* Toronto-based Movie Marketing is a new company which acts as an agency to create partnerships between advertisers and studios releasing feature films on video geared to their target audience. Advertisers can place 30- or 60-second spots in certain video releases in Canada, and/or do couponing or sampling programs through video retail chains such as Rogers, jumbo and Blockbuster.

While the cost to advertisers depends on the extent of the video tie-in promotional program, and the title and its expected volume, the average cost for placing either a 30 or a 60 is $35,000 for category exclusive and $50,000 for title exclusive.

Currently Warner Bros. Home Video, mgm and Polygram are participating on a per-title basis, with Free Willy 2 and Batman Forever among the vehicles up for promotional dibs. Studios anticipate reaping higher sell-through from the cross-promotion efforts of the various campaigns. An example of the type of program expected would be companies with licensed product offering a discount on the video.

* interplay, a leader in interactive entertainment and educational product, is establishing a Canadian sales office in the Toronto area, to be headed up by Jim Maia.

The California-based cd-rom pioneer is increasingly getting into video game console products, since its recent acquisition of Shiny (Earthworm Jim creators).

The company also inked a deal with Genie to take the best-selling game Descent online. Interplay has its fingers in many pies, it does bundling, and is involved with Mac products, as well as sports and Dungeons and Dragons-type product.

* Oberon Interactive of Toronto has formed a strategic alliance with Interactive Resources, based in Des Moines, Iowa, to develop programming for interactive television.

Oberon is a developer of interactive media programming, while Interactive Resources is a technical expert in OS-9-based interactive media. The two will work together on a technical infrastructure for interactive tv and create consumer and professional applications.

The interactive television programs will be developed to comply with the Microwave david system, an operating system standard which has been selected for interactive tv trials in Canada and the u.s.

* CanWest Global Communications president Izzy Asper confirms there are at least two bids on the table for tsn. The players vying for the John Labatt Limited broadcasting properties include Rogers Communications, WIC Western International Communications, and Baton Broadcasting System.

CanWest will likely be pitching its specialty channel for the 50-plus audience at the next round of hearings beginning early 1996.

* In early 1996, TV5, La Television Internationale will launch a new u.s. French-language network, TV5 USA. According to the broadcaster’s agreement, which is currently being approved by the TV5 partners (TV5 Quebec Canada, TV5 Europe and The International Channel – Encore Media Corporation, a subsidiary of the TCI Group), the 24-hour channel will be carried on pay-tv and will feature a mix of current events, kids’ shows, movies, news, and variety programming from Africa, Belgium, Canada, France and Switzerland.

* Norstar Entertainment and Malofilm Communications have inked a deal by which over 20 Norstar titles will be distributed on video in Canada by Malofilm.