vow that the added flexibility the CRTC has given them to use more spectrum for Internet services will not result in watered down TV services. A ruling made in conjunction with the licence renewals of multipoint distribution system (MDS) operators Craig Wireless International Inc.,...
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 CCOP report likely to be published soonA new report, The Final Report of the Canadian Culture Online Advisory Board, by the advisory board of the Canadian Culture Online Program (CCOP) is likely to be completed soon. It has been over a year since the board last reported on the program’s mandate, but details are not available on what this document contains. The report is apparently...
August 19, 2004 Canadian Heritage forms panel to study access to third-language public TV servicesCanadian Heritage has formed a three-member panel on access to third-language public broadcasters. Clifford Lincoln, former chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Gowlings lawyer Roger Tasse, and Anthony Cianciotta, president of Capri Release Inc. and a member of Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, will examine...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC should brace itself for more competitive disputes as more players enter the lucrative multiple unit dwelling (MUD) market and fight it out for market share. Bell Canada has applied to operate a VDSL cable TV service in areas such as Toronto, where the phone giant is likely to target the MUD market. Bell Canada hasn’t even been licensed, and already the feathers of the incumbent cablecos have been ruffled. Bell’s too big and powerful to compete fairly, they cry. Bell Canada retorts that licensing its broadcast distribution undertaking would further the state of competition. Already Bell’s sister company direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Bell ExpressVu is battling it out in the Toronto MUD market with incumbent cableco Rogers. The satellite TV distributor filed a complaint last summer with the CRTC over what it says is its inability to make inroads in the condo market due to the...
Montreal-based Cable VDN Inc. has applied for a Class 1 cable licence to serve the multiple unit dwelling (MUD) market in Toronto in what could be the start of expansion into further cities. The company plans to piggyback on existing fiber connections it has to extend the TV service it offers in Montreal to Toronto. Gary...
Radio-Canada, the French arm of the public broadcaster, has been ordered by the Supreme Court of Canada to pay about $1.8 million in damages for libeling a Montreal communications consultant. Consultant Gilles Néron was awarded the damages, one of the largest libel awards in the country, in a case that arose from a TV...
Industry Canada will likely adopt a broadcast flag, but the process might be slow and will be dependent upon the United States following a similar course, according to an Industry Canada official. "Practically speaking if the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) says tomorrow, ‘Yes, we have established all the...
Video-on-demand (VOD) and pay-per-view (PPV) will be the fastest growing categories in the TV market, each averaging double-digital annual increases in Canada, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 also predicts that by 2008 they will account for 11% of TV...
Canada’s broadcast distributors added more net digital TV subscribers in the first quarter of 2004 compared to the same period last year, according to new research from Decima Research Inc. The number of Canadian households subscribing to digital TV services increased by an estimated 3% or approximately 113,582 in the...
CRTC approves more Category 2 digital specialty channelsThe CRTC approved on August 3 a number of new Category 2 digital specialty channels, including TEN Broadcasting Inc.’s adult entertainment channels 10 Amateur (Broadcasting Decision 2004-310), 10 XXX Clips (Broadcasting Decision 2004-311), 10 Gay Adult (Broadcasting Decision 2004-312) and 10 XXX Canadian (Broadcasting Decision 2004-315) as well as Storm...
Colin Lachance has joined the Canadian Cable Television Association as director of telecommunications regulatory affairs. He was most recently employed at TELUS Corp. as senior regulatory legal counsel in the company’s government and regulatory affairs group. Stephen Tapp leaves CHUM Ltd., which has eliminated his position of executive VP of television as part of an ongoing review of its television’s management...
On August 13, the CRTC announced that it would retain its winback rules and introduce additional winback regulations to govern the conduct of incumbent distributors with more than 6,000 TV subscribers in multiple dwelling units (Broadcasting Public Notice 2004-62). Winback rules prohibit targeted marketing by incumbent...
The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has joined with Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association in opposing a proposed tariff on ringtones, Tariff 24 . The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) wants to impose a levy on ringtone suppliers covering the communication right associated with a musical reproduction for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 that CRIA describes as "excessive" and "unreasonable." Under the proposed tariff, SOCAN is proposing to collect 10% of a ringtone supplier’s revenue up to a maximum of $30,000 for 2003. For 2004, the group ups the rate to 10% of a...
Edmonton AB-based video game developer BioWare Corp. says the number of registered users on its fan site has surpassed two million – half a million more than it had at the beginning of this year. The company, lauded by many as a Canadian success story in the hotly competitive video games market, hosts a community site at...
One of the very few Canadian events catering to the interactive media industry, nextMEDIA, has been postponed, likely until next spring. The company that owns the festival, Achilles Media, says it put off the show from its traditional October time slot after determining that it didn’t have enough time to mount the kind of...
Canadian Internet Project completes national surveyThe Canadian Internet Project (CIP) has just completed its survey fieldwork for its benchmark study on Internet usage in Canada (CNM, Oct. 16/02). CIP conducted a national representative survey of more than 3,000 individuals to look at how Canadians are using the Internet and its economic, cultural and social impact in Canada. In addition, non-users were also interviewed...
CANARIE Inc.’s high profile AppliedResearch in Multimedia (ARIM) fund has received a $1-million extension over the next year from the Canadian Cultural Online Program that has been earmarked for a new research area, grid computing. CANARIE senior director of operations Susan Baldwin says the focus will help "kick the...
Legal firm Ogilvy Renault has named Patrick Kierans as national chair of its intellectual propery group. He takes over for Malcolm McLeod. Kierans joined the firm in 1984. Stephen Tapp and CHUM Ltd. have had an “amicable” parting of the ways. Tapp will be leaving his position as executive VP of CHUM Television as of August 31. In the interim, CHUM Television station managment will report to VP of finance and administration Peter Palframan. A short media release announcing the shakeup had few details, except to note that, “This review is part of a continuous process for improving CHUM’s business units.” Steve Wilson has been named as senior VP and CFO of Shaw Communications, effective this August. He most recently was VP and CFO of Husky Injection Molding, a supplier for the plastics industry. He replaces Ron Rogers, who is retiring after nine years with Shaw. Kevin Shea has been named as CEO of the joint venture by CBC/Radio-Canada, Standard Radio Inc., and Sirius Satellite Radio to bring satellite radio to...
Some members of Ontario’s new media production community are surprised that a new provincial arts and culture advisory council has been struck without representation by the interactive media industry. On July 27, minister of culture Madelaine Meilleur announced the council made up of 13 members from across various...
During a July 14 editorial board with Decima Reports editors, Canadian Cable Televison Association (CCTA) president Michael Hennessy argued in favour of a new regulatory model as cultural content finds audiences beyond traditional broadcast models. An edited excerpt of his concluding statement follows. For a full 20-page transcript of his comments to...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The postponement of the nextMedia festival is good news, even if its immediate impact is negative. To an industry that has seen a year in which little has happened to counter the depressing events of 2003, it must be dispiriting to see that the festival won’t be held this year. The event would have...
August 5, 2004 ************************************************************************PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEXT ISSUE OF CANADIAN COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS WILL NOT BE OUT UNTIL MONDAY, AUGUST 16.************************************************************************Ontario establishes arts and culture advisory councilOntario Minister of Culture Madeleine Meilleur has established an advisory council for arts...
The cable industry is adamantly opposing Bell Canada’s application for two Class 1 broadcast distribution licences, saying its entry into the field would "transition the market from a state of competition to a state of market distortion." "Nobody else already controls the fourth largest distributor in...
As Canadians rapidly adopt new technological gadgets, the cable industry contends that its role is to develop into "advanced media" companies to stay relevant. "We see our competition, not coming primarily from satellite (TV distribution) but from competition to the digital home," says Canadian...
CHUM Ltd. has pledged an overwhelmingly high amount of Canadian content for its proposed subscription satellite radio service compared to that offered up by two U.S. applicants with Canadian partners. Is there room for three subscription radio operators in Canada? Probably not, so the regulator will be left to sift through...
Applicants for an as-yet-unawarded subscription satellite radio services licence are opposing a related royalty tariff filed by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) with the Copyright Board of Canada. To the extent that the proposed tariff purports to cover services such as CHUM...
The Task Force for Cultural Diversity on Television has rejected imposed quotas as the best way to increase the representation of Canada’s ethnic communities on TV screens in favour of a best practices approach. "The task force emphasizes that it neither supports nor recommends the establishment of regulatory targets or quotas in order to rectify problem areas in the reflection of cultural diversity on Canadian television," reads a report released this month by the task force. "Targets or quotas that are imposed from above, rather than designed and implemented from the ground up on an internal basis, are not an effective means of bringing about change. The reality is...
CRTC considers mandatory order over Star Choice disputeThe CRTC is considering issuing a mandatory order that would force direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Star Choice Television Network Inc. to pay overdue wholesale rate payments of more than $1 million to MusiquePlus Inc. (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2004-7). The matter will be considered at a public hearing on September 7 in Gatineau PQ. As of...
Liza Frulla was named minister of Canadian Heritage and minister responsible for the Status of Women in prime minister Paul Martin’s Cabinet announced July 20. David Emerson was appointed as minister of Industry. Jerry Pickard was named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry and Sarmite Bulte was named Parliamentary secretary to Frulla. Emerson has been named to the following Cabinet committees: Treasury...
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC is unjustly coming under political pressure for not renewing the radio licence of CHOI-FM (See Short Takes). New Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla has indicated that she will make the CHOI-FM saga a priority, while Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who is often ridiculed by the station,...
Thursday, July 29, 2004 nextMEDIA postponement confirmedRobert Montgomery, one of the partners in Achilles Partners LLC, confirms that its nextMEDIA festival will be postponed from its planned October start date. Achilles acquired the festival when it rescued the Banff Television Foundation from bankruptcy earlier this year. Montgomery says it is searching for a suitable date next year that will be amenable to...
The new media industry in Canada may be looking at a stronger voice in Ottawa and elsewhere if a new coalition of associations and stakeholders can successfully coalesce around funding and other issues. In June at the Vancouver Vidfest, representatives from the biggest regional associations met with the help of Telefilm Canada to discuss their lobbying efforts, and the low profile the industry has in Ottawa. As a result of that meeting, a new national association has been agreed to under the leadership – for now – of New Media BC head Lynda Brown. The group doesn’t yet have a name, a structure or a revenue source, but it does enjoy the commitment of the biggest names in new media...
A bric-a-brac approach to cyberlaw-making in developing countries has prompted a Canadian academic to launch a new group dedicated to providing impartial advice on drafting the most advantageous Internet laws. Michael Geist, a well-known professor of Internet law at the University of Ottawa, has launched the Technology Law...
The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has filed its anticipated appeal of a March 31 ruling by the Federal Court of Canada that prevents the lobby group from accessing the names of 29 Internet subscribers it believes are engaged in music piracy (CNM, April 2/04). On July 12, CRIA filed its memorandum of...
Newly-named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage Sarmite Bulte says implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties stands an excellent chance of being one of the first pieces of legislation passed by a new minority Liberal government. The new Parliamentary...
Toronto-based Xenophile Media recently won funding from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund to produce Beethoven’s Hair. The project is creating a buzz in the industry, and Canadian NEW MEDIA recently corresponded with Xenophile partner Thomas Wallner to find out more about the production. Following is an edited version...
BREAKING: ARIM funding sees $1-million extensionAs this issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA goes to press, CANARIE Inc. has announced that the Applied Research in Interactive Media (ARIM) program has been extended with $1 million in new funding from Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Culture Online program. Researchers are now invited to respond to a call for proposals that focus on areas of advanced networking such as grid computing...
David Emerson was appointed as minister of Industry in prime minister Paul Martin’s Cabinet announced July 20. Liza Frulla was named minister of Canadian Heritage and minister responsible for the Status of Women. Jerry Pickard was named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry and Sarmite Bulte was named Parliamentary secretary to Frulla. Emerson has been named to the following Cabinet committees: Treasury...
A who’s who of the online music industry has lined up against steep new tariffs proposed by copyright owners on digital reproductions (CNM, May 14/04). A broad range of players including online retailers, ISPs, record labels and broadcasters, both in Canada and in the U.S., filed objections with the Copyright Board of...
The most recent Delvinia Interactive Inc. Interactive Media Producers Survey strikes a welcome note of cautious optimism this year that the industry may be on the upswing. But, cautions Delvinia head Adam Froman, potential growth in the industry will depend on external factors, including the continued expansion of the...
Internet service providers dodged a bullet June 30 when the Supreme Court of Canada found they aren’t liable for music communicated online. The court ruled in the Tariff 22 case that ISPs are merely conduits for content passing through their pipes, and that the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) can’t pursue a tariff from them. The court’s unanimous decision puts to rest a dispute that dates back to 1996, when Tariff 22 was first filed. SOCAN was originally pursing a licence fee of 3.5% of ISPs’ revenues as compensation for the pirated music traversing their networks. The case has since been through extensive Copyright Board of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal hearings over the years. The June 30 decision overturns an appeals court ruling...
