Canada introduces changes

Canada's broadcasting regulator has introduced changes to give Canadians greater TV viewing choices, and rejected a controversial demand that would have seen monthly cable TV bills increase, says Winnipeg Sun.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released a review, which will allows for greater competition, but still restricted viewer choices. The change only impacts the economics of the industry on the margins.

The Commission claims most of the changes won't take effect until 31 August 2011, when the broadcasting system switches over to digital.

Internet Broadcasting (IB), an Internet solution provider for broadcast publishers and advertisers targeting US markets, has signed a new multi-year deal to continue using WebTrends Analytics On Demand to measure and optimise Web content across the IB local network of sites, reports MarketWatch.

The agreement follows the conclusion of a successful two-year partnership between WebTrends, a provider of Web analytics and online marketing solutions, and Internet Broadcasting. Since adopting WebTrends Analytics On Demand in 2006, IB has grown to a network of 76 sites, with monthly visits increasing 61% to 110 million.

"WebTrends has helped spur our growth by increasing visitor engagement and by helping us serve new customers and strategic partnerships, from our TV broadcast partners to CNN," said David Lebow, CEO of Internet Broadcasting.

CompUSA is helping to cut customers' costs as the US makes the switch to digital broadcasting from analogue TV on 17 February 2009, according to Business Wire.

Analogue televisions that rely on antennas will no longer work unless they're equipped with converter boxes. CompuUSA is selling converter boxes for $40.01, one cent more than government coupons defraying the cost of eligible converters. This means CompUSA customers only pay one cent when they use the government coupons.

Full-power TV stations are switching to 100% digital broadcasting to free airwaves for emergency use and provide a clearer picture and more programming options, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, part of the US Department of Commerce.