VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
Following in the footsteps of 2005's box office numbers, this year's Academy Awards ratings fell -- by eight percent to be exact. This year's awards averaged a disappointing 38.8 million viewers. But on the bright side, the stats reveal that Sunday's telecast avoided a 2003 disaster, when a record-low 33 million tuned in.
E! Online

A closely guarded secret has been shared . . . CTV's MTV Canada is set to launch on March 21. The Canadian version of the U.S.-based pop-culture network is expected to offer a multi-faceted online strategy, which will include downloadable content. Headquarters will be housed in Toronto's historic Masonic Temple.
The Globe and Mail

BUSINESS
The small Mediterranean island of Cyprus is the first country to have its own Internet-based TV station. Cyprus ITV, a 24-hour station, began broadcasting on the Internet on March 1, and is available around the world.
Informitv

In an effort to prove that "the lion roars again," MGM is expected to announce new plans to distribute movies by other producers. MGM will distribute movies made by Bob and Harvey Weinstein's The Weinstein Company, Bauer Martinez Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment.
The New York Times

It seems that media companies are finally recovering from the late-'90s Internet bubble burst. As is becoming more and more common, this week, another major media company has gobbled up an Internet site. NBC Universal acquired iVillage, an Internet company devoted to women, for $600 million. NBC plans to promote iVillage on its broadcast programs and make programming from NBC Universal available on iVillage.
The New York Times

CONTROVERSY
A fight is a-brewin' as Canada's broadcast regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) sets the stage for a potentially bitter duel between specialty channels and cable companies. The CRTC says it wants to stop regulating the fees that analog specialty channels charge cable distributors that carry their programming, and an argument over how much these channels should be paid is bound to erupt.
The Globe and Mail

The CRTC is causing even more trouble by also raising doubt about the future of the cable channel-friendly practice of bundling cable networks in Canada. The Canadian broadcast regulator has gone on record saying that, as digital television becomes the status quo, cable customers should be able to pick and choose, which channels they want. But, in a show of support for analog cable networks concerned about their audience numbers, the CRTC has said that the tier system must be offered on digital cable until at least 2013.
The Globe and Mail

ADVERTISING
Despite glowing predictions from the wireless industry, advertising and cellphone-based content are not crystallizing just yet. Consumer backlash is one of the reasons the latest wireless content is exclusively subscription-based. In fact, Fox Mobile Entertainment's upcoming global phone-content company Mobizzo is offering premium content for a subscription fee, while CBS's two news products -- "CBS News to Go" and Entertainment Tonight-branded "ET to Go" -- are based on subscription revenue too.
Advertising Age

Just in time to ruin the nets' upfront expectations, newly-released figures from TNS Media Intelligence show that the Big Six networks-- ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN and WB -- collectively took in $22.3 billion last year, down from $22.37 billion the prior year. Last year, measured spending on network TV fell for the first time since 2001. What may have contributed to the drop was overall declines by the biggest spenders, specifically, cutbacks from the auto industry.
Advertising Age

FILM
While it's still a bit early to tell, 2006 is looking like it will be a very good year for "Hollywood North." As a result of lucrative government incentives, the Americans are back in Canada, making movies once again. In fact, all five major Vancouver movie studios are currently full. Of course, it doesn't hurt that two of the Oscars' big winners -- Brokeback Mountain and Capote -- were filmed in Canada.
The Globe and Mail

Are you ready for some MIPing around?

At the world's premier TV market VideoAge will have:

Dailies with 22 years of proven market distribution leadership:

Sat.-Sun.: Documentaries and new technology (MipDoc+MILIA)
Monday : Focus on Europe (Italy, Germany, U.K.)
Tuesday : Focus on Canada
Wednesday: Focus on Latin America
Thursday: Road to the L.A. Screenings

A monthly with 25 years of proven market and editorial leadership.

A great combo for any marketing and sales strategy.
Plus, at MIP-TV "VideoAge" will have:

Hand distribution outside the Palais
Magazine bins
An exhibition stand
Hotel distribution
Exhibition stands distribution
Guaranteed editorial coverage for all its advertisers

If your marketing and advertising budget is small, VideoAge's editorial vehicles and services are for you. After all, we've been serving you for 25 years!

This newsletter is also available at www.videoage.org

This free service is directed to international television executives.

To subscribe, please e-mail us at paperclips@videoageinternational.com.

To unsubscribe, please send a reply to this e-mail with "remove" in the subject line.

Copyright © 2006 Video Age International. All Rights Reserved.