AAC reports revenue gains

Revenues were up almost across the board at Alliance Atlantis Communications last year, which saw a gain of 15% in its broadcasting sector, buoyed by advertising and subscriptions, and of 32% in the entertainment sectors, thanks in no small part to the continued success of the CSI franchise, which it co-owns with CBS.

‘The CSI franchise continues to outperform our original revenue and cash flow expectations,’ said CEO Phyllis Yaffe in the company’s year-end report. AAC’s Motion Picture Distribution wing took an 18% hit, however, with revenues dropping to $418.1 million for the year ending Dec. 31.

Layoffs at CanWest

CanWest Mediaworks will lay off 40 employees in Toronto later this year when the last of its master control operations moves to Calgary. The employees, made up of 28 full-timers and 12 contractors, were told earlier this month that the Toronto shop will shut down at the end of August.

The closure is part of a larger effort to streamline and reduce costs at the CMW-owned Global and CH networks, according to a company spokesperson. Similar control centers in Winnipeg, Regina and Victoria were shut down in 2004 and also moved to Calgary. The Toronto center handled the signals for CH Hamilton, CH Montreal, Global Quebec, Global Ontario and Global Maritimes.

iSummit kicks off March 29

iSummit 2006, a three-day conference dedicated to digital content and interactive platforms, runs in Toronto March 29-31.Companies attending include Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Corus Entertainment, PureTracks, CHUM and others. Reps from these and other companies will participate in more than 20 events, including discussions about interactive advertising, video games as filmmaking tools, and interactive kids content.