TAGGED AS MEDIA

Total government spending on culture increases

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Government spending on culture hit $5.7 billion in 1998/99, ending four consecutive years of decline, according to new Statistics Canada data. In constant dollars, government spending was up 2.3% from 1997/98, the first real increase since 1990/91. Culture includes everything from broadcasting and museums to parks. Statscan reports that the feds spent $2.8 billion on culture in 1998/99, up 5.9% from the previous year. The largest percentage increases in federal operational budgets occurred in PEI (+20.6%), new Brunswick (+11.9%) and Quebec (+11.4%), owing largely to higher spending on broadcasting. In comparison, the provinces and territories spent $1.9 billion, a 9% increase, while municipal spending fell 7.9% to $1.4 billion. GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON CULTURE...

Vivendi’s benefits package persuades Copps to approve Seagram acquisition

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Heritage minister Sheila Copps decided to waive foreign ownership guidelines that would have prevented Vivendi Universal from purchasing Seagram Ltd, after concluding that the company’s $300-million benefits package warranted an exception to the restriction. Under the Foreign Investment Guidelines, foreign takeovers of Canadian-controlled film distribution firms are technically prohibited, although the minister does reserve the right to grant approval if there are net benefits to Canada (CCR, July 6/00). "(The Vivendi transaction) is in keeping with the minister’s authority under the (Investment Canada) Act," Heritage ADM Michael Wernick told CCR. "Basically, policies...

Case Study-Selling sex to TV viewers may seem easy, unless you’re a newcomer to the business

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

The CRTC ensured new players were added to the field in licensing new specialty channels but as one case study shows, getting an independent channel launched on digital cable and DTH can be a difficult seduction. Sue McGarvie, one of the principals of Passion Media Inc, believes nothing sells...

From Las Vegas-Satellite radio operators finalize deals for commercial launch this summer

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Satellite radio made a big splash at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show, and depending how the Canadian government responds to these new "death stars", both the receivers and the service could arrive on this side of the border. XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are...

U.S. seals Canada’s choice for digital TV transmission standard, flaws and all

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Canada is sticking to its original game plan for rolling out digital television, despite a U.S. decision this month to use a standard that many critics insist is flawed. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dismissed the need for further testing of the 8-VSB transmission system on Jan. 19, reaffirming an earlier...

Cablecos working out glitches, Internet subscribers expected to rapidly expand

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Problems that left Rogers Cable Inc customers last week complaining about breakdowns in their online services are just glitches that won’t hinder long-term growth of Internet via cable, according to a senior analyst at the Yankee Group in Canada. Jeremy Depow says cablecos shouldn’t have a problem reaching market...

Suite Systems begins roll out of IP-based cable, declares pilot project a success

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Suite Systems Inc has successfully completed a small pilot of its new IP-based digital cable system, and plans to have about 1,000 homes hooked up by April. The subsidiary of Boardwalk Equities Inc, which operates 25,000 high rise apartments, townhouses and other residential units, was awarded two regional Class 1 broadcast distribution licences covering 17 communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario (CCR Sept. 14/00). In a conference call with investors this month, Boardwalk’s CEO Sam Kolias touted the results of a technical test of the cable service with about 35 tenants in one of its apartment buildings in Calgary. There was no charge for the service. Of the 22...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Statscan hopes to renew annual culture surveysStatistics Canada expects to hear by late February or early March on a funding proposal that would see as many as seven biennial cultural surveys returned to annual events, and data collection initiated on 10 new cultural areas, including new media. Dubbed the Cultural Statistics Program Improvement Initiative, the proposal is currently being reviewed by senior managers at...

CCR People

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

Colette Watson, currently VP of programming and external relations at Rogers Cable Inc, becomes general manager of the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), a national channel with a budget of $6 million. She replaces Al MacKay on Feb. 1. MacKay will restart his policy and communications consulting business. Producer Robert Lantos has been appointed a member of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp’s board of directors....

Why DTH black marketers are losing the war

Media | 02/01/2001 5:00 am EST

So-called state-of-the-art DTH pirates and their customers got a rude shock last fall when a Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench shut down a major industry player. Bell ExpressVu teamed up with News Datacom Ltd to send a loud message to the DTH black marketeers that Canada is not a safe haven for satellite television pirates. On a cold Winnipeg...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

Itemus soothes investors over Shooting Gallery acquisitionIn response to concerns in the U.S. over a round of layoffs at intended acquisition target Shooting Gallery, itemus inc, Toronto, released a mid-month press release to assure observers that the acquisition is still on track. No figures for the number of people let go were released, but itemus says the moves were necessary at the NYC-based new media producer to...

If you want to sell consumers new Internet gadgets and content, think convenience

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

Fresh off a tumultuous yet successful merger with Time Warner, AOL’s Barry Schuler cautions that leading-edge Internet industries shouldn’t lose sight of what consumers primarily want. Speaking to delegates at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, the president of AOL Interactive Services...

CNM Editorial

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. A story in this issue highlights a proposal by Statistics Canada to begin defining and tracking the new media industry - a move we applaud and consider crucial to the sector’s well-being. In choosing stories for Canadian NEW MEDIA, we concentrate on areas where new technologies create...

CNM People

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

Janet Callaghan has been appointed group senior VP, integrated marketing at the newly created Bell Globemedia. Her new tasks in-clude working with print, TV, and Internet marketing and sales groups, and their adv-ertisers, to develop multi-platform solutions. Callaghan was the former managing partner with The Media Company / Media Buying Services, one of Canada’s largest stand-alone media service companies. Paul...

Federal government may introduce legislation on Internet broadcasting

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

The federal government is circulating draft proposals for dealing with the contentious issue of re-transmitting local TV signals over the Internet, and if industry consensus can be reached, a bill to legitimize the practice may be introduced in Parliament this spring. The move by both Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada...

Statscan struggles with new media data collection; more funding needed

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

Statistics Canada is anxious to start compiling timely and comprehensive data on the country’s new media sector, but first it needs more money for annual surveys and a consensus from government and industry on what exactly constitutes "new media". The agency expects to hear by early March on a funding proposal that would see about seven biennial cultural surveys returned to annual surveys, and data collection initiated on 10 new areas, including new media. "What we’re not getting is data that shows (new media) as a brand new industry, and that’s the next step," says John Gordon, chief of Statscan’s Cultural Surveys Section. "Most of what’s happened now...

Ontario takes next step in transforming TVO into a new media learning centre

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

The expansion of the new media division of TVOntario is expected to be a slow bureaucratic affair as the provincial educational broadcaster absorbs the Independent Learning Centre. Different unions and the involvement of two different provincial ministries are generating red tape for the transfer of resources and staff...

From Las Vegas

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

Internet leaders debate the future of the PC in consumer electronic devices This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas highlighted an important issue for Canadian new media providers: the place of the PC in the future digital content stream. Are we, as Panasonic’s Yoshio Tushikawa suggested, approaching the "Post-PC Era"? – or should we prepare for the "Extended PC" era touted by...

IBDG creates “neutral playground” for interactivity testing in mobile environment

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

A Ryerson University-based research group is using new funding from the Ontario government and a new experimental DTV licence from Industry Canada, to create close ties between broadcasters, new media content producers, and hardware manufacturers working on next-generation interactivity. IBDG...

Feb. 2 application deadline

Media | 01/24/2001 5:00 am EST

CA*net Institute takes on new manager; launches 2nd round funding competition The CA*net Institute is back with a $900,000 funding competition for new Internet technologies and applications following a two-year hiatus. Now under the auspices of the federal research agency, CANARIE Inc, the program anticipates funding about 15 of the estimated 100 applications expected by the Feb. 2 deadline, with an emphasis this...

Inukshuk Internet confident that band won’t be reassigned for third generation

Media | 01/22/2001 5:00 am EST

A view initiated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this month will determine whether Canadian MCS licensees will be forced to vacate their bands to make room for new third generation services. But if recent comments from the U.S. military are any indication, Inukshuk Internet Inc, SaskTel and existing MCS users on this side of the border may be spared the trouble and expense of moving to new frequencies. FCC JAN. 5 NOTICE OF PRELIMINARY RULEMAKINGProposes to allocate for mobile and fixed services, the 1710-1755 MHz band that was designated for reallocation from the federal government to non-federal government use Seeks comment on providing mobile and fixed...

Bell ExpressVu asks Supreme Court to rule on legality of grey market satellite TV

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to decide next month whether to review a BC Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized grey market satellite TV in British Columbia. Bell ExpressVu filed a leave to appeal the December 1999 decision in which Justice Donald Brenner struck down earlier court judgements outlawing...

New digital licensees find way to ensure carriage of their Category 2 channels

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Three Canadian broadcasters decided to lease their own satellite channels because they couldn’t reach an acceptable agreement with Star Choice Communications Inc, Telesat Canada maintains in a Jan. 12 letter to the CRTC. It’s a move that essentially guarantees the launch of Category 2 channels licensed to NetStar...

VOD licensees take cautious approach to launching new on-demand services

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Technological considerations will be the main factor determining when newly licensed video-on-demand services hit the market. The CRTC thought the time was right when it awarded five VOD licences in 1997 (CCR, July 16/97). None of those services has yet launched. The four licensees from this most recent round aren’t...

Broadcast distribution industry well represented on broadband task force

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

The biggest challenge facing the new National Broadband Task Force won’t be coming up with a formula to ensure all Canadians have high-speed Internet access by 2004, it will be reaching a consensus among competing groups, according to one task force member. "It’s a question of whether or not you can get...

ExpressVu relies on “automatic renewals” to keep NHL Center Ice subscribers

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Bell ExpressVu says it hasn’t received any customer complaints over automatic renewal of its NHL Center Ice package, despite its similarity to a controversial marketing practice since abandoned by its cable competitors. The satellite TV operator insists the practice is not negative option...

Cablecos and broadcasters enact measures to conform with new privacy legislation

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Consumers now have recourse if cablecos or broadcasters collect, use or disclose personal information about them without their consent. As federally regulated private companies, broadcasters and cablecos along with telcos and banks are among the first group to be subject to the new Personal Information and Protection and...

Look gets financial reprieve from family member

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Look Communications Inc is continuing its quest for investors or buyers of certain assets, although its financial status has stabilized following a $150-million infusion from partner Microcell Telecommunications Inc. The much-needed cash came last week after Look sold its 50% stake in Inukshuk Internet Inc. Both Look and Microcell are controlled...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

What Private TV Broadcasters Spent on Programming, 1995-98 ($ millions)1995199619971998% change 95-98 Total Canadian sources468.7484.3472.0485.93.7Information286.3286.8290.7302.35.6Sports41.755.343.336.8-11.8Drama56.654.658.665.115.0Music/variety28.727.822.625.5-11.1Game shows11.95.33.73.0-74.8Human interest43.254.352.953.223.1Total foreign...

CCR People

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

Robin Fillingham, executive VP and CFO of CTV Inc has been named CFO and chief administrative officer of the recently formed Bell Globemedia. Other key executives at the new BCE Inc-owned entity include Globe and Mail publisher Phillip Crawley, president of Sympatico-Lycos Inc Marc Tellier, president of Globe Interactive Lib Gibson, and group executive VP of corporate affairs Alain Gourd. Trina McQueen was also upped from executive VP to president and COO of CTV, which was bought by BCE. As well, Susanne Boyce was promoted from senior VP of CTV programming to president of programming and chair of the Media Group, which will coordinate the programming activities of CTV’s services. Rick Brace, formerly president of NetStar Sports, was named president of NetStar Communications Inc, which was acquired by CTV. Sonya Thériault has been appointed to the newly created position of producer of live-action production at Cinar Entertainment. Thériault was director of youth and animation at TVA International. Richard Hardacre has been...

Reflecting on a new broadcast Vision

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

The beginning of the real new millennium signals a dramatically new era for Vision TV and for all broadcasters; the real start of the transition to digital technology. My retirement from Vision TV is as good a touchstone as any for an impression of the accelerating changes that are underway. When I came to Toronto as CEO of the network in January 1995,...

CCR Editorial

Media | 01/17/2001 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.It’s starting to look like Star Choice has been snookered. And it’s doubtful the CRTC will do anything about it. The eleventh hour battle over four Anik F1 transponders is baffling, both for its timing and its preoccupation with who should decide which Category 2 channels get carried on...

Stursberg: Global, Rogers are natural fit

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Richard Stursberg says a merger between Rogers Communications Inc and CanWest Global Communications Corp could counter the media powerhouse BCE Inc has assembled over the past few years. Speaking at the Spectrum 20-20 conference in Ottawa in late November, the former president/CEO of Cancom said BCE has assembled "an exceptionally powerful...

Independent producers emerge as winners in BCE’s successful bid to buy CTV

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

The CRTC has approved a $140-million gamble by BCE Inc that Canadian television programming can make money, without having to rely on cheap U.S. shows to help subsidize the cost. As part of its approval of BCE’s $2.3-billion purchase of CTV Inc on Dec. 7, the commission threw its support behind the telecom giant’s...

CCTA laments short time frame for dealing with complex issues of regional licensing

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) says potential copyright problems could outweigh any of the small administrative benefits gained by the CRTC’s proposed regional approach for licensing cable systems. With a Jan. 16 deadline looming, the association also doesn’t believe it has adequate time to deal with the complex issues raised in the commission’s call for comments on a proposed new licensing regime that would see regional licensing for multiple system cable operators (PN 2000-163). "Right now under the copyright regulations, small systems get a preferential rate," explains Christopher Taylor, CCTA senior VP of law and regulatory affairs. "If...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Suite Systems wins BDU licence to serve MUDs across CanadaThe CRTC has approved Suite Systems Inc’s application for Class 1 cable licences in 17 communities across the Prairies and Ontario. The Calgary-based rental property owner – a subsidiary of Boardwalk Equities Inc – is the largest apartment owner in Canada. It was approved to offer cable TV services to its tenants in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Fort McMurray,...

Stursberg: Global, Rogers are natural fit

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Independent producers emerge as winners in BCE’s successful bid to buy CTV

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

CCR Short Takes

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

CCR People

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

TVA Group president and CEO Daniel Lamarre’s defection to the Cirque du Soleil means the Canadian Association of Broadcasters will lose a valued advisor and contributor. Along with resigning from TVA Group, Quebec’s largest private broadcaster, effective Jan. 15, Lamarre will also be giving up his post as CAB chair. Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil announced last week that Lamarre had been hired as president of its new...

Star Choice battles Telesat for return of four “disputed” transponders on F1

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

The CRTC is expected to rule this week on an urgent appeal by Star Choice Communications Inc to stop Telesat Canada from handing over four Anik F1 transponders to three other Canadian broadcast customers. According to Star Choice, the dispute threatens to significantly reduce the number of...

Star Choice battles Telesat for return of four “disputed” transponders on F1

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Making room for Aboriginal voices

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Canada’s native communities are awaiting the CRTC’s decision on whether to license new aboriginal radio stations in Calgary and Vancouver. At a recent public hearing in Burnaby BC, representatives from Aboriginal Voices Radio pitched their case for a new English- and Aboriginal-language FM radio service in Vancouver. Gary Farmer and others...

CRTC releases digital conditions; licensees worry rates will lead to disputes in carriage

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

Despite giving the CRTC high marks for conditions of licence that are "flexible and balanced" for the new digital services, many programmers say the commission could have done more to ensure reasonable carriage. Rather than taking a hard line on distribution rules, the CRTC wants programmers and distributors to develop a code of conduct dealing with equitable terms of carriage, including launch arrangements, and undue preference or disadvantage for the new digital services. The Canadian Cable Television Association and Bell ExpressVu have already developed codes, while the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is working on its own code to address what it sees as deficiencies...

How small is small? The CRTC considers regulatory exemptions for Class 3 cablecos

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

CRTC releases digital conditions; licensees worry rates will lead to disputes in carriage

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

CCR Editorial

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Ho! Ho! Ho! Out of my bag, are some gifts for everyone in the broadcast industry. To the conventional broadcasters: A little less market fragmentation, good branding of services, and Canadian programming that will draw big-time audiences. To the CBC: More of Rick Mercer, Red Green,...

CCTA laments short time frame for dealing with complex issues of regional licensing

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

How small is small? The CRTC considers regulatory exemptions for Class 3 cablecos

Media | 12/21/2000 5:00 am EST

The CRTC has taken the first step to loosening the reins on cablecos with a Dec. 7 proposal to exempt Class 3 systems from regulation. That same day it also issued a broader public notice –2000-164 – asking for comments on how it can go further in reducing the administrative burden on other cable operators and itself, without compromising cultural objectives under the Broadcasting Act. With competition in the broadcast distribution market now taking hold, the commission believes the time is ripe to let market forces prevail, at least where warranted. Earlier this year, it received proposals from the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Top Web Properties Visited by CanadiansOn November 29, Richard Stursberg, president of the Canadian Television Fund, presented new numbers to the Spectrum 20/20 conference on the growth of the Internet in Canada. According to this chart, Microsoft leads the pack, and shows steady user acceleration. Internet on rise in 1999, according to StatsCan surveyAt least one member in 42% of Canada’s households, or 4.9...

CNM People

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

David Thompson withdrew his resignation as executive VP and CFO at Entrust Technologies. The company had previously announced that he was leaving the company to take on a similar position with another firm. Owen Jones has resigned as a director of Sideware Systems to pursue other interests. He leaves the company on good terms. The remaining directors of the company are James Speros, Grant Sutherland, Jay Nussbaum,...

The great digital broadband migration

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

On Dec. 8, Michael Powell, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission addressed the Progress and Freedom Foundation on the topic of convergence and the role of the FCC in regulating it. The full text of his speech can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Powell/2000/spmkp003.html. Today, I want to speak to you about a great migration...

CNM Editorial

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. One of the key markers of this bubbling age of new business models will be the jargon that went with it. As quickly as new technologies develop, new buzzwords are created to convince consumers and investors of the merits of risky business plans. How seat-of-the-pants can a dot com plan be when it’s...

Quebec new media groups merge to create a united voice for industry

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Quebec could soon have the strongest lobby voice for multimedia in the country following a Dec. 7 vote supporting the merger of three new media associations into a single organization. The new entity, called Alliance Numérique (‘Digital Alliance’), hopes to secure $9.8 million in program funding over three years from...

Program to increase number of new media grads begins next month in Toronto

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

The Ontario government and the private sector are spending $2.4 million on a new program to increase the number of new media graduates and to help match students with HR-strapped companies. Dubbed OnTarget, the initiative will officially launch next month in Toronto. By year two, organizers hope to expand into metropolitan...

Neon Crunch ready to move video-on-demand technology from lab to market

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Some of North America’s largest telephone companies are testing a new Canadian technology that can deliver movies-on-demand over the Internet. Toronto-based Neon Crunch, a two-person R&D shop in Toronto, is touting its asynchronous list transmission (ALT) architecture as a low-cost alternative to more expensive...

Iceberg tackles older demographic with launch of Preservatory.com radio site

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Iceberg Media.com Inc is taking a big step out of the proven 19-34 year old with a new site designed for a larger and older audience. President Ted Boyd says the new strategy may also be applied to its growing stable of web properties, as the Toronto-based developer makes a more aggressive foray into becoming a mass...

Canadian Heritage tight-lipped about plans for eagerly awaited museum portal

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Canadians are enthusiastic about a new, $3.5 million per year Virtual Museum created by the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), but many are confused about the concept, according to new research compiled by Decima Research Inc. Several participants in a focus group survey commissioned by CHIN were under the impression that the new site would be a virtual tour that would let them examine artifacts in three-dimensional cyberspace. Disabused of those notions by survey takers, however, most say they’re still eager to use the site, which will serve as a portal to museums across the country. The project was first announced in the 1999 Speech from the Throne, but CHIN officials...

CRTC restricts BCE’s new media spending to interactive TV as part of CTV takeover

Media | 12/14/2000 5:00 am EST

Canada’s broadcast regulator has approved a BCE Inc plan to spend $61 million on new media content, training and research as part of its $2.3-billion takeover of CTV Inc (CNM, July 26/00). The approval could trigger the single largest investment in interactive content by a Canadian company, and through access to the...

Digital channel leak stuns CRTC and industry; internal review underway

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

The CRTC is conducting an internal investigation into how a confidential list of digital specialty channel winners ended up on the front page of the National Post on Nov. 24, about two weeks before the decision was to be released publicly. Commission officials say the article came as a shock, although Canadian...

Bertrand leaving CRTC for high-level consulting firm

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

In an announcement that caught industry executives and CRTC staffers off guard, Secor Consulting announced this week that Françoise Bertrand would be stepping down as commission chair on Feb. 15 to take over the strategic consulting practice at its Montreal firm. Bertrand’s five-year term was to end August 11, 2001. Commissioners are prohibited...

Category 2 licensees prepare for tough negotiations; Chum bets on DTH

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

The CRTC’s decision to license 21 Category 1 channels – double the number initially proposed – could result in Category 2 licensees having to wait even longer to get launched. Digital capacity is finite and with a mandate to make room on digital tiers for all Category 1 services, negotiations to secure digital...

CRTC ushers in new world of digital TV with licensing of 21 Category 1 channels

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

The cable industry has scored a major breakthrough in its campaign to own more television channels, following a Dec. 1 CRTC decision granting digital specialty licences to three large cablecos. The commission’s decision to license 21 of 87 Category 1 applications – more than double the number initially suggested – is partly designed to entice cable operators to speed up their roll out of digital. "We’re very pleased that the CRTC followed through on what they said they would do, which is to allow cable operators to own equity in the new digital services," said Janet Yale, president/CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association. "I think the CRTC felt we would...

Too many TV channels eroding audience share from CBC Television: Starowicz

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

At least one producer is lamenting the dawn of the multichannel universe. Mark Starowicz, area executive producer of documentaries at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp and director of the popular Canadian History mini-series, refers to television as the Archilles heel of Canadian culture, in an age when music and literature in...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

Cable industry contributes $3.1 billion in ICT revenueCable TV contributed $3.1 billion of the $116.4 billion in revenue generated by Canada’s information and communications technologies industries in 1998, according to new statistics released by Industry Canada’s ICT branch. The CATV industry ranked #7 on the list, with telecom services hitting the #2 spot with $28.5 billion in revenue that year. The top money-maker...

CCR People

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

Claude Chagnon, Vidéotron president and CEO, and four other senior executives departed as Quebecor moved forward on plans to dismantle the holding company and integrate it into its multimedia division. Chagnon will apparently stay on as director at Vidéotron and TVA Group Inc. Chagnon and his father sold their controlling stake in Quebecor in August after a hostile $5.2-billion takeover. As well, Pierre Simon, resigned...

Pitching the world on cultural diversity

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

Ottawa’s initiative in forging a new international trade agreement for culture is finding allies in Europe, and enemies in the United States. As Richard Stursberg, the former head of Cancom and the Canadian Cable Television Association, noted in a recent presentation, U.S. officials have branded Canada’s initiative a "virus". Below is...

CCR Editorial

Media | 12/07/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. My bathroom is not much bigger than the ones you find on airplanes. But one redeeming feature is the skylight. It’s blue. "What color is your bathroom?" was the query from a CRTC spokesperson when asked about the oath commissioners had to swear upon taking their positions. The question...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

NewKidCo releases new Tom and Jerry game for N64NewKidCo International Inc has released "Tom and Jerry in Fists of Fury’ for the Nintendo 64 video game console. The title is the first of three Tom and Jerry titles expected to be released by the end of the year, including "Tom and Jerry in House Trap" for the PlayStation console and "Tom and Jerry in Mouse Attacks" for the Game Boy Color. The...

CNM People

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

As a result of a company reorganization to focus on content, TVA Group Inc has made some top level changes. Raynald Brière has been appointed as GM of the TVA Network. He retains his post as senior VP, broadcasting. Philippe Lapointe has been given responsibility for programming and news, and Serge Bellerose will be in charge of specialty channels. André Provencher, previously senior VP of the TVA Group, has announced...

‘Old media’ embrace new in Calgary

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

Canadian broadcasters are trying very hard to dispel their "old media" image. At the industry’s annual conference in Calgary Nov. 13, Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ president/CEO Michael McCabe and CAB chair Daniel Lamarre presented their vision of the future, one that rolls out the welcome mat for new media companies and promotes...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Broadcasters opened an important door for new media content producers this month, but the new partnership is fraught with as many perils as it is lined with opportunities. The invitation by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters for new media firms to join its ranks will inevitably lead to productive results for most parties involved. But, the nature of their new relationship has yet to be determined, and new media companies will be forgiven for tiptoeing through the early days. Canadian broadcasters have established business models, longstanding ties to advertisers, existing relationships with legislators and have far greater access to capital than their upstart digital counterparts. Still, interactive content producers are hardly the red-headed step-children of the new industry. Producers understand the technology, understand how storytelling changes in an interactive environment, and have fostered a...

Digital interactive media sector larger than broadcast, says new MMSG survey

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

The multimedia industry has grown as large as the broadcast sector, according to a new report that digital media champions hope will convince government to provide better funding and tax incentives to their industry. The MultiMediator Strategy Group’s (MMSG) Canadian Interactive Media Producer’s Survey 2000, presented...

New media incubator sets sights on spectrum to be auctioned in January

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

New media incubator itemus Inc plans to build a new Internet-based wireless network if it’s among a handful of winners in the federal government’s radio spectrum auction, scheduled to begin January 15. The Toronto-based startup has taken a 20 per cent stake in Wispra Inc, one of the players vying to win cellular...

Salter back in creative content game

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

Salter Street Films has embarked on another venture into online creative with the launch of a companion website to the ItchTV series. Unlike Salter’s predecessor site of the same type, 22Online, the company has high hopes for advertising revenue will be large enough to sustain the site. The site, created by Halifax-based Collideascope Digital...

Battle of words continues between Canadian broadcasters and JumpTV.com

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

The debate over JumpTV appears stalled as lawyers from both sides battle over the need for further consultation before the Copyright Board can issue the upstart Internet re-transmitter an interim tariff (CNM, Nov. 1/00). Dueling letters to the board were exchanged in the last two weeks as Jump lawyer Sunny Handa dismissed...

CAB takes steps to narrow divide between broadcasters and new media companies

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

New media companies are cautiously optimistic that an offer for them to join the Canadian Association of Broadcasters will lead to new opportunities between the sometimes rival camps. In a move that could speed up rollout of interactive technologies, the CAB board of directors last week voted in favour of allowing web streaming companies and certain Internet retailers to become associate members of the organization. The announcement was made at the CAB’s conference in Calgary, which for the first time focused almost exclusively on interactivity. About 50 digital media companies attended the three-day show, titled "on-air.on-line", although many were skeptical of the...

PwC finds most Canadians confused over digital television service offerings

Media | 11/29/2000 5:00 am EST

The concept of digital television is confusing Canadians, and as such, not many are planning to buy it, according to a new survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers. But the firm’s principal consultant in the area says that uncertainty won’t last long as people begin associating the technology with a flood of new interactive...

CAB reinvents itself as the national voice for radio, TV, specialty/pay and online services

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters is poised to become the country’s main lobby voice for most forms of transmitted content, following its merger with the Specialty and Premium Television Association and its decision to allow new media companies to join its ranks. The CAB’s annual...

Canadians continuing to watch Canadian programs, according to new CRTC report

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Canada’s broadcast industry has received a passing grade from the CRTC in its first annual Policy Monitoring Report. The report notes the average viewing of Canadian drama and comedy programming in prime time has risen from 2.3 million hours a week on private conventional stations between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. in 1994 to...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Survey reveals need for crash course on what is DTVMore Canadians are subscribing to digital cable, satellite and wireless cable services – they just don’t realize it’s digital TV, according to a new study released by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Of the 802 people surveyed for the Canadian Consumer Technology Study 2000, only 5% said they know a lot about digital TV, while nearly three-quarters said they’ve never...

CCR People

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Scott Gibson, VP legal and government affairs at Canadian Satellite Communications Inc (Cancom) is leaving in mid-December as part of a restructuring at the Mississauga ON company, following its sale to Shaw Communications Inc. Prior to joining Cancom in September 1999, Gibson held senior positions with Star Choice Communications, YTV Canada and CTV Television Network. Cancom’s senior director of communications and...

Is the Competition Bureau finally ready to look at other policy issues?

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

The roles of the Competition Bureau and the CRTC have, for the most part, tended to be separate and distinct. Each agency is, after all, mandated by separate and generally distinct pieces of legislation. Some overlap is unavoidable. The Competition Act has a stated purpose of maintaining and encouraging competition in...

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/23/2000 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 broadcast industry devotes much of its convention time and many speeches to the promises of a digital era. The public, however, still seems in the dark about just what digital means. The PricewaterhouseCoopers Canadian Technology Study 2000 reveals that consumers remain as confused about...

Anik F1 launches; Star Choice finalizes plans to use 100 new television channels

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Tuesday’s successful launch of the Anik F1 satellite will give Star Choice Communications Inc about 100 more channels for pay per view and new digital TV services early next year, but the company’s president warns that it may not be enough to carry every Category 2 licensee. F1 is being touted as the world’s...

ExpressVu and Star Choice win satellite slots; financing and design work begins

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

The federal government has given Canada’s two DTH companies the bandwidth they need to compete in the high-speed Internet market, but first they need partners and a solid business plan to finance the construction and launch of two new satellites. On Nov. 10, Star Choice Communications Inc and Bell ExpressVu received Industry Canada approval to co-locate Ka-band satellites in the same orbital slots as their broadcast satellites. Depending on the bells and whistles, the new satellites could cost between US$250 and US$275 million each, not including launch, insurance and other start-up costs. The combined price tag for both companies could climb as high as CDN$1 billion. Manufacturers...

Cable industry calls on CRTC to include new media in Canadian content definition

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Broadcasters should be allowed to apply their investments in Internet and web portals against their Canadian content requirements, according to the president/CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA). Speaking Nov. 21 at the Canadian Club in Ottawa, Janet Yale pitched her association’s five-point lobby...

Specialty channels hope for stronger voice in merger with broadcasting association

Media | 11/23/2000 5:00 am EST

Members of the Specialty and Premium Television Association (SPTV) are anticipating a stronger lobby when their organization is absorbed by the larger Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). But they also don’t want to lose the benefits of belonging to a smaller group. "We are hoping that we will not get...

CNM People

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

Daniel Lamarre, president and CEO of Groupe TVA Inc was re-elected for a second term as chair of the board of directors of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. Also re-elected were Telemedia Radio Inc. senior VP Jim MacLeod as radio chair, Global Television Network president and COO Kevin Shea as television chair, and Corus Entertainment Inc president of Television Paul Robertson as chair of the CAB Specialty and Pay...

Real Estate Meets Cyberspace: Trends and Issues for Property Owners

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

Some commercial property owners and managers worry that the rampant growth of technologies like the Internet will erode demand for business and retail space as more people opt to work and shop from the comfort of home. But other owners and managers are embracing new technologies, using them to add value to their buildings...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. In the 1950’s, the American government exerted considerable legal pressure on the music industry to end payola. It’s ironic that the sullied system of secret paybacks may now be the only way to save today’s record industry. Payola has already made a big comeback in the dot com world. Online services charge high fees to feature content with keywords, and search engines regularly return sites whose spot on the list has been bought and paid for. Now, the Copyright Board has heard that half of the music tracks copied to blank CDs are in the form of compilations. Gut instinct says that almost every MP3 copied to a blank CD is part of a compilation. That makes sense. Albums are typically made up of a dozen weak tracks carried by two or three strong ones. For the music industry, this is a double-edged sword. People place a value on personalizing their listening experience, and are likely willing to pay for...

Proposed new Alliance Atlantis mega-studio opposed by Toronto studio owners

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

A mammoth studio proposed by new media giant Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc is raising the ire of long-time facilities owners in Toronto. The film and broadcasting juggernaut has apparently exploited its position as the pre-eminent producer of shows to strike a quiet deal with the Toronto Economic Development Corp...

SKG to merge YNN broadcast content with services for education market

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

SKG Interactive Inc is removing advertising from its recently acquired Youth News Network (YNN), as part of a new business model that should appease critics of the school news service and drive students, parents and teachers to its new educational portal. The Richmond Hill-ON company purchased the youth broadcast service...

Liberty Village to launch this month with meeting space, networking opportunities

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

One of the first recipients of serious money from the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Small Business Growth Fund is set to open its doors with a soft launch later this month. The Liberty Village New Media Centre, with the help of $1 million in provincial funding over three years and significant private sector support,...

Internet growing fast as source of music copied to CDs and cassettes: study

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

MP3s are fast becoming the preferred medium for Canadians copying music according to a new survey conducted for the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) by Réseau Circum Inc. In a study introduced into the record at the recently concluded Copyright Board hearing on blank tape levies, it was found that year-over-year,...

Surveillance of online activities a last resort says CIPS, privacy should be respected

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

Privacy concerns should take precedent over the need to monitor employees’ behaviour on the Net and in email, says the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS). The organization, Canada’s largest IT professional association, has issued a position paper recognizing that employees’...

CIFVF wins stable funding from Heritage

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund (CIFVF) is celebrating news of a guaranteed funding increase courtesy of Canadian Heritage. As part of the new Feature Film Policy announced by the department last month, the agency will be able to count on $1.8 million per year for the next five years. The news marks the first time the CIVFV will have real...

Canadian e-tailers have opportunity to gain American market share: Yankee

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

The Boston-based Yankee Group says Canadian e-commerce entrepreneurs have an opportunity to gain market share in the North American ecom environment. According to its recently-released paper, Made in Canada: Web Shopping and Online Communities, a borderless market should suit Canadian businesses, but they haven’t taken...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/15/2000 5:00 am EST

BC considering ESRB system as base of legislation The province of British Columbia is reportedly taking a serious look at the games rating system from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). BC is searching for ways to classify violent and sexual content in video games. The ESRB has been in place since 1994, and is run in Canada by the Canadian Interactive Digital Software Association. The Vancouver Sun reports...

Liberals pledge more “support” for culture; Alliance calls for more accountability

Media | 11/09/2000 5:00 am EST

A win by the Alliance Party of Canada in this month’s federal election would result in the dismantling of the Department of Canadian Heritage and less money for Canadian culture, the Liberals warn. In its election platform, the Alliance is vowing to eliminate "wasteful" spending on culture, and is calling for the grants process for film, television and the arts to be made more specific and focused. The Liberals contend that the savings from such a review are needed to help pay for the Alliance’s proposed flat tax. "It’s not as though (the Alliance) would transfer the monies to other levels of government to maintain the cultural programs and help support culture in...