DVDs leveling off: StatsCan

Consumers are getting out of their living rooms and watching movies on the big screen instead of their TVs, according to a new report from Statistics Canada that says revenue from theatrical distribution jumped in 2004/05 while sales receipts for DVDs and cassettes are leveling off.

Total distribution revenues rose to more than 3.5 billion in '04/05, up 3% from the previous year, with profit margins up to 22.7% from 21.8%.

StatsCan also noted a remarkable 20.4% jump in attendance at drive-in theaters, and says the average Canadian household spent $112 on movies in '04/05, up from $106.

Feds okay BGM shuffle

The Competition Bureau has reportedly okayed an ownership shuffle at Bell Globemedia, in which parent company BCE is dropping its stake in the company from 68.5% to 20% - selling the difference to the Woodbridge Company, which ups its share to 40%, and to newcomers Torstar Corporation and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. The deal, which also got the nod from the CRTC last month, is expected to close shortly according to The Globe and Mail, though the bureau itself has not made a formal announcement.

Digichannel gets a break

The CRTC has loosened the Cancon requirements on Discovery Health Canada, dropping its minimum day and evening levels to 35%, down from 65%. The feds also cut the digichannel's minimum yearly spend on Canadian programs to 20% of the previous year's gross revenues, down from 51% - accepting its arguments that health-themed Canadian programming is hard to find and cannot easily be rerun.

"We are extremely pleased," says Norm Bolen, EVP of content for parent Alliance Atlantis Communications. "The decision displays a thorough and thoughtful review of our application and a high regard for the arguments we put forward. Not only does Discovery Health have immense strategic value and brand strength, but also represents an important service to our customers. We believe we now have the conditions to make it a top performer as well."

Go native

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival returns to Toronto next month with four days of work by aboriginal directors, and will open on Oct. 18 with a screening of The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, also the opening film at the Toronto International Film Festival. The year's fest will also spotlight the work of filmmaker and activist Merata Mita (Spooked). See www.imaginenative.org for details.