Popcorn Channel

offers movie info

Producer Michael Donovan of Halifax-based Salter Street Films has developed a veritable and tangible vehicle for the information highway – the Popcorn Channel. Donovan’s prize is a satellite service which, through new technology developed in the u.s. over the last nine months, will deliver a plethora of movie-related information to cable operators for use with locally relevant programming.

Donovan says the service’s information will be disseminated through a computer in Denver, Colo., but would not name the company involved.

Donovan calls the Popcorn Channel ‘the electronic equivalent of the entertainment pages, only better.’ The service will feature reviews, trailers and background information about feature films currently playing on the big screen.

The plan, he says, is to use tv ‘to get people to stop watching television and go to the theaters.’ Donovan’s interest in the democratization of tv (he uses Citytv’s Speaker’s Corner in Toronto as an example) will likely influence the nature of the programming.

The plan is to launch the New York-based channel by March 31, 1995 with a million subscribers on board. Donovan is in discussions with Liberty Cable of New York and says he is interested in targeting the major moviegoing centers in North America such as New York and Los Angeles.

Interactive test

In the meantime, Popcorn will be involved in an interactive test financed by New York City telco, Nynex. The test, slated to start up Dec. 1, will see Popcorn deliver movie listing information to Manhattan subscribers.

While Popcorn is Donovan’s brainchild, Toronto-based media giant Torstar is its main owner with an 80% controlling interest. Salter Street has the remaining 20%. To date, Torstar has invested at least us$2 million in the service and is said to have capped its total investment at us$25 million.

Donovan says he hopes to bring the channel to Canada one day and is in discussions with on-line companies regarding other forms of distribution for the service. Expectations are that the operation will have less than 50 full-time employees and will rely primarily on contract personnel.