THIS ISSUE'S STREAM:
+++ ITV Could be Reality within a Year
+++ Telus and Blockbuster to Offer Video-on-Demand Trial
+++ HMV.com to Sell Digital Downloads
+++ Rogers High Speed Internet Growth
+++ Firms Fume over Proposed CD Levy
+++ British Columbia Rates Video Game 18+
+++ New Media Tax Credits: Old Solutions?
+++ US House Passes Anti-Spam Bill
+++ Quebecor Pulls Plug on Two Web Sites
+++ Mediconsult.com Makes Cuts to Stem Bleeding
+++ Should You Stay or Should You Go?
+++ Firm Uses Web Site to Test Bus Advertising
+++ Winners of Write 2000 Announced
+++ CAB to Offer Online Companies a Link to Broadcasters
+++ Liberty Village New Media Centre Revisited
+++ Geekers' Corner: Equity Pizza
+++ Byte Back: Letter to the Editor
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[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
+++ ITV Could be Reality within a Year
As many as 100,000 Canadian homes could be hooked up to
interactive television (ITV) in the next year, according
to a recent report from the Angus Reid Group. The report
indicates that the appeal of ITV stems in part from the
fact that televisions are already in more than 11.5
million households, eliminating the need to purchase a new
appliance. The promise of bigger screens and the lure of
high-speed cable access are also said to account for the
fact that about 4 percent of those surveyed stated that
they are "very likely" to subscribe to the service in the
next year (translating to approximately 100,000
households), and 17% are "somewhat likely." The study also
found that 72% of those expressing an interest in
subscribing to the service are willing to pay more for the
service. ITV was defined as a digital service that
provides "Internet access through a television set,
including e-mail, browsing, chatting, banking, shopping,
bookmarks, and online information such as news, sports,
weather, stocks, and travel information."
http://www.angusreid.com
+++ Telus and Blockbuster to Offer Video-on-Demand Trial
Telus of Burnaby, BC and Blockbuster have announced a
trial service in early 2001 that will deliver feature-
length movies from Blockbuster to the televisions of 5,000
Telus high-speed Internet customers, taking advantage of
Telus's ADSL network and DSL-enabled set top box.
Following a successful trial, Telus would launch a
broadband commercial video-on-demand service on its
Internet portals that will be adapted for broadband
customers. "Streamed real-time video is an exciting
example of the allure of broadband services," said Mark
Schnarr, Telus vice-president of Internet services. "The
convenience is what makes it so attractive -- customers
can watch what they want, when they want."
http://www.telus.com
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+++ HMV.com to Sell Digital Downloads
HMV.com is set to become the first Canadian music retailer
to sell digital downloads. As of July 17th, visitors to
HMV.com were able to purchase music by EMI artists such as
D'Angelo, dcTalk, Everclear, Janet, Pink Floyd, Bonnie
Raitt, Selena, Frank Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Spice Girls and
Tina Turner. The EMI database includes more than 100
albums and 40 singles. The process uses Supertracks, an
enabler of legitimate digital distribution of music (DDM).
http://www.hmv.com
+++ Rogers High Speed Internet Growth
Rogers Cable has added another 50,000 customers to its
high speed Internet access service for the second quarter,
ending June 30, 2000. That is more than double the 24,500
customers added in the previous year's second quarter,
bringing the total number of Rogers@Home customers to
265,866. "This dramatic growth in the quarter indicates
the demand for this product," said John Tory, President
and Chief Executive Officer, Rogers Cable. "Rogers now has
more high speed Internet customers than any other company
in Canada."
http://www.rogers.com
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+++ Firms Fume over Proposed CD Levy
Canadian software firms are upset with a proposal that
would see the levy on recordable compact discs increase
nine-fold. The software industry currently pays a 5.2 levy
on recordable CDs, payable to the Canadian Private Copying
Collective (CPCC), who then distributes the money to
Canadian authors, performers and recording companies. The
CPCC apparently "put in another proposal in March to jack
up the levy for recordable CDs to 50 cents next year."
This proposal, due to be heard by the board in October,
also includes an increase for blank audio tapes and
minidiscs. The new levy would top at $1.75 for minidiscs,
CD-R Audio and CD-RW Audio, up from the current rate of
60.8 cents and a rate of 50 cents for CD-R and CD-RW. The
present rate is 5.2 cents. "We are being forced to pay for
the sins of others," David Paterson, executive director of
the Ottawa-based Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance,
told the Globe and Mail. (Source: Globe and Mail)
+++ British Columbia Rates Video Game 18+
In what is thought to be a first for any jurisdiction in
North America, British Columbia's chief film
censor/classifier has decided to restrict access to some
video games. The purchase or rental of Activision's
Soldier of Fortune will be restricted to those 18 or over.
An editorial in The Globe and Mail points out that anyone,
no matter their age, will still be able to download a demo
version of the game from the publisher's Web site, despite
the site's notice that the game "contains depictions of
graphic violence that may not be suitable for young
children."
http://www.activision.com
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+++ New Media Tax Credits: Old Solutions?
Alex Du has written a compelling overview of the New Media
Tax Credits for Playback Magazine. The article, entitled
New media tax credits: old solution for new economy,
considers many options, such as who qualifies, how much
one might expect and much more. Du is a lawyer at the
Toronto law firm of McMillan Binch.
http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/20000710/pb29559.asp?m
+++ US House Passes Anti-Spam Bill
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed
a bill limiting the use of bulk unsolicited commercial e-
mail, also known as Spam. The bill, entitled Unsolicited
Electronic Mail Act, and introduced on July 18th, "bans
Spam unless it includes a return e-mail address that
recipients can use to opt out of getting further unwanted
messages." The Direct Marketing Association, which
represents many of the companies doing the "Spamming",
called the vote a mixed victory. One representative said
what "we're likely to see is marketers incurring much
higher costs with this form of advertising, as they will
have to go and look up every ISP of every address they
e-mail to see what their Spam and privacy policies are."
(Source: Newsbytes.com)
http://www.emarketer.com/enews/20000718_spam.html?ref=dn
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+++ Quebecor Pulls Plug on Two Web Sites
In what is being called "an unexpected move," Quebecor has
shut down the Web sites for two of its largest newspapers
in Quebec, citing both lack of demand and union woes. The
closure of the sites for Le Journal de Montreal and Le
Journal de Quebec were announced on July 15th. The
explanation for the move, now posted online, states that
"after study and analysis by outside consultants, the
papers had concluded that simply reproducing themselves
online with no value added was of no interest to either
their readers or to Web surfers in general." Luc Lavoie, a
spokesman for Montreal-based Quebecor, denied that the
move was a signal that Quebecor has any intention of
backing away from Canoe, the online service owned by Sun
Media division. "The answer is a flat no," he is quoted as
saying in the Globe and Mail. (Source: Globe and Mail)
http://www.journaldemontreal.com
http://www.journaldequebec.com
+++ Mediconsult.com Makes Cuts to Stem Bleeding
The Toronto-based medical advice site, Mediconsult.com,
has cut 100 of its staff in "an effort to reduce expenses
before it runs out of money," according to an article in
The Toronto Star. Tom Peacock, vice-president of
communications said about 35 of 85 employees in the
company's Toronto office have already been let go. Once
the cuts are completed, the company will be left with only
23 people in its former headquarters in Toronto. The
company recently shifted its headquarters to New York
city. Peacock told the Star that the company "will now
focus on building an online community of physicians and
pharmaceutical companies, rather than throw resources into
consumer-oriented sites that haven't generated revenues."
(Source: The Toronto Star)
http://www.mediconsult.com
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+++ Should You Stay or Should You Go?
We've all heard about the so-called Brain Drain, the
decades-old movement of Canadians to the warmer, and often
higher-paying, life in the United States. Now Stornoway
Communications has joined forces with Canoe to present
Canada's first interactive Web site to report on the Brain
Drain in real time. The site, officially launched at a
special ceremony at the Design Exchange on July 25th,
allows users to find information on the cost of
immigration, cost of living, health and taxation. Visitors
can also take a brief survey to see if they qualify for
the big move. Content on the Canoe accessible site will be
refreshed constantly in real time.
http://www.canadasbraindrain.ca
+++ Firm Uses Web Site to Test Bus Advertising
If you live in the Toronto area you may have seen the ads
featuring a close-up photo of a man's unshaven face, his
lips a deep purple or lime colour. The ads feature little
more than a Web site address. When users went to that
address they were asked to answer a short series of
questions (Do you live or work in the Greater Toronto
Area? Have you seen the Shades Lipstick ads on buses?)
until finally reaching the main point: "Shades for Men is
a fictitious product; the intent of this campaign is to
gauge interest in such a product and to test bus
advertising as a vehicle for launching new products." The
idea is not a new one (it was used before in Dublin,
Ireland a few years ago) but the site has averaged about
150 hits a day. (Source: Fox News)
http://www.shadesformen.com
http://www.foxnews.com/vtech/0706/t_rt_0706_21.sml
+++ Winners of Write 2000 Announced
Chapters Online, CBC4Kids, IBM Printing Systems and
Trafford Publishing have announced the winners of the
popular children's writing contest, Write 2000. Over 1,800
entries were received, from which 100 were selected to be
part of a print-on-demand book entitled Write 2000 -
Stories by Canadian Children. The book may be purchased
online for $9.95, while selected entries may be viewed on
the CBC4Kids Web site. The book will be printed "on-
demand" with technology enabling the books to be
manufactured one-at-a-time to fill individual orders. All
proceeds from book sales will be donated to the "Family
Literacy Program" of Frontier College, a volunteer-based
organization that teaches people across Canada to read and
write.
http://www.chapters.ca/kids/contests/write2000
http://www.cbc4kids.ca/write2000
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[-- PLUG: INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS --]
+++ CAB to Offer Online Companies a Link to Broadcasters
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), the voice
of Canada's private broadcasting industry, is focusing
their annual convention on the opportunities of the
Internet and online media. The largest broadcasting event
of the year, Broadcasting 2000: on-air.on-line, will take
place November 12 to 14, 2000 in Calgary, Alberta at the
Telus Convention Centre. This innovative forum will
provide online companies with an ideal venue to network
with over 400 broadcasters eager to develop new business
strategies and revenue streams. The CAB will be working
closely with MMSG to develop content relevant to the new
media industry. Broadcasting 2000 will feature an On-line
Business Exchange with prescheduled appointments,
presentations and demonstrations by leading online
companies. This is your chance to build awareness, new
partnerships and business opportunities with broadcasters.
For more info on how to participate, register, sponsor and
to be added to the Broadcasting 2000 mailing list, visit
the CAB's Web site at http://www.cab-acr.ca or contact
the CAB directly at ssiska@cab-acr.ca.
+++ Liberty Village New Media Centre Revisited
In an item entitled "Liberty Village Appointments
Announced" (BitStream #22) we mistakenly omitted
information regarding the funding of the Liberty Village
New Media Centre (LVNMC). LVNMC was made possible with the
financial support of the Ministry of Energy, Science and
Technology and a number of other private and public sector
partners.
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[-- GEEKERS' CORNER: EDITORIAL --]
+++ Equity Pizza
By Bart Steward
mailto:bsteward@multimediator.com
There is no denying that we work in a fascinating
industry. Billion dollar mergers and the convergence of
traditional and new media entities paint a fascinating
picture of an evolving Canadian new media landscape where
opportunities abound. These are indeed interesting times.
They can also be turbulent times.
No sooner is one IPO completed when along comes another
company peddling its asset-less stock to the world. These
are largely hollow promises, based on the potential of
bright futures that nobody can really predict. It's all
lunacy if you ask me. Companies appear and disappear with
astounding rapidity. "Here today and gone tomorrow," could
be our industry motto.
This leads me to the heart of the matter. I have noticed
that the attitude of job seekers is changing. Maybe not in
a prevalent fashion yet, but the trend is there.
A recent job applicant asked me to describe our company.
As I answered his question, one thing I said struck me as
hollow: "We have an employee profit-sharing plan," I heard
myself saying. Now, don't get me wrong. We are a
successful company and all is well. But even as I spoke
those words I realized that I had heard them before,
spoken in just this situation, only I was the interviewee.
And it occurred to me that in my entire new media career I
have not once benefited from a profit-sharing plan.
Despite having worked many late night crunches while
eating pizza at my desk, I remain fiscally challenged in
the world of employee profit-sharing.
Hollow promises indeed.
And it was clear that this candidate was equally
unimpressed by our offer to share our good fortune
with him. This of course is not the first time I have
observed this new attitude. People are increasingly
unimpressed by the lure of IPOs, stock options and profit-
sharing plans. Cash is where it's at these days. What's in
it for me? Eating pepperoni pizza at midnight no longer
cuts it as an equity stake in this business.
Personally I find this new attitude refreshing. It offers
a change from the pompous, self-aggrandizing bull which
floats around our industry. Give me a break!
Sometimes I fear we are becoming another garment industry,
with only slightly more aesthetic trappings. Coke machines
dispensing free cans and billiard tables in the common
room. A great place to eat equity pizza.
So here's a message to the sweat shops of the Canadian new
media industry: You are about to receive a rude awakening.
The talent pool is getting very shallow of late and
quality people are harder to find. Witness the successes
of several high-tech recruiting companies. At a 25-35%
commission, they're laughing all the way to the bank on
our backs.
This recent candidate's resume read like a war story.
Sweat shop after sweat shop. I didn't bother to ask for
details. To be honest, I'd heard it all before. It's my
own story, only the names and dates are different.
I will end with a simple warning for the tailors of new
media. There are too many companies in our little
industry, each vying for a slice of the limited customer
pie. Competition for talented staff is becoming fierce. Be
careful of the promises you make. They may come back to
haunt you.
Bart Steward is happily employed as the vice-president of
production at MMSG, where pizza and profit-sharing abound.
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[-- BYTE BACK: LETTER TO THE EDITOR --]
Okay, we're all getting a great laugh from Gourmet Spam,
but should you be thinking of the 'glass house' principle
a little?
"In print mediums, both online and off,..." (Spot the
(sic), BitStream #22)
Now, where were you on the day the teacher taught that the
plural of 'medium' is 'media'? This is an oft-made mistake
and some of my colleagues are thinking of taking up a
collection to have billboards produced which scream this
message near all major North American interactive centres.
Next time you're at a conference or meeting, count the
times the word is misused. It could be the start of a fun
new drinking game!
The next phrase in the billboard series would be 'new
media' (with credit going to Ted Boyd of IAB Canada for
talking about this one at the Marketing Magazine online
media seminar). As Ted suggested, can we FINALLY stop
calling interactive a 'new' medium?!?!?!
Jennifer Johnston
Audience Development Strategist, CyberSight
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[-- ABOUT MULTIMEDIATOR'S BITSTREAM --]
MultiMediator's BitStream is a FREE e-mail newsletter
published every two weeks by MultiMediator - Canada's
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multimedia community. Send your multimedia industry news
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(Please do NOT send attachments.) If you contact
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proper credit is given.
No electrons were harmed in the making of this newsletter.
Evolved from the extensive participation of MultiMediator
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recruiting company pleased to devote itself exclusively to
the new media industry. For more information, call (416)
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