*Fireworks goes public

Toronto’s Fireworks Entertainment has completed its initial public offering of 4,181,820 Class b subordinate voting shares at $2.75 each for gross proceeds of $11.5 million. Fireworks also qualified for distribution of 2,352,950 Class a multiple voting shares and 2,352,950 Class b subordinate voting shares issuable upon the exercise of special warrants privately placed earlier by the company.

The combined proceeds of the ipo and the special warrant transaction of $21.5 million will be used for the expansion of the company’s film and tv distribution, production and financing activities.

At press time, the stock was trading on the tse under the symbol fei.b at $2.40.

*Star Choice, RNS deal

Star Choice Communications has concluded an agreement to purchase the video uplink business of Rogers Network Services, a division of Rogers Cablesystems.

The acquisition will allow the DTH provider to offer an additional 15 channels of video and audio programming in Eastern and Western Canada. On Dec. 3, Star Choice subscribers – 23,000 as of Oct. 1, with a reported 420 new subscribers a day – began receiving more programming.