CNM Short Takes

Alliance Atlantis acquires Salter Street FilmsSalter Street Films, producers of some of Canada's most popular TV programming, has been bought by media giant Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. The acquisition will be accomplished through a combination of share-swaps and cash sales expected to be worth approximately $80 million. The deal will give Alliance ownership of Salter New Media's business-to-business properties and TheItch.com, as well as the Independent Film Channel - Salter's CRTC-licenced Category 1 DTV channel. The change in control of that property is subject to commission approval. Technicolor comes to QuebecCalifornia-based Technicolor has announced plans to build the world's largest high-tech film laboratory for $45-million near Mirabel Airport in Quebec. The new plant will reproduce films for distribution across North America and Europe. The move cements a recent foray by the company into Quebec following the acquisition of Covitec, owned by Astral, and AstralTech, Canada's second-largest video cassette duplicator, last year. Iceberg growth offset by bigger loss in last fiscal year 2000Iceberg Media.com Inc, Toronto, posted a $0.30 per share, $4.46 million loss for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000, substantially up from the $1.53 million, $0.16 per share loss it experienced the year prior. The company used $922, 000 to operate in the fourth quarter, and $4.1 million over the course of FY2000. The year previous, it burned $1.36 million in the fourth quarter, and $2.16 million over the whole year. InfoInterActive Inc doubles top-line to $10.5-millionInfoInterActive Inc, Halifax, experienced revenue growth to $10.5 million in 2000, effectively doubling its top line over the previous year. The Internet call services vendor lost $3.3 million for the year, or $0.17 per share. The company says it has ended a relationship with eVoice and won't be talking to any companies which rely predominantly on advertising revenues for a business model, citing involvement with "free" sites as a reason for lower-than-expected Q4 revenues. Itemus unveils wireless strategy, acquires consultancyItemus Inc, Toronto, has acquired IT integrator NAME Inc, also of Toronto. The acquisition will be worth approximately $45-million in a share-swap. Itemus has also announced its plans for the spectrum it won during the recent 2 GHz PCS auction. It says it will build an open wireless network and hopes to give developers of business applications an alternative to using the carriers’ networks, and will provide Internet interfaces and middleware to interested parties. The company won three licences in the auction in Quebec and in western Canada. Alberta man keeps The Boss' domain nameBruce Springsteen has been denied a bid for the domain name brucespringsteen.com. Alberta's Jeff Burgar currently owns the name and was taken to the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre by the singer. Burgar registered the name in 1996, and WIPO found that his ownership of the name wasn't in bad faith in case #D2000-1532. GlobalMedia overhauls board of directorsGlobalMedia.com, under fire of late as it struggles to find a working business model, has completely renovated its board of directors. Michael Metcalfe, president and founder, will be joined at the table by his VP of business development and three independent directors. Sympatico to launch broadband radioSympatico-Lycos and Bycast Media Systems Canada Inc have struck a deal to stream content over the Internet in a fashion that avoids congestion. The first test of the system will use Bycast's proprietary technology to stream CHUM Group Radio Ottawa signals to select customers at CD-quality. The test will last 60 to 90 days. Sympatico officials expect to form a permanent strategic relationship at the trial's end. The BCE Inc subsidiary also announced that it has struck an agreement with Toronto-based Virtue Broadcasting to supply content to Sympatico's users. Terms for the deals were not disclosed. Innovatia begins broadband trial for home appliancesAliant Inc subsidiary Innovatia Inc has announced trials in cooperation with Vicinium Systems Inc to test the California-based company's home management applications and software platform. Vicinium develops software applications that are delivered over a broadband network, accessible by a variety of devices, which allow customers to control home appliances, heating, lighting and security remotely. Blab Media and Universal Music Canada offer new greetingsToronto-based Blab Media Inc and Universal Music Canada have launched a new e-greeting card that builds on the popular phenomenon of Mahir - a Turkish man whose personal site has received over one million hits since it became a viral hit. Universal is releasing a single by Mahir, and visitor's to Blab's site will be able to incorporate the song into new electronic greeting cards. V-RQ to fund projects including digital multimedia initiativesPublicly-funded Valorization-Recherche Québec will fund 12 new research projects in the province, including some multimedia and ecom initiatives. The money is part of the government's 2000 Budget to help researchers competing for federal money. Academy of Design opens classes in Ottawa regionThe International Academy of Design and Technology will soon offer four technology-based programs in the capital, including computer graphics, multimedia web development, network engineering and software engineer. The Ottawa campus joined with other schools in Toronto, Montreal, Orlando, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Fairmont and Chicago. Hip Interactive revenue explodes in fourth quarterToronto-based Hip Interactive Corp tacked $85.9-million to its top line in the fourth quarter of 2000 to achieve $153.1 million over the full year. The company reported $4.5 million in net income for 2000, or $0.12 basic earnings per share. Industry Canada and Justice announce web safety strategyThe federal government, working through Industry Canada and the Department of Justice, has announced a multi-pronged strategy to deal with offensive content on the Internet. Heading the list of new initiatives is a 24-page booklet which lists the tools and resources available to parents and teachers. The strategy also entails asking ISPs and online content creators to provide support, including a voluntary code of conduct to be followed when inappropriate material is stored on their computer systems. Members of the Canadian Cable Television Association have prepared two public service announcements to be aired on community channels to build awareness of the booklet and strategy. Among other announcements in the strategy, the government confirmed that it will enforce Canadian laws in cyberspace, including strengthening the Criminal Code to deal with those who lure children over the Internet, and working with other police forces globally to curb child pornography. Bid.com and ValueVision launch converged auctionsBid.com International Inc, Toronto, has teamed with MN-based ValueVision International Inc to allow people to participate in auctions while viewing IP-streamed or traditional broadcast shopping channels. Bid Bash is a new format which incorporates live TV/Internet bidding with declining price and time rules. The first show was broadcast Feb. 13.

CNM Short Takes

Broadcast | February 21, 2001

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