Consumer interest should be considered in new third-language channel policies: panel

Media | 10/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

A Canadian Heritage-appointed panel is recommending a new regulatory framework specific only to third-language channels that would do away with the current one channel per genre regulation. "…The current rules seem to suggest that no general purpose third-language programming provided by a non-Canadian service will...

Change at top signals little change in policy for record label association

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

There will likely be little shift in the anti-piracy efforts undertaken by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) as longtime industry executive and lawyer Graham Henderson takes over the helm from outgoing president Brian Robertson. Both Henderson and Robertson share the view that litigation must move ahead at...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Magic Lantern launches new divisionMagic Lantern Group Inc., Oakville ON, has formed a new division for the unified creation of catalogue information, DVD masters and online digital streaming files called Parasol Video Inc. The company is seeking financing for the spinoff, with equity positions of up to 50% available. Parasol will offer Magic Lantern partners, educational video distributors and e-learning producers...

ITV study finds critcal mass of companies in Canada have related technologies

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canada could be well-placed to take a share of the 2008 Beijing Olympics broadcasting technology dollars in the aftermath of a study that shows a critical mass of interactive-television-related companies already doing business here. A survey conducted by Vancouver consulting shop At Large Media and the National Research...

CNM People

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Chalk Media has recently appointed Carrie Harrison to the position of director, sales and marketing, and Calvin Mah to chief financial officer. Peter Fuchs, previously a partner at Accenture, has been named to the board of directors of Blast Radius. Mediagrif has named its board of directors. Comprising this year’s board are: Léon Courville as lead director; Pierre Donaldson of Bioscrypt Inc. as executive chair; Denis Gadbois, CEO of the company, as chair; Robert Klatell; and, Tom Wolf, senior VP of ebusiness and RBC Global Services, RBC Financial Group. Pierre Duval and Peter Bohn will step down from the board. Barry Chambers has been named president of Vancouver-based Rainmaker Entertainment Group Ltd. He has been with Rainmaker for 24 years, during 15 of which he has served as its general manager.  Kangaroo Capital has tapped Pierre Boivin, the president of Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club and of the Bell Centre, as director and chairman of the board. At the same time, the company announces Raynald Brière, president and...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.There are millions of reasons why access to publicly available Internet material should be freely given to academic institutions for use in the classroom. Each of our children has the world to gain by exposure, with the guidance of trained teaching professionals, to the content available at the click of...

Hands off educational materials, academics tell Heritage committee

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s education community is asking Ottawa to enact a controversial new measure during the current round of copyright reform that would give teachers free access to materials found on the Internet for use in the classroom. A coalition of teachers, professors and provincial ministers of education held a press conference...

Fourth Wall spinoff partners with Viacom to create TTC ad network

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Toronto-based Fourth Wall Media has scored a major coup in winning a contract to install a system-wide network of advertising screens in the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) subway trains and stations. The company is currently considering bids from major broadcasters and equipment vendors to provide equipment and...

RE: Al-Jazeera decision cited as precedent for further Internet regulation (CNM Sept. 17/04).

Media | 10/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

In your CNM article noted above and the accompanying editorial, both CNM and Mr. Mark Goldberg suggest that Canadian Internet service providers (ISPs) should adopt a self-regulatory approach to block access to Internet sites containing hate or child pornography and reference is made to Mr. Goldberg...

CCR Update

Media | 10/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

Friday, October 1, 2004   Bell ExpressVu lowers price in major overhaul of its digital TV lineupDirect-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Bell ExpressVu has lowered the price of its standard TV package to $25 a month from $36. The package includes more than 100 channels, free time shifting on Canadian channels, and no extra fees for service access or multiple receivers. It has also simplified its lineup and...

Satellite radio applications raise concerns about Canadian content, music protection

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Fears over digital piracy and the Americanization of subscription radio in Canada have emerged as the two greatest concerns by interveners in the CRTC’s ongoing licensing procedure. The two proposed satellite subscription services - one by a partnership of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., Standard Radio Inc. and the Canadian...

CAB seeks to intervene in Genex court case that questions CRTC jurisdiction

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC is a vital cog in the broadcasting system and must have jurisdiction over it, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) hopes to tell the Federal Court of Appeal in the Genex Communications Inc. case. The CAB filed this month for leave to intervene in the case, in which Genex argues that the CRTC doesn’t...

Stornoway set to launch another diginet with its Category 2 pets channel

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Defying naysayers who predicted that new independent broadcasters wouldn’t be able to withstand the digital competition of established players, Stornoway Communications Inc. is set to launch its third channel, which will be devoted to pets. The Pets Network, licensed in November 2000 as a Category 2, will be carried on...

Satellite TV subscribers more satisfied with their TV service than cable subscribers

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canadian satellite TV subscribers are generally more satisfied with their television service than cable subscribers including digital cable customers, according to results from the 2004 wave of Decima Research Inc.’s syndicated consumer research study on digital TV service. But satisfaction ratings were generally lower in Decima’s 2004 survey compared to results from the 2003 survey, something broadcast distributors will want to monitor. Decima Research asked all survey respondents - that is, those who subscribe to either analog or digital television service - to rate their satisfaction with eight different elements of the television service they receive from their television...

CRTC grants MSNBC, Bloomberg TV entry, Canadianized versions of the channels killed

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

A CRTC decision on September 16 to allow entry of U.S. cable news network MSNBC and the U.S.-based financial channel Bloomberg Television into Canada on a digital basis is a sign that the commission is becoming more flexible in the news area, according to the president of the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Cable association changes name, embraces telecommunicationsThe Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) has changed its name to the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association to better reflect the digital offerings its members offer to consumers. The new name underlines the fact that in a digital/IP-based environment, consumers will access broadband networks to obtain a range of on-demand services that encompasses...

CCR People

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Norma Bolen of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Inc., Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment, Ted East of the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters, and Paul Gratton of CHUM Television are the new board members of the Canadian Television Fund. Outgoing members are Paul Gross, Julia Keatley, Deepa Mehta, Peter Moss, and Bill Mustos. The CTF’s five independent board members are CTF chair Douglas Barrett,...

End patronage appointments to CBC, CRTC urges Friends of Canadian Broadcasting

Media | 09/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

  Lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting is once again calling on the federal government to stop political patronage appointments to Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the CRTC. Friends made the call as CBC president Robert Rabinovitch’s five-year appointment is set to end on November 15. The call was made in...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/29/2004 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 CRTC has a duty to ensure pride of place for Canadian content in any subscription radio services it licenses - whether by ensuring that a specific percentage of each service’s revenues is spent on new Canadian content, or by using the linkage approach to ensure Canadian options are adequately represented on the subscription radio airwaves. At a minimum, the commission must consider enforcing one Canadian-produced audio channel for every non-Canadian produced channel, as it does for pay audio.   As they stand, proposals by XM Satellite and John Bitove, and by Sirius Satellite Radio in conjunction with the CBC and Standard Radio, foresee a far lower ratio. Current proposals by the two groups offer only about eight homegrown audio channels of the 180 that could find their way into the country. Imagine if there were 180 TV channels programmed overseas for every eight Canadian TV channels. The Canadian TV...

Ciel Satellite awarded orbital slot

Media | 09/24/2004 4:00 am EDT

Ciel Satellite Communications Inc. has been awarded the rights to the 129 degrees west orbital slot over a competing bid by BCE Inc.-owned Telesat Canada. The decision, released on September 24, should be welcome news to the satellite services industry as it  introduces facilities-based competition in the Canadian satellite services market. For more...

CNM Update

Media | 09/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

Thursday, September 23, 2004   Academics urge learning exception to copyrightA coalition of teachers, professors, K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions is urging the federal government to adopt a new exception in the Copyright Act that would give teachers the right to use “publicly available” material found on the Internet in their classroom lessons without charge. At a press conference on September...

CNM People

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Paula Gignac has been named as executive director of IAB Canada. Gignac has served in a number of capacities in the interactive industry, including as GM of Chatelaine.com and as VP or Rogers’ women’s group of web sites.  Sheila de La Varende has been named executive director of the Festival of Nouveau Cinema in Montreal. She takes over the position from Bruno Jobin, who has served as interim executive director...

CNM Editorial

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.In a lengthy interview late last month with Canadian NEW MEDIA, telecom and broadcasting consultant Mark Goldberg argued that the precedent set by the decision to put Al Jazeera on the list of authorized services in Canada could serve as the basis for making ISPs liable for the transmission of hate and...

Al Jazeera decision cited as precedent for further Internet regulation

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC’s decision to grant Al Jazeera carriage in Canada but at the same time require TV distributors to ensure no derogatory comments are broadcast on the station could serve as the legal basis for holding ISPs accountable for illegal material transmitted through their lines. Mark Goldberg, a prominent telecom and...

CBC.ca head promises streaming audio to return for next Games

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

The executive director of CBC.ca says recent Olympics coverage was a success by almost every measure, but that the absence of streaming audio remains a sticking point with the Mother Corp. Claude Galipeau tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the public broadcaster couldn’t meet obligations to keep its live radio coverage...

‘Alternative to copyright’ promises no lawyers required for safe distribution

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Creative Commons rights licence, touted as an alternative to copyright, will be launched at the end of this month. Developed in large part by the students and faculty of the law and technology program at the University of Ottawa, the licence is a modification of the American version that has been used on more than three...

Battle brews as open standards advocates slam CBC.ca Windows Media choice

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

A small battle is brewing online as proponents of open source software gear up to fight the CBC’s decision to switch its streaming format to Windows Media Player. For the past week, participants in the discussion forum at www.digital-copyright.ca have expressed their frustration at the decision by CBC to abandon the Real...

CIPPIC sees expansion in staff and activities after year and a half in operation

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

After a high-profile year and a half in operation, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) is set to grow significantly to deal with an increasing number of requests for help, as well as a widening scope of activities.  The clinic is currently seeking to hire a second full-time staff lawyer. Further, the group has struck a deal with Toronto law firm Fogler, Rubinoff that sees the shop providing CIPPIC with ongoing pro bono assistance across a spectrum of initiatives and cases. Finally, CIPPIC is responding to requests by other lawyers interested in helping the group’s work by forming what executive director Pippa Lawson is calling a...

Letter to the Editor: CPCC responds

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Dear Editor, The article published on September 8, 2004 (CPCC asks for new audit powers to deal with recalcitrant CD manufacturers) contains numerous misstatements and exaggerations. CPCC is not seeking new audit powers or strict new regulations. What CPCC is actually seeking is clarification of the current tariff wording regarding CPCC’s audit...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Radar Pictures takes piece of C.O.R.E. Digital PicturesLos Angeles-based Radar Pictures has taken an undisclosed minority interest in C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures and C.O.R.E. Feature Animation. Radar is the company behind The Last Samurai, The Chronicles of Reddick and Runaway Bride, and has seen its films gross $3.25 billion since 1984. C.O.R.E. touts itself as Canada’s largest employer of digital animators in Canada,...

CCR Update

Media | 09/16/2004 4:00 am EDT

Thursday, September 16, 2004  CHUM makes appearance before CRTC on Craig acquisitionCalling CHUM’s proposed acquisition of Craig Media one of the most important applications CHUM has ever presented to the CRTC, CHUM president and CEO Jay Switzer said, “This transaction represents an important milestone in CHUM Television’s development and evolution into a national independent system of local television...

Genex president calls on CRTC to come through now on radio policy review

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Genex Communications president Patrice Demers demanded September 9 that the CRTC move ahead with a review of its radio policy and that it remove strict content quotas so that various formats can survive. The Quebec entrepreneur, currently in a battle with the commission over its CHOI-FM radio licence, told Canadian...

CRTC likely to make quick, favourable decision on FOX News, NFL Network: CCTA

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

The head of Canada’s cable association believes that the CRTC will make a "quick decision" and agree to allow FOX News and NFL Network to be distributed in Canada (CCR, April 22/04). Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) president Michael Hennessy sees little problem with getting the NFL channel admitted because it is "so niche" and there are other similar digital channels, such as the NHL Channel and Raptors TV, already on air.  "I can’t see any problem with NFL Football. It’s really not significantly competitive with anything that exists today," he said. "Even the opposition to it was limp." The Canadian Association of...

‘No need’, cost main factor holding TV subscribers back from going digital

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

While there are a growing number of Canadian households that subscribe to a digital television service, a majority of households, or 60%, that have signed up for a television service still appear to be happy with analog cable service, according to results from the 2004 wave of Decima Research’s syndicated consumer...

Canada importing large amount of U.S. culture, StatsCan figures reveal

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla sees good news in a recently released Statistics Canada report on culture, despite the report’s evidence of a growing cultural trade deficit and continued reliance in Canadian film and television on imported product. In a September 9 media release, Frulla reacts to the bureau’s...

Weather channels to remain on basic as Pelmorex reaches deal with Star Choice

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Pelmorex Communications Inc.’s has worked out an agreement with Star Choice whereby its two weather channels will remain in the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distributor’s basic package. The latest deal follows a temporary agreement - made after Pelmorex turned to the courts - that guaranteed that The Weather Network...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Shaw launches new HD plus personal video recorderShaw Communications Inc. announced September 1 it was offering a new high-definition (HD) plus personal video recorder (PVR), the Motorola 6208. The new Shaw HD + PVR digital terminal automatically begins saving the channel being watched, storing it for immediate access by the viewer. The built-in hard drive can record up to 60 hours of programming, including...

CCR People

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Bruce Hamlin has been promoted to VP of sales at Vancouver-based multicultural TV station Channel M. He joined the channel in January 2003 as director of sales. He oversees the station’s sales team as well as national business in conjunction with Airtime Sales in Toronto. Prior to joining Channel M, Hamlin worked as senior account manager for Rogers Media, Greater Vancouver Radio Group.  Sheila de La Varende has...

Telefilm Canada, SODEC accepting proposals for ‘inclusive’ Montreal film event

Media | 09/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

  Telefilm Canada and the Quebec provincial cultural ministry Société de développement des enterprises culturelles (SODEC) this week put out a call for proposals for public funding for a "broadly inclusive film event in Quebec." Telefilm Canada chair Charles Belanger tells Canadian Communications Reports that...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/10/2004 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 CRTC’s policy restricting the number of specialty channels in any given genre to one, with Canadian versions given priority, is bound to become watered down over the next few years. The policy has resulted in a number of politically controversial decisions, and the situation can only heat up....

CPCC asks for new audit powers to deal with ‘recalcitrant’ CD manufacturers

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) and a coalition of retailers have become embroiled in a quiet dispute before the Copyright Board of Canada over rights of access to records, according to documents obtained by Canadian NEW MEDIA. In dueling letters dating through the summer, the CPCC has asked the board to...

Why creators should oppose DRM

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

One of the most controversial aspects of recent copyright reform worldwide has been the proposed prohibition on the circumvention of digital rights management (DRM). This proposal is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) copyright treaties that specific members of the Canadian Parliament wish to ratify soon. DRM is controversial. It can be used by copyright holders to restrict activities which are not restricted in copyright law, effectively allowing DRM software to replace legislation as the authority on what can or cannot be done with a work. DRM can also be abused by copyright infringers to hide their infringement, and can be used by media companies to create or extend harmful monopolies. Offering legal protection for DRM is even more controversial, as there are many otherwise legal and perfectly legitimate reasons to circumvent DRM that do not involve copyright infringement. With DRM a copyright holder would encode their digital work in a DRM file format. This file would, in turn, be readable only...

CAB reiterates concerns over copyright reform to Industry and Heritage

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

On the eve of Parliament’s return to its usual business, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has reiterated its concerns over the copyright reform process to the responsible ministers. In an August 16 letter to Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla, and her counterpart at Industry Canada, David Emerson, the...

Interactive component key to new technology TV property for tweens

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

Chalk Media is set to launch its new television series, Spy Academy, with a slick interactive component that should test the use of companion web sites to market to media-savvy tweeners. The show will launch on YTV on September 11 with the first of 13 episodes, at the same time as the interactive component which will be...

Industry leader Steve Comeau to tackle Toronto to create new opportunities

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

New media industry players are abuzz with news that Collideascope Digital Entertainment Inc. partner Steven Comeau will soon be moving to Toronto from Halifax where the company is located. Canadian NEW MEDIA recently asked him about his reasons for the move, and how it fits in with his plans for the company, which is widely...

Bell Fund workshop gives new producers tips on financing, technology, other topics

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

Toronto’s elite new media producers and broadcasters were called upon recently to help their colleagues in the rest of Canada learn the sector’s best practices. Seventeen producers from B.C., Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland were invited, many of them with provincial film and television agency financial...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

Iceberg launches new online radio station for young adultsIceberg Media.com Inc. has launched a new streaming music service and portal aimed at college and university students, FatPipeRadio.com. The site features 11 radio channels including rock, alternative, lounge and hip hop formats. Besides the tunes, the FatPipe portal will also feature webcast events and concerts, contests and columnists. The site has plans to make tracks available for sale through a partnership with Moontaxi Media’s Puretracks.com later this fall. The site appears to be heavily reliant on sponsorship for revenue, and packages will be offered to sponsors that include banners, audio commercials, buttons and rich media advertisements. Molson Canada will be a charter sponsor, and the exclusive advertiser in the beer category, through its media agency, Mediaedge:cia. The site’s launch is being accompanied by a guerilla and street marketing effort executed by Grassroots Advertising. Iceberg sister company Sound Source Networks Inc. will handle media and sponsorship...

CNM People

Media | 09/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

Former Vidéotron director of product development Guy Charbonneau, who was responsible for the company’s ITV and Internet services, has been named senior VP of Dallas-based Bluestreak Network. Bluestreak was formed on the acquired technologies of the late Montreal-based ZAQ Inc. and Source Media. Pierre Dion has been appointed executive VP and COO of TVA Group. He was previously president and CEO of The Reader’s...

CCR Update

Media | 09/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

Wednesday, September 1, 2004  VisionTV wins another wholesale rate increase in licence renewalIn renewing the TV broadcast licence of Vision TV, the CRTC has granted it a wholesale rate increase to 12 cents a month per subscriber from the current 10 cents. The rate increase comes into effect on Dec. 1, 2004 (Broadcasting Decision 2004-397). “In the commission’s view, Vision TV plays an important role in the...

Global charges CHUM is underplaying the impact of Craig Media acquisition

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

CHUM rival CanWest Global Television Network is charging that the Toronto-based broadcaster is underplaying the impact of its acquisition of Craig Media, saying the added reach will give it the clout to aggressively pursue foreign programming and increase its spending patterns, which in turn will generate higher ratings and...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

CorrectionThe story on page 7 of the Aug. 17, 2004 issue of Canadian Communications Reports on Canadian digital TV subscriber growth contained incorrect information. Canadian digital TV subscriber growth in the first quarter of 2004 was actually higher than the same period a year earlier. Q1 2004 subscriber growth was inadvertently compared to that in the previous quarter, which saw higher growth, instead of Q1 2003....

CCR People

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

Former Canadian Heritage staff member Marc Séguin has joined the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) as senior policy director. He will work on policy issues related to feature film and new technology. Over the past 12 years, he has worked in the area of film and TV policy development at the departments of Communications and Canadian Heritage. He has also worked at Telefilm Canada, implementing...

CAB submits action plan on reflection of persons with disabilities

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

  On August 16, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) filed an action plan for examining issues concerning the presence, portrayal and participation of persons with disabilities in television programming. The organization proposes establishing a steering committee and outreach committees to oversee and conduct...

CCR Editorial

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.CHUM Ltd.’s acquisition of Craig Media, which is likely to get CRTC approval, may provide a much-needed shakeup in the broadcasting world. Watch for the development to force other Canadian broadcasters to rethink their models of surviving on the U.S. programming they acquire, and focus more on creating...

Three French-language diginets to launch four years after being licensed

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

Three of five licensed Category 1 French-language specialty TV channels are set to launch late next month, almost four years after they were licensed. TVA is moving ahead with the September 30 launch of its mystery channel Mystère (originally licensed as 13ième rue) and its business news channel LCN Affaires, while CTV...

Look, Craig Wireless say TV services won’t suffer as they increase Internet offerings

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

Wireless cablecos vow that the added flexibility the CRTC has given them to use more spectrum for Internet services will not result in watered down TV services. A ruling made in conjunction with the licence renewals of multipoint distribution system (MDS) operators Craig Wireless International Inc., Look Communications Inc. and Image Wireless Communications Inc. is bound, however, to result in fewer TV channels being offered in their TV packages (CCR Update, Aug. 19/04). The regulator refrained from giving free rein on the use of its spectrum to the wireless cablecos because that could "create a situation where their distribution of programming services, particularly Canadian...

CHUM deal with Quebecor likely to aid CRTC approval of Craig purchase

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

CHUM Ltd. has overcome a major hurdle in receiving CRTC approval for the acquisition of Craig Media with its announcement last week that it had reached an agreement to sell recently launched conventional station Toronto 1 to Quebecor Media. In agreeing to purchase financially strapped Craig Media for $265 million in cash,...

Industry wants more from CHUM benefits package

Media | 08/27/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canadian producers, writers and directors are raising a number of concerns about CHUM Ltd’s proposed $20 million benefits package offered up in conjunction with its acquisition of Craig Media. Among the most vocally opposed to the benefits package are the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), which tell the CRTC that...

CNM Update

Media | 08/25/2004 4:00 am EDT

Wednesday, August 25, 2004   CCOP report likely to be published soonA new report, The Final Report of the Canadian Culture Online Advisory Board, by the advisory board of the Canadian Culture Online Program (CCOP) is likely to be completed soon. It has been over a year since the board last reported on the program’s mandate, but details are not available on what this document contains. The report is apparently...

CCR Update

Media | 08/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

August 19, 2004 Canadian Heritage forms panel to study access to third-language public TV servicesCanadian Heritage has formed a three-member panel on access to third-language public broadcasters. Clifford Lincoln, former chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Gowlings lawyer Roger Tasse, and Anthony Cianciotta, president of Capri Release Inc. and a member of Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, will examine...

Cable VDN’s Toronto expansion plans could mark move into other markets

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Montreal-based Cable VDN Inc. has applied for a Class 1 cable licence to serve the multiple unit dwelling (MUD) market in Toronto in what could be the start of expansion into further cities. The company plans to piggyback on existing fiber connections it has to extend the TV service it offers in Montreal to Toronto. Gary Sherman, director of legal and regulatory affairs at Cable VDN, tells Canadian Communications Reports that the company "wants to start small and establish a base in Toronto" of about 10,000 customers, the same amount it has in Montreal. "I think it is important to show that we are not limited to one market, that we have a service that we can bring to a...

Radio-Canada loses million-dollar libel suit for reporting on only part of letter

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Radio-Canada, the French arm of the public broadcaster, has been ordered by the Supreme Court of Canada to pay about $1.8 million in damages for libeling a Montreal communications consultant. Consultant Gilles Néron was awarded the damages, one of the largest libel awards in the country, in a case that arose from a TV...

Industry Canada likely to adopt broadcast flag, if U.S. regulator paves way

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Industry Canada will likely adopt a broadcast flag, but the process might be slow and will be dependent upon the United States following a similar course, according to an Industry Canada official. "Practically speaking if the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) says tomorrow, ‘Yes, we have established all the...

VOD, PPV will be fastest growing sectors of TV market: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Video-on-demand (VOD) and pay-per-view (PPV) will be the fastest growing categories in the TV market, each averaging double-digital annual increases in Canada, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 also predicts that by 2008 they will account for 11% of TV...

Digital TV subscriber growth higher in first quarter of 2004: Decima Research report

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s broadcast distributors added more net digital TV subscribers in the first quarter of 2004 compared to the same period last year, according to new research from Decima Research Inc. The number of Canadian households subscribing to digital TV services increased by an estimated 3% or approximately 113,582 in the...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

CRTC approves more Category 2 digital specialty channelsThe CRTC approved on August 3 a number of new Category 2 digital specialty channels, including TEN Broadcasting Inc.’s adult entertainment channels 10 Amateur (Broadcasting Decision 2004-310), 10 XXX Clips (Broadcasting Decision 2004-311), 10 Gay Adult (Broadcasting Decision 2004-312) and 10 XXX Canadian (Broadcasting Decision 2004-315) as well as Storm...

CCR People

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Colin Lachance has joined the Canadian Cable Television Association as director of telecommunications regulatory affairs. He was most recently employed at TELUS Corp. as senior regulatory legal counsel in the company’s government and regulatory affairs group.  Stephen Tapp leaves CHUM Ltd., which has eliminated his position of executive VP of television as part of an ongoing review of its television’s management...

Regulators must mature with a competitive marketplace: Langford

Media | 08/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

On August 13, the CRTC announced that it would retain its winback rules and introduce additional winback regulations to govern the conduct of incumbent distributors with more than 6,000 TV subscribers in multiple dwelling units (Broadcasting Public Notice 2004-62). Winback rules prohibit targeted marketing by incumbent...

CCR Editorial

Media | 08/17/2004 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 CRTC should brace itself for more competitive disputes as more players enter the lucrative multiple unit dwelling (MUD) market and fight it out for market share. Bell Canada has applied to operate a VDSL cable TV service in areas such as Toronto, where the phone giant is likely to target the MUD...

Edmonton-based BioWare sees fan community top two million user mark

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Edmonton AB-based video game developer BioWare Corp. says the number of registered users on its fan site has surpassed two million – half a million more than it had at the beginning of this year. The company, lauded by many as a Canadian success story in the hotly competitive video games market, hosts a community site at www.bioware.com. Fans, say the joint CEOs of the company, are a critical part of the company’s spectacular sales figures to date, and the fan site is one way to ensure customer loyalty. The fan site was launched around 1996, says co-CEO Ray Muzyka, and a formal registration process was implemented in 2001 to coincide with the interest around the company’s new...

nextMEDIA event postponed as management needs breather to hone focus

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

One of the very few Canadian events catering to the interactive media industry, nextMEDIA, has been postponed, likely until next spring. The company that owns the festival, Achilles Media, says it put off the show from its traditional October time slot after determining that it didn’t have enough time to mount the kind of...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Canadian Internet Project completes national surveyThe Canadian Internet Project (CIP) has just completed its survey fieldwork for its benchmark study on Internet usage in Canada (CNM, Oct. 16/02). CIP conducted a national representative survey of more than 3,000 individuals to look at how Canadians are using the Internet and its economic, cultural and social impact in Canada. In addition, non-users were also interviewed...

CANARIE’s ARIM fund sees extension to explore grid computing and new media

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

CANARIE Inc.’s high profile AppliedResearch in Multimedia (ARIM) fund has received a $1-million extension over the next year from the Canadian Cultural Online Program that has been earmarked for a new research area, grid computing. CANARIE senior director of operations Susan Baldwin says the focus will help "kick the...

CNM People

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Legal firm Ogilvy Renault has named Patrick Kierans as national chair of its intellectual propery group. He takes over for Malcolm McLeod. Kierans joined the firm in 1984.  Stephen Tapp and CHUM Ltd. have had an “amicable” parting of the ways. Tapp will be leaving his position as executive VP of CHUM Television as of August 31. In the interim, CHUM Television station managment will report to VP of finance and...

Ontario arts and cultural advisory council sends ‘inadvertent’ message

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

Some members of Ontario’s new media production community are surprised that a new provincial arts and culture advisory council has been struck without representation by the interactive media industry. On July 27, minister of culture Madelaine Meilleur announced the council made up of 13 members from across various cultural industries that will advise her and the Ontario government about cultural policy. A spokesperson for the ministry tells CNM that there will be a further two members appointed in the near future. While the group is distinguished, some producers are taken aback that no one from either the digital or independent television sectors have been included. Raja Khanna, head...

‘We don’t have a vision’: Hennessy

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

  During a July 14 editorial board with Decima Reports editors, Canadian Cable Televison Association (CCTA) president Michael Hennessy argued in favour of a new regulatory model as cultural content finds audiences beyond traditional broadcast models. An edited excerpt of his concluding statement follows. For a full 20-page transcript of his comments to...

CNM Editorial

Media | 08/06/2004 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 postponement of the nextMedia festival is good news, even if its immediate impact is negative. To an industry that has seen a year in which little has happened to counter the depressing events of 2003, it must be dispiriting to see that the festival won’t be held this year. The event would have...

CRIA objects to SOCAN tariff on ringtones, calls for new hearing in February 2005

Media | 08/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has joined with Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association in opposing a proposed tariff on ringtones, Tariff 24 . The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) wants to impose a levy on ringtone...

CCR Update

Media | 08/05/2004 4:00 am EDT

August 5, 2004   ************************************************************************PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEXT ISSUE OF CANADIAN COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS WILL NOT BE OUT UNTIL MONDAY, AUGUST 16.************************************************************************Ontario establishes arts and culture advisory councilOntario Minister of Culture Madeleine Meilleur has established an advisory council for arts...

CCTA, Bell Canada at odds over phone giant’s quest for Class 1 cable licences

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

The cable industry is adamantly opposing Bell Canada’s application for two Class 1 broadcast distribution licences, saying its entry into the field would "transition the market from a state of competition to a state of market distortion." "Nobody else already controls the fourth largest distributor in...

Cable industry increasingly being seen as more than TV business, CCTA survey

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

As Canadians rapidly adopt new technological gadgets, the cable industry contends that its role is to develop into "advanced media" companies to stay relevant.  "We see our competition, not coming primarily from satellite (TV distribution) but from competition to the digital home," says Canadian...

CRTC releases details of plans for three different subscription radio services

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

CHUM Ltd. has pledged an overwhelmingly high amount of Canadian content for its proposed subscription satellite radio service compared to that offered up by two U.S. applicants with Canadian partners. Is there room for three subscription radio operators in Canada? Probably not, so the regulator will be left to sift through...

Subscription radio hopefuls oppose tariff rate proposed by SOCAN

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

Applicants for an as-yet-unawarded subscription satellite radio services licence are opposing a related royalty tariff filed by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) with the Copyright Board of Canada. To the extent that the proposed tariff purports to cover services such as CHUM...

Task force suggests best practices approach for upping cultural diversity on TV

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Task Force for Cultural Diversity on Television has rejected imposed quotas as the best way to increase the representation of Canada’s ethnic communities on TV screens in favour of a best practices approach.  "The task force emphasizes that it neither supports nor recommends the establishment of regulatory targets or quotas in order to rectify problem areas in the reflection of cultural diversity on Canadian television," reads a report released this month by the task force. "Targets or quotas that are imposed from above, rather than designed and implemented from the ground up on an internal basis, are not an effective means of bringing about change. The reality is...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

CRTC considers mandatory order over Star Choice disputeThe CRTC is considering issuing a mandatory order that would force direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Star Choice Television Network Inc. to pay overdue wholesale rate payments of more than $1 million to MusiquePlus Inc. (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2004-7). The matter will be considered at a public hearing on September 7 in Gatineau PQ. As of...

CCR People

Media | 07/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

Liza Frulla was named minister of Canadian Heritage and minister responsible for the Status of Women in prime minister Paul Martin’s Cabinet announced July 20. David Emerson was appointed as minister of Industry. Jerry Pickard was named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry and Sarmite Bulte was named Parliamentary secretary to Frulla. Emerson has been named to the following Cabinet committees: Treasury...

CCR Editorial

Media | 07/30/2004 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 CRTC is unjustly coming under political pressure for not renewing the radio licence of CHOI-FM (See Short Takes). New Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla has indicated that she will make the CHOI-FM saga a priority, while Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who is often ridiculed by the station,...

CNM Update

Media | 07/29/2004 4:00 am EDT

Thursday, July 29, 2004   nextMEDIA postponement confirmedRobert Montgomery, one of the partners in Achilles Partners LLC, confirms that its nextMEDIA festival will be postponed from its planned October start date. Achilles acquired the festival when it rescued the Banff Television Foundation from bankruptcy earlier this year. Montgomery says it is searching for a suitable date next year that will be amenable to...

Music labels charge multiple errors in appeal of Von Finckenstein CRIA/ISP ruling

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has filed its anticipated appeal of a March 31 ruling by the Federal Court of Canada that prevents the lobby group from accessing the names of 29 Internet subscribers it believes are engaged in music piracy (CNM, April 2/04).  On July 12, CRIA filed its memorandum of fact and law – the arguments it will make in the appeal – with the Federal Court of Appeal. Association officials are remaining tight-lipped about its legal strategy beyond what’s contained in its court filing, but in keeping with its original notice of intent to appeal, the group believes lower court judge Konrad Von Finckenstein made several major errors in reaching...

Bulte predicts quick passage of WIPO legislation in new Parliament

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

Newly-named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage Sarmite Bulte says implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties stands an excellent chance of being one of the first pieces of legislation passed by a new minority Liberal government. The new Parliamentary...

Beethoven’s Hair: Question and Answer with Xenophile’s Thomas Wallner

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

Toronto-based Xenophile Media recently won funding from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund to produce Beethoven’s Hair. The project is creating a buzz in the industry, and Canadian NEW MEDIA recently corresponded with Xenophile partner Thomas Wallner to find out more about the production. Following is an edited version...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

BREAKING: ARIM funding sees $1-million extensionAs this issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA goes to press, CANARIE Inc. has announced that the Applied Research in Interactive Media (ARIM) program has been extended with $1 million in new funding from Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Culture Online program. Researchers are now invited to respond to a call for proposals that focus on areas of advanced networking such as grid computing...

CNM People

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

David Emerson was appointed as minister of Industry in prime minister Paul Martin’s Cabinet announced July 20. Liza Frulla was named minister of Canadian Heritage and minister responsible for the Status of Women. Jerry Pickard was named Parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry and Sarmite Bulte was named Parliamentary secretary to Frulla. Emerson has been named to the following Cabinet committees: Treasury...

New media industry association coalescing around Vidfest cross-country efforts

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

The new media industry in Canada may be looking at a stronger voice in Ottawa and elsewhere if a new coalition of associations and stakeholders can successfully coalesce around funding and other issues. In June at the Vancouver Vidfest, representatives from the biggest regional associations met with the help of Telefilm...

Technology law education effort underway to help developing world deal with IP

Media | 07/23/2004 4:00 am EDT

A bric-a-brac approach to cyberlaw-making in developing countries has prompted a Canadian academic to launch a new group dedicated to providing impartial advice on drafting the most advantageous Internet laws. Michael Geist, a well-known professor of Internet law at the University of Ottawa, has launched the Technology Law...

Broad range of players object to CMRRA/SODRAC tariff proposal

Media | 07/13/2004 4:00 am EDT

A who’s who of the online music industry has lined up against steep new tariffs proposed by copyright owners on digital reproductions (CNM, May 14/04). A broad range of players including online retailers, ISPs, record labels and broadcasters, both in Canada and in the U.S., filed objections with the Copyright Board of...

‘Cautious optimism’ in new Delvinia study on new media sector growth in 2003

Media | 07/13/2004 4:00 am EDT

The most recent Delvinia Interactive Inc. Interactive Media Producers Survey strikes a welcome note of cautious optimism this year that the industry may be on the upswing. But, cautions Delvinia head Adam Froman, potential growth in the industry will depend on external factors, including the continued expansion of the...

ISPs ruled not liable for music communications in SOCAN case

Media | 07/13/2004 4:00 am EDT

Internet service providers dodged a bullet June 30 when the Supreme Court of Canada found they aren’t liable for music communicated online. The court ruled in the Tariff 22 case that ISPs are merely conduits for content passing through their pipes, and that the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) can’t pursue a tariff from them. The court’s unanimous decision puts to rest a dispute that dates back to 1996, when Tariff 22 was first filed. SOCAN was originally pursing a licence fee of 3.5% of ISPs’ revenues as compensation for the pirated music traversing their networks.  The case has since been through extensive Copyright Board of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal hearings over the years. The June 30 decision overturns an appeals court ruling...