EVERY TUESDAY (or any other day that an update arrives…) when I open the Cartt.ca Newsletter e-mail and take a moment out of my day to catch up on the industry news that is presented, I invariably end up saying to myself “Wow, what a great job Cartt.ca is doing keeping up with everything.”
Well, today I decided I should take a few extra moments and pass my sentiments along to you in writing. In my opinion, the content is reaching the edges of all the right envelopes and the writing is as pointed, concise, and neutrally objective, as…
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TORONTO – U.S. patent number 7,003,670 now belongs to Musicrypt, the Canadian secure digital media distribution company.
The patent relates to Musicrypt’s Biometric Rights Management system (BRM) – a part of the company’s Digital Media Distribution System – which is an innovative use of biometric security measures to implement digital rights management in the secure online distribution of music and other digital media from record companies to broadcasters. The BRM U.S. patent will be in force until 2023.
The BRM portion of the system learns the users keystroke rhythm when they are at their computer, making it more difficult…
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I THINK WE ALL KNOW people with media rooms in their homes. Secretly or perhaps not-so-secretly, we all want one.
A 100-inch screen that drops from the ceiling with an HD projector, surround sound, subwoofers in the floor, popcorn machine and beer tap… Okay now I’m getting carried away.
But if the consumer has all this high tech gear (and the stats say more are moving in this direction), what is he sitting down to watch? Broadcast TV? Maybe, maybe not. What if what’s on TV isn’t good enough to maximize the abilities of the media room? Does he…
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KELWONA – Attendees from the cable, telephone and utility industries who want to attend the Canadian Communications and Technology Trade Show and Seminars to be held May 17th and 18th in Kelowna, B.C. who want to save a few bucks on early bird rates have to register this week.
The show takes place at the Coast Capri Hotel & Spa and the trade show will offer more than 200 products and services from over 40 suppliers. Both days offer seminars on a variety of topics as well as a light lunch. Register in March and obtain the early bird discount….
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TORONTO – With the CRTC’s annual release of financial and other statistics from Canadian broadcasters, ACTRA, the actors union, is up in arms.
"Last year we were shocked that so-called Canadian private broadcasters spent four times more on U.S. programming than they did on original Canadian drama. Now we’re appalled to learn that in 2005, they spent almost five times more. The system is clearly broken," said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s national executive director, in a statement.
According to the CRTC’s report, broadcasters spent $401 million on imported drama, mostly from the U.S., and $86.6 million on original Canadian drama…
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THERE’S SO MUCH UNINFORMED nonsense on display in the Canadian consumer media about how the Canadian television industry works and the CRTC’s role in it that most of us in the business tend to just ignore it.
Columnists and reporters at many daily newspapers, in on-line forums and sometimes even on radio or television, misplace blame for many things broadcast – and most often they lay fault for anything they perceive is wrong with the system at the feet of the CRTC. For a reporter, it’s a really easy score. Why do a little work and figure out what’s…
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TORONTO – This June, CTAM Canada will sponsor a chapter member to attend CTAM U at the Harvard Business School.
The Canadian CTAM chapter has become a Corporate Patron of the Executive Management Program at the prestigious university.
The Executive Management Program is for senior executives who are looking to improve their strategic and leadership skills. Participants are immersed in an intensive and intimate week-long learning program. They will study with the top Harvard Business School professors and selected key industry luminaries.
The curriculum is built around detailed case study problems that are used to challenge the minds of…
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TORONTO – The CBC announced today it hired Fred Fuchs as executive director, arts and entertainment programming. Fuchs (right) is a 25-year veteran of the entertainment industry and has many successful film and television productions to his credit, including the classic children’s series Faerie Tale Theatre, the feature films Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Virgin Suicides, the Emmy-nominated mini-series The Odyssey and Moby Dick, and the CBC-TV animated series What It’s Like Being Alone.
Over the past five years, Fuchs established himself in the Canadian independent production community and his recent projects north of the border…
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TORONTO – Effective April 3, Anna Gecan becomes vice-president, content at HGTV while Emily Morgan will be the new vice-president, content, Food Network and Fine Living, Alliance Atlantis has announced. Gecan, left, brings 20 years of television leadership and production experience to her new role, most recently as director, original production for HGTV and Food Network. Over the past year, she oversaw the development and commissioning of more than 20 new titles and the production of over 50 titles for the two channels.
During her tenure, both networks achieved record audience gains, and a series she personally…
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TORONTO – San Juan, Puerto Rico will be the next "City-fied" big city.
CHUM International today announced the signing of a licensing agreement with Fuego Entertainment for a Citytv format in Puerto Rico.
The station, located in San Juan, will soft launch April 15th, replacing the existing local station WRUA (channel 34). Citytv will broadcast in Spanish and be seen terrestrially and via cable by the entire Puerto Rican viewership of four million people.
Based on CHUM’s Citytv format, Citytv Puerto Rico will deliver a strong local voice, with locally-focused programming, celebrating and reflecting the diversity of the community, said…
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