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...

Political parties outline their vision of what to do with Canada’s public broadcaster

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

Remedies proposed for the ailing CBC by political parties range from the Canadian Alliance Party’s desire to privatize the broadcaster’s TV division to the New Democrats’ pledge to pump $1 billion annually into its overall operation. The Liberals Party’s only promise is that it won’t...

CCTA calls for technology neutral regime for dealing with Internet re-transmissions

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

The Canadian Cable Television Association is calling for a technology-neutral law to deal with re-transmissions, in stark contrast to a newly formed coalition of content rights holders demanding legislation that would exclude webcasters from re-transmitting TV signals on the Internet without first getting...

SaskTel on the defensive as commissioners challenge independence from government

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

SaskTel’s government ownership could scuttle its bid for a cable TV licence, unless the CRTC determines the telco is free of political influence from the province. Questions regarding SaskTel’s governance structure, and the provincial government’s control of crown corporations, dominated questioning at a Nov. 2...

Broadcasters prepare to launch $1-million digital TV test transmitter by December

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

Canadian Digital Television (CDTV) president Michael McEwen expects to apply by the middle of this month for a licence to operate a digital television test transmitter out of Toronto. CDTV is eyeing channel 65, which would operate for up to a year, to let Canadian broadcasters experiment with digital broadcasting. "Not a lot of our broadcasters have had an opportunity to get their hands dirty. (The test transmitter) would allow broadcasters to play with (digital broadcasting) from an operational point of view, and to get to understand what it can and cannot do, and what are the opportunities, etc.," he says. The project, which McEwen estimates will cost about $1 million,...

CIFVF scores budget increase and five-year funding commitment from Heritage

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

The Canadian Independent Film and Fund (CIFVF) is no longer in limbo, having been granted stable funding of $1.8 million per year over five years by Canadian Heritage. The government funding, likely to be topped up with about $300,000 in annual contributions from Star Choice Communications Inc, will be distributed next year...

CCR Short Takes

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

How does Canadian drama compare?Canadian drama is improving in quality compared to American programs, according to a new report released by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. Hour-long Canadian dramas rating in the top 20 TV shows in terms of quality, include CBC’s DaVinci’s Inquest, CBC’s Wind At My Back, CTV’s Cold Squad, CBC’s Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy, and Global’s Traders. "It’s quite an...

Breaking down the barriers between culture, commerce and technology

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

Canadian Cable Television Association (An edited excerpt of her Sept. 23 speech to the Canadian Human Resources Council conference in Hull QC.) The theme of my remarks – The Integration of Culture and Commerce – is taken from the title of a policy paper the cable industry issued in April, and which has been...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It was heartening to see the broad cross-section of interests that made the trip to Cape Breton for this year’s Baddeck International New Media Festival. If study after study are to be believed, the multimedia sector is an insular community that hasn’t yet taken its proper place on the national...

Telefilm fund nears 50% rate for defaulted loans; industry calls for new model

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

Telefilm Canada is preparing to write-off 45 per cent – or $4.1 million – of paid out over the past two years from its $30-million multimedia fund, citing the high-risk nature of the industry for the high default rate. The figures, released last month as part of Telefilm’s 1999-2000 annual report, will give the new...

Opposition to JumpTV.com intensifies as broadcasters form new media coalition

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

JumpTV.com has until Nov. 10 to respond to a flood of objections to its request for an Internet-specific retransmission tariff. Canada’s broadcast community and rights-holders have banded together to stop the proposed tariff, arguing that a key section of the country’s copyright should specifically exclude companies...

Tax treatment for artists especially pressing for new media workers: CCA

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

The Canadian Conference of the Arts is hoping a Nov. 22 meeting of national arts service organizations will resolve a long-standing dispute over how artists are taxed. The CCA argues that the current taxation regime penalizes artistic workers, and hinders Canada’s ability to compete at a grassroots level in the creation...

YTV says Internet access up 36% in 2000 over 1999 among “tweeners” demographic

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

A new survey by popular children’s television station YTV is bearing out the predictions of many forecasters by saying the Internet cohort is growing and that younger kids are comfortable multi-tasking and incorporating the Internet into their daily activities. According to the survey,...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

Filament Communications promotes new serviceOttawa’s Filament Communications, formerly Animatics, has launched a new Usability Consulting Group. The service, which offers end-user research and testing from the early stages of site-building, is being promoted with a new direct marketing campaign in the U.S. and Canada. Paper mock ups feature prominently in the process, which is designed to detect flaws in web sites before going to launch.Quebecor comes in peaceQuebecor Media Inc is reassuring staff that its ownership of Vidéotron ltée is good news for subsidiary Netgraphe. Netgraphe issued a press release saying Quebecor’s new controlling position will open markets in Europe and accelerate development of Netgraphe’s new media products.Knowledge House sells centre to McKenzie CollegeMcKenzie College, Halifax is the proud new owner of the Centre for Distance Education Ltd which it has acquired from Knowledge House. In return, Knowledge House has secured a 10 per cent ownership stake in the college, with the potential to increase that...

CNm People

Media | 11/01/2000 5:00 am EST

Sheridan Scott, chief regulatory officer at Bell Canada, has been appointed chair of the board and of the executive committee of the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). Scott has been representing Bell on the ICRA board since the company became a member in September 1999. She has a lengthy history of involvement in regulatory affairs in the Canadian broadcast and telecommunications sectors.  Interactive...

Small cable and satellite prepare to move on Ottawa’s latest broadband promise

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Regional Cablesystems Inc and satellite service providers could be among the main beneficiaries of a new federal mandate to bring broadband Internet access to rural and remote communities. With high-speed Internet well on its way to becoming the norm in larger centres, Industry Canada is anxious to ensure that the 15 to 20...

Cable in the Classroom developing plan to move service from the TV to the Internet

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Cable Television Association plans to deliver its Cable in the Classroom program in a way that taps directly into the government’s desire to have the nation receiving high-speed access by 2004. Industry Canada recently announced the creation of a new National Broadband Task Force that will draft...

New coalition calls for review of JumpTV’s bid to retransmit TV signals over the web

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s broadcasters, producers and other copyright holders are asking for a preliminary inquiry into the operation of upstart JumpTV.com or the creation of a task force that would recommend changes to the Copyright Act. Media Content CoalitionCanadian Association of BroadcastersCanadian...

Critics say cable can carry French-language services, it’s just a matter of priorities

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Some people at the CRTC hearing last Wednesday had trouble believing the cable industry’s argument that capacity problems will limit how many French-language channels they can carry outside of Quebec, particularly during their transition from analog to digital. Pierre Roy, president and CEO of Les Chaînes Télé Astral Inc, which operates such French-language specialty channels as Canal D and Canal Famille, told CCR that, "When (cablecos) don’t want things, they have capacity problems. When they want some services, they don’t have capacity problems." The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) points out that even digital cable has a finite amount of capacity,...

Cable Atlantic takes lead in rebuilding New Brunswick cable systems

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

It looks as though New Brunswick’s cable systems are headed for a major overhaul, courtesy of Newfoundland-based Cable Atlantic Inc. On Sept. 18, Rogers Communications Inc reached a deal to acquire 100 per cent of Cable Atlantic. A separate deal with Shaw Communications Inc sees Rogers acquiring other east coast systems,...

Former CRTC exec moves from policy to Internet content development at Canarie

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Susan Baldwin has left the world of regulation and broadcast policy for the emerging world of the Internet. The former executive director of broadcasting at the CRTC says she took the position of director of advanced content at Canarie Inc because the Internet is on the leading edge and exploding with...

Auditor General’s report takes aim at HRDC grant to Cochran Entertainment

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Nova Scotia-based Cochran Entertainment Inc was among recipients of controversial grants doled out by Human Resources Development Canada, according to a report released this month by the Auditor General. The Auditor General criticized a $2.5-million grant to Cochran for the production of the television series, Pit...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Why Shaw thinks it’s winning the broadband deployment raceShaw’s Digital Portfolio1.8 million basic customers 74% basic service penetration 168,000 digital subs 298,000 Shaw@Home subs 200 home nodes with fibre capacity to go to 250 750 MHz with digital overlay to offer 200+ channels 9,325 fibre sheath kms 292,921 fibre strand kms Source: Shaw Communications (Figures as of Sept/00)Shaw Communications Inc is taking the...

CCR People

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

Patrick O’Hara has been named GM of OnTV Hamilton. O’Hara, who was Global Quebec’s first employee in April 1997 and who in 1999 was appointed Quebec GM, will be at OnTV when it begins its re-branding in early 2001. Maureen Rogers, business manager at Global Television Network (Quebec) takes over the GM position vacated by O’Hara. Also at Global, Barry Saunders, who most recently was general sales manager for the...

How U.S. broadcasters are reaping the rewards of a strong lobby

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

American cablecos are lamenting their poor lobbying record these days, saying more needs to be done to tell their "good news stories" to various levels of government. It’s a criticism that’s been heard at many a cable convention in this country as well. The president/CEO of the National Cable Television...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Doctors don’t normally prescribe medication without describing the reasons or the side effects. But that’s what Ottawa expects Canadians to swallow with its recent approval of the US$30-billion takeover of Montreal-based Seagram Ltd by Vivendi SA and its subsidiary, the French pay TV network Canal...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

A new twist on an old Industry Canada agendaThe Connecting Canadians agenda which has been in force for several years has taken a new turn as Industry Canada is asking a new task force to advise on how best to ensure high-speed access for every Canadian community by 2004. David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo, will head the new group which has been charged with identifying ways to address the digital...

CNM People

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

Clement Bourassa has joined Pixel Systems Inc, Montreal, as senior VP, operations. Bourassa was previously director of business systems integration at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where his responsibilities included development and operation of the corporate management office. He has also served at IBM Canada and Noranda Metal Industries. His prior work in the broadcast industry includes a number of years at Télé-Québec, where he served as head of technology, GM, telecommunications and as GM, production and technologies. Norma Reveler is the new editor of Canadian Communications Reports. She began covering the broadcast industry for the Hollywood Reporter as its Tokyo correspondent in the mid-1990s. She arrived back in Canada after many years in Asia, just in time for the CRTC hearings into Canada’s television policy in 1998. Before heading to Japan, she worked at the daily The Charlottetown Guardian, was the editor/writer of a science magazine for kids, and publications on community development, and planning. She...

New media bridges the art/science divide

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

Not many Canadians realize that it was the publicly funded National Research Council that invented digital animation. It is also one of the leading research centres for digital media in Canada. Speaking at a conference in Ottawa this summer, NRC president Dr. Arthur Carty explained how new media has become a catalyst for bridging the historical gap...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Broadband and circuitry have replaced bread and circuses as the federal Liberal’s pre-election promise, and the new media industry should cheer a new initiative by Industry Canada to connect every community to high-speed Internet access by 2004. Key questions about the practicality of the...

New media could be main beneficiaries under proposal to create “super fund”

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

The federal government has initiated a review of the Canadian Television Fund that could result in more equity funding and less paperwork for new media producers. In comments filed with the Department of Canadian Heritage, industry support appears to be growing for the idea of either increasing the...

Online surfing made safer for kids by new Edmonton-based software company

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

A group of technical staff from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and a former corporate trainer have teamed up to distribute new software and services designed to protect children online. Edmonton-based Kidzmatter.com is giving away a new browser that child-proofs the web for parents concerned about pornography,...

Crypto export procedure must be changed to match federal policy: ITAC

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

Industry leaders are calling on the federal government to fulfil a two-year-old promise to help expedite exports of cryptography products, or risk losing both companies and jobs to countries with more export-friendly rules. In letters to then-Industry minister John Manley and international trade minister Pierre Pettigrew, the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) says immediate action is needed to clear red-tape that is costing companies valuable business, and stifling the growth of a nascent Canadian industry. In letters dated Sept. 15, ITAC suggests that the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) isn’t practising what it preaches when it comes to...

Sweeping changes to tax regulations would benefit new media industry: roundtable

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

The head of an industry working group on capital markets and tax reform sweeping regulatory changes are needed to ensure new media and other ‘new economy’ businesses are properly financed. John Eckert, managing partner at McLean Watson Capital Inc and a veteran of several multimedia business ventures, says removing...

Broadcasters rights agency needs more information before responding to JumpTV

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

The main copyright collective representing Canadian broadcasters is having a tough time responding to JumpTV.com’s request for a new Internet tariff, saying it’s still unclear what the new company is planning to launch. The Canadian Broadcasters Rights Agency Inc (CBRA) and other groups have until October 20 to file...

IMC rebounds from cash crunch

Media | 10/18/2000 4:00 am EDT

Troubled Internet Multimedia Corp (IMC), which was to have moved operations to Toronto, has turned its fortunes around with the acquisition of an Italian new media company. IMC, the future of which was seriously in doubt at the end of March, has purchased Italian-based Oasis Technology S.r.l, and reported positive financial results in the third quarter...

Public hearing to begin October 18-Finding digital space for French-language channels could take several years: CCTA

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Cable subscribers living outside of Quebec may have to wait another decade or longer to receive more French-language TV services, even if they upgrade to digital. As part of its cross-Canada consultation on expanding the distribution of French-language channels, the CRTC is looking at using the...

CRTC expected to move quickly to license new ethnic television station for BC

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Speedy passage of the licensing of an ethnic television station in British Columbia is expected after the federal government’s October 4 directive to the CRTC. The government has given the commission until Feb. 28, 2001 to report on the "earliest possible establishment of over-the-air television services that reflect...

Artists plan next move in battle to win tax-free status for copyright income

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) hasn’t given up hope that the federal government will introduce a new tax exemption for copyright income, despite the Oct. 4 defeat of a private member’s motion proposing similar relief. The motion – which would have allowed artists, writers and performers to earn up to...

New last-mile equipment promises unparalleled speeds for wireless cablecos

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Wireless cable operators and other last mile solution providers can expect new faster broadband wireless equipment to hit the market in the next six months. Wavesat Telecom Inc is conducting final beta tests on last mile equipment that can provide bi-directional throughput of about 25 Mbs. The Montreal company recently...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Wavesat could fill service gaps in rural areasWavesat Telecom Inc could have a ready-made market if changes to older microwave licensing policies proposed by Industry Canada earlier this year are ratified. Spectrum in the 6 GHz frequency range, which is already lying under-used or dormant, could be liberated and opened up for re-licensing for different services. The company’s initial product offering will operate in...

CCR People

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

CTV News has named Kirk LaPointe as senior VP, effective October 16. LaPointe will report to CTV Inc executive VP Trina McQueen and be responsible for all news and information programming at Canada’s largest private network, including on Canada AM, W-Five, CTV National News, regional news operations, Internet news services and CTV Newsnet. LaPointe is expected to lead CTV News towards the integration of Internet and broadcast technologies.  Also at CTV, Robert Hurst was promoted to senior VP, British Columbia and general manager of Vancouver Television, effective November 1. André Bourbonnais replaces Guthrie Stewart on Look Communications Inc’s board of directors. Bourbonnais, Teleglobe Inc’s co-CEO, executive VP and chief legal officer and secretary, is currently overseeing the transition from the pending acquisition of Teleglobe by BCE Inc. Stewart served as Look president and CEO from May to October 1999. GlobalMedia.com’s CEO and president Jeff Mandelbaum picks up the additional title of chair of the board. He...

Is there room on Canadian cable for more than one shopping channel?

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Northern Response (International) Ltd is anxiously awaiting a CRTC decision on a cable system swap that could impede its future distribution on cable. Rogers Communications Inc and Shaw Communications Inc are seeking approval to swap cablecos in eastern and western Canada. If approved, the deal would see Rogers owning more...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Canada has been awash in cultural policy ideas of late. On the international front, Heritage minister Sheila Copps has been making slow progress in reaching agreement on a global accord for cultural diversity – one that would allow countries to maintain policies that pro-mote their cultural industries...

Private sector calls on government to transform Telefilm into a CTF-type agency

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

Industry support is growing for the idea of a single national organization for film, television and new media funding – an idea that could result in a Telefilm Canada evolving into an organization more akin to the Canadian Television Fund. While many in industry would prefer to see the CTF be the body that takes on this...

Culture ministers take first steps to combat America’s dominance of global culture

Media | 10/13/2000 4:00 am EDT

An international network of culture, including Heritage minister Sheila Copps, has agreed to establish a working group to examine the new challenges facing broadcasters in a global market. The initiative got the stamp of approval from 23 countries, including Canada, France and Russia, at the International Network on...

CNM People

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

Inter.net Canada, the new consumer division of PSINet, has announced its new management team. Stéphane Goyette will head the new entity as president. He was previously an associate and VP of e-business services and interactive marketing at Diesel Marketing. Prior to that, he was a manager at Medialinx – Bell Canada division. Jacques Caron will assume the post of VP of business development. Caron was previously a senior executive with Transcontinental, EDS and Vidéotron. Jean Gaudreau will serve as VP marketing. He is a founder of Cossette Interactif, where he worked as VP of strategic planning and as general manager. Sophie Léger has been appointed VP, finance. She has worked as a controller in retail and manufacturing. Jeffrey Shearer, a director of Totum Media Marketing, has been retained to act as senior marketing advisor to Iceberg Media.com Inc. Shearer has been recognized by Marketing Magazine as one of the top 10 marketers in Canada, and his experience includes time served at the Toronto Star as VP of marketing. He has...

Canadian artists ask for fair tax treatment to combat copyright losses

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

In this year’s pre-budget brief to the Standing Committee on Finance, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has asked the federal government to change the way it taxes artists. Internet piracy has become an important concern for artists of all sorts, and the CCA is arguing that new technologies are resulting in...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/04/2000 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 growing importance of video streaming came to light this week when tens of thousands of Canadians went online to view the live coverage of Pierre Trudeau’s funeral service. The limitations of the technology were also aptly demonstrated when virtual traffic jams prevented thousands more from...

Comparisons to iCrave miss global nature of new television portal says JumpTV.com

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

The man behind JumpTV.com says failure to secure a copyright tariff for broadcasts in Canada won’t stop his company from launching an international service for live and recorded television. CEO Farrel Miller contends legal retaliation from U.S. broadcasters also isn’t an issue – as it was with Internet upstart...

Jerkyvision founders offer distribution for unknown filmmakers through new portal

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

Two recent graduates of film and new media are determined to use the web as a new distribution window for young filmmakers whose work might otherwise go unseen. Citing the difficulty of cracking the closed ranks of prestigious film festivals by unknown artists, Jason Hatcher and Nolan Dubeau will soon launch Toronto-based...

Digital content to play greater role as ITAC supports Candian Heritage funding bid

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) is calling for a $50-million funding boost at Canadian Heritage to pay for the digitization of cultural content. The business lobby group, which has traditionally focused on hardware and software industries, may seem an unlikely booster for Canadian culture and the...

Venture capital site promises secure, private meeting space for new media ideas

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

Four Canadian entrepreneurs – including a former CRTC commissioner – are creating virtual meetings rooms on the Internet for new media producers and venture capitalists. Launched Sept. 14, VentureToronto.com is the second such Canadian portal to hit the web this year under the Ventureality.com banner. The first went...

CTVNews.com launch puts Blue Zone into hunt for new broadcasting customers

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Sept. 21 launch of CTV Inc’s CTVNews.com has moved Blue Zone Inc into prime time, and given the Vancouver-based company the profile and market credibility it needs to start selling its software and services to other broadcasters. CTV represents the first large-scale commercial implementation of Blue Zone’s NewsBZ...

Copyright Board decision won’t affect iCraveTV’s business plan, says McCallum

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

ICraveTV.com executives are keenly following JumpTV.com’s bid for an Internet-specific tariff (see story in this issue), but VP of corporate sales and development Ian McCallum says whether the Copyright Board acquiesces to Jump’s request or not, his company will continue with an independent business plan. Though an...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

CCTA asks for consideration in JumpTV issueThe Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) has asked the Copyright Board for status as a party to any proceedings related to the tariff objection filed by JumpTV. The CCTA didn’t originally have any objection to the proposed 2001-2003 tariff, but has asked to be granted the right to participate in any proceedings stemming from JumpTV’s request. It has also asked for the right to receive copies of all correspondence, to serve interrogatories on third parties, to submit evidence and call witnesses, and to cross-examine evidence submitted by other parties, as well as make oral and written arguments before the board. GlobalMedia.com wins development contract4Kids Entertainment Inc, NYC, has contracted GlobalMedia.com, Vancouver, to produce a new site, Girlsgymnastics.com. The site will be the online home of Bela Karolyi, the famous coach, and a destination where girls can get tips on becoming better gymnasts. European Internet use growing quickly says IDCIDC senior VP John Gantz...

Giving new voices a chance to be heard

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Although I doubt most applicants would agree, the recently concluded digital specialty channel hearing before the CRTC has been the easy part of the process to bring new TV channels to Canadians. Now comes the brutal weeding of applications by CRTC staff and commissioners to see who gets anointed, and beyond that, undertaking the actual launch of the...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Winning a digital TV licence isn’t necessarily a good thing. The audience share is miniscule, the technology not standardized, and the rights environment uncertain (to say the least). Despite these hurdles, applicants for new specialty channels appeared one after another before the CRTC promising...

JumpTV’s proposed service violates copyright guidelines, say broadcasters

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s broadcast community says it’s too early to launch pre-emptive litigation against upstart JumpTV.com since it hasn’t yet begun re-transmitting over-the-air TV signals (CCR, Sept. 14/00).  How the service might launch in Canada could depend on how the Copyright Board responds to the company’s application...

Liberal Senator wades into TVO-TFO debate with appeal to federal court

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Ontario Liberal Senator Jean-Robert is asking the Federal Court of Canada to overturn a controversial decision by the CRTC not to grant TFO-TVOntario the right to distribute its signal in Quebec.  Gauthier filed the appeal in mid-September. At the same time, he made a lengthy submission to the CRTC, which had been...

Heritage opts for tinkering, rather than overhaul of TV and film financing funds

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

The federal Heritage ministry has signaled that it’s not about to make major changes to the way grant money is doled out to the country’s television and movie producers. Instead, in a report released in mid-September, the ministry set out a roadmap for a go-slow policy that would increase communication between agencies, but leave the present system fairly much intact. CTF endorses status quo for guidelinesThe board of the Canadian Television Fund decided earlier this week to make few changes to its guidelines for 2001-02. CTF chair Richard Stursberg says the status quo will also continue for co-production arrangements and regional bonus rules.  Technical updates and application...

SaskTel faces industry & political foes in bid to compete in Saskatchewan cable market

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

The cable industry wants the CRTC to delay SaskTel’s entry into the cable TV market until proper safeguards are put in place to prevent the telco from subsidizing its cable rates with monopoly telephony revenues. A hearing is scheduled to begin October 30 in Calgary to review SaskTel’s...

ExpressVu clears major regulatory hurdle in battle for big building subscribers

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Bell ExpressVu has scored a pivotal victory in the competitive battle for customers living in apartment buildings and condominiums. In a ruling that wasn’t unexpected, on September 26 the CRTC approved a licence amendment that now allows the DTH company to serve multiple unit dwellings (MUDs) using terrestrial facilities...

Bell ExpressVu predicts faster roll out of HDTV as a result of CTV acquisition

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

One of the spin-off benefits of BCE Inc’s purchase of CTV Inc is a faster roll out of HDTV in Canada, a senior BCE executive told CCR. Alain Gourd, president and CEO of BCE Media, said in an interview that the acquisition has pressed Bell to push ahead with the testing of technology to launch at least two, and as many as...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Canwest Global second largest donor to Liberals last yearData provided by Elections Canada show Canwest Global/Global TV was the second-largest donor to the federal Liberal party in 1999, giving the party’s national office $87,622.21. Other donors to the Liberals included: Bell Canada/BCE/ExpressVu ($51,438.87); the Rogers group of companies ($48,985.43); Craig Broadcast Systems ($48,297.66); and, Telus Corp...

CCR People

Media | 09/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

Bill Roberts, the secretary-general of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), has accepted an offer to lead Vision TV as president and CEO, effective Oct. 20. Fil Fraser, Vision TV’s current president/CEO, will act as special advisor to Roberts with primary responsibility for external relations until the end of his tenure in December 2000. Roberts joined NABA in 1996 and led the organization during a period...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

IMAT and VentureToronto launch new VC portalVentureToronto.com and Interactive Multimedia Arts and Technologies have teamed up to launch a new site matching venture capital and entrepreneurs. VentureToronto.com was introduced at an event at the Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre. The site may appear similar to countless others, but executives hope local content and privacy will prove to be key differences from the rest of the...

CNM People

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

Photochannel Networks Inc has appointed Kyle Hall, VP sales and business development of the company’s U.S. subsidiary Photochannel Inc. Hall brings more than 10 years of sales experience in a variety of software companies. Most recently, he worked for Telepix Imaging Inc where he served as VP sales, marketing and business development. He will be responsible for developing and implementing all Photochannel’s sales and...

Video games and violence: The BC government’s position

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

Video games are big business. In the United States more than 215 million computer and video games were sold last year alone – that is more than two per household. Sales during the past four years have nearly doubled. [Interactive Digital Software Association] The majority of studies directly focusing on the effects...

CNM Editorial

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. A plan by the BC government to rate video games is laudable, but ultimately unworkable if it wants to stop inappropriate material from falling into the hands of children. The government is naively assuming that there are three ways to obtain games: the store, a web site or from a parent. The following tale is instructive. On a recent Saturday afternoon, a new G4 Cube owner hooked a cable modem up to his new box and, with only a browser to work with, had fully loaded his machine with new applications and games within five hours. Visiting Tucows.com, he downloaded a popular IRC client. He had that running within minutes to download lists of up-to-date serial numbers for almost every popular piece of software on the market. He also installed Hotline and configured his browser to automatically connect to Hotline servers offering pirated software using links on a popular hacker search site. Toggling between IRC...

Securing copyright tariff key in JumpTV’s bid to become an Internet re-transmitter

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

Anumbered company fronted by Montreal lawyer Howard Greenspoon and his partner Farrel Miller is preparing to launch another iCraveTV-like service called JumpTV.com sometime in 2001, according to documents obtained by Canadian NEW MEDIA. His numbered company, 2000051 Ontario Inc, has filed for an interim tariff with the...

Existing video game classification scheme could serve as provincial model: CIDSA

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

Provincial justice ministers have called for a new video game classification system to combat what they perceive as excessive violence, even though an existing system has been in place since November 1994. The North American-wide video games rating system was developed by the U.S.-based Entertainment Software Rating Board...

BCE/Thomson deal portends greater demand for new media companies

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

Analysts are guardedly applauding a deal between BCE Inc and Thomson Corp that sees the assets of Canada’s oldest national newspaper thrown into a multimedia pot with Sympatico.ca and CTV Inc. The move is the clearest signal yet that convergence is being taken seriously by previously conservative telcos, broadcasters and...

Canadian business vary in sophistication of Internet usage says CFIB e-business report

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says virtually every business employing over 100 people is now hooked up to the Internet, though some are using it in a more sophisticated fashion than others. The CFIB found that the vast majority of firms online used email, but that the use of...

OFDC says low number of digital tax credit applications isn’t unexpected

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

The Ontario Film Development Corporation (OFDC) says the number of companies applying for its Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit has numbered in the "single digits" since launching three months ago. The number is low, but coordinator Raina Feldman Wells says it’s in line with her expectations, and that she’s unfazed by the slow start to the program. One reason she cites for the slow response is that several companies that would qualify for the tax credit are waiting for their fiscal year-end before applying. Feldman Wells says a number of companies have approached her group asking for more information about how the credit works, and that the OFDC will continue to educate...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/20/2000 4:00 am EDT

IMAT and VentureToronto launch new VC portalVentureToronto.com and Interactive Multimedia Arts and Technologies have teamed up to launch a new site matching venture capital and entrepreneurs. VentureToronto.com was introduced at an event at the Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre. The site may appear similar to countless others, but executives hope local content and privacy will prove to be key differences from the rest of the...

New web site seeks Copyright Board approval to launch iCraveTV-like service

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

A new Internet TV signal retransmitter is poised to start distributing over-the-air broadcast signals, but first, it wants the Copyright Board to set an interim tariff for its content. JumpTV, which has a web site under construction at www.jumptv.com, is trying to avoid the copyright clash that plagued iCraveTV (CCR, Dec....

The hearing is over; the waiting begins-Deliberations begin to decide winners from Canada’s largest licensing hearing

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s first licensing process for digital specialty channels ended in early September, leaving broadcast distributors, production houses, specialty channel companies and television networks who filed applications for more than 400 channels with the rest of the fall to wonder whether they will...

Ban on cable ownership of specialty TV channels challenged at BCE-CTV hearing

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

The cable industry will use next week’s hearing into BCE Inc’s takeover of CTV Inc to challenge a moratorium that prevents cablecos from owning more analog specialty channels. The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) says its largest members – Rogers Communications Inc and Shaw Cablesystems Inc – are being...

Community TV advocates say review of low- power licensing regime will come too late

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

The general manager of a pirate TV station in Toronto is criticizing an upcoming CRTC review of low-power TV, saying by the time any licences are awarded, Internet broadcasting will have become the new medium of choice. The CRTC issued a call for comments on a licensing framework for low-power community television on...

CRTC urged to mediate dispute between U of T radio station and community groups

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

When the CRTC’s public hearings get underway in Hull PQ next week, the renewal of University of Toronto Community Radio’s licence (CIUT FM) will not be a mere rubber stamp. Next to the merger of BCE Inc and CTV Inc, which are also on the same agenda, campus-community radio might seem like a mundane affair, but the...

Calgary MUD seeks national cable licence to round out telephone, Internet bundle

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

A Calgary-based rental property owner is seeking regulatory approval to become a new breed of cableco that would compete with established players in the lucrative multiple unit dwelling (MUD) market. Suite Systems Inc has applied for a single Class 1 broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU) licence serving 17 communities...

Blackwatch sets up new division to offer bridge funding to production houses

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

Blackwatch Communications Inc, a Montreal-based film and TV production company, is starting a new $50-million fund to help other producers. In making the announcement September 11 at the Toronto Film Festival, Blackwatch president William Mariani said over the next eight months his company will offer producers short-term...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

Telesat and Tandberg make deal with CBCTelesat Canada, in partnership with Tandberg Television, has been awarded a $5-million contract to manage, furnish and install advanced digital video compression technology on CBC’s English TV satellite distribution system. The system will allow CBC to offer higher quality signals and distinct services to Northern Canada. Regional Cable restructures in northern OntarioRegional Cablesystems has reduced its workforce by 30 at its Northern Ontario operations, as part of a corporate restructuring. The move will result in a one-time charge of about $1.2 million. The 30 full-time jobs in Sudbury and Timmins are being eliminated through a combination of early retirements, attrition and layoffs. Another Stern warning from standards councilThe Howard Stern Show has again been censured by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council for a rant against "retards" aired on the show last spring. Stern’s show leads the ratings in Toronto, where it is broadcast by CILQ-FM (Q107). The standards council...

CCR People

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

Business specialist Louis Ryan has joined Astral Media in the newly created post of VP e-business. Ryan will provide counsel and guidance to the company’s senior management in the development of a global approach to e-business and new media.  Leitch Technology Corp has appointed Robert Hansen senior VP of sales for its U.S. operations. Roi Agneta is the new COO of Vertico Multimedia Inc. A 25-year veteran of...

Vancouver’s ethnic communities fight for multilingual TV

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

It’s rare that Canada’s diverse multicultural communities come together in a united front to address an issue. But a recent CRTC decision denying Vancouver a free, multilingual television station is a stunning slap in the face not only for members of British Columbia's ethnic communities, but for all concerned...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/14/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Will it be the Son of iCrave?  That’s the nickname floating around for the proposed new Internet TV signal retransmission system that has applied to the Copyright Board for tariffed use of broadcast content. JumpTV, based in Montreal, says it will begin streaming TV signals by the end of this...

CNM People

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

Charles Barthold has been appointed editor-in-chief and VP, editorial content of PhotoChannel Inc, the U.S. subsidiary of Vancouver-based PhotoChannel Networks Inc. Barthold will be responsible for all content and community features of the PhotoChannel site. He brings over 20 years of editorial experience in the magazine, newspaper and Internet publishing businesses. Most recently, he was GM, content and production, for...

Secure government ecom channel should be open to all players without bias

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

The federal government has recently posted an RFP open to technology vendors that want to win a contract to provide a secure electronic channel for electronic commerce between the feds and its suppliers. While the government has stated that companies which partner with Canada Post will be given a level of priority over others, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance has expressed strong concerns, as this July 20 letter indicates. Dear Mr. Gagliano: I am writing to express the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance's serious concern about the tendering process for the secure network which is the foundation of the Government Online initiative announced in the throne speech last...

CNM Editorial

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Consolidation at the highest levels of the Canadian IT economy isn’t always good news for Canadian consumers. Broadcasters have quietly slipped out of providing news and information to the country’s smallest demographic - the neighbourhood. The most popular programming on both television and the...

Star Ray TV will pursue UHF/Internet strategy despite CRTC decision

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

A maverick community broadcaster is turning to pirate television and the web after being denied a broadcast licence by Canada’s communications regulator. In a strongly worded release issued August 25 – the day after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) turned down his application to...

Interquest emerges from bankruptcy with plan for profits in 2001

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

Interquest Inc, on the ropes as recently as six weeks ago, is predicting a return to full operations by the end of September and profitability by the end of next year, according to chair Pierre Côté. The Montreal-based company had filed for bankruptcy protection last July (CNM, July 26/00), but a group of undisclosed...

Look TV experiments with advertising supported, all-streaming Internet portal

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

Look Communications Inc has teamed up with Canada’s second largest broadcaster and other content providers to launch the country’s first all-streaming, all-audio website. Launched August 23, the new portal gives the wireless ISP a chance to showcase its high-speed capabilities, while at the same time, giving programmers...

Montreal graphics company seeks expansion beyond broadcast to Internet

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

Vertigo Software Technologies Inc is actively negotiating with application software providers (ASPs), digital TV applicants and others to migrate its content management software onto PDAs, cell phones and the web. The move coincides with a recent decision by Telesystem Group Inc, both Montreal-based companies, to invest...

Demographics of web shifting away from tech-savvy to mainstream, says report

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

A new report says the Internet population is making a dramatic shift away from tech-savvy enthusiasts and towards a greater number of mainstream North Americans. It’s a trend the study’s author says will continue until the online population reaches its saturation point of around 80 per cent by 2005. Internet companies,...

D’Auray brings knowledge of Parliament Hill to position as new Canadian CIO

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s new chief information officer will bring an insider’s knowledge of Canada’s IT sector to her new position. Michelle d’Auray has been an active participant in guiding Canada’s information technology and communications policies for several years, most recently as assistant deputy minister, strategic...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/06/2000 4:00 am EDT

IDC wins distance learning contractsInternational Datacasting Corp, Ottawa, has signed three new contracts for distance learning infrastructure worth $1 million. The deals are with two education institutions in Mexico, and with the Canadian International Development Agency to examine new distribution and infrastructure solutions to the Latin American distance education market. IDC has been an active player in the southern...

Repackaged programming critical to survival of new digital channels, CRTC told

Media | 08/31/2000 4:00 am EDT

CRTC commissioners are quickly that more digital television channels doesn’t necessarily mean a wealth of new original Canadian programming. The first two weeks into the commission’s licensing hearing for digital specialty channels – PN 2000-22— revealed a trend by many applicants to rely heavily on repeat programming from their other television channels, at least during the early days of low digital penetration. The practice – referred to as "nesting" by some – poses a difficult policy dilemma for the CRTC, which has a mandate to promote diverse and original Canadian programming. Category 1 applicants said crossover programming is needed to ensure the long-term...