Liberty Media Group, the cable television programming arm of New York-based AT&T, has acquired a 19.9% stake in Corus Entertainment by buying 7.1 million non-voting shares at $28.05 per share….

Montreal: CanWest Global Communications has promised to spend $84.3 million to broadly improve Canadian tv. The benefits (12.18% of the transaction price) are part of a proposed $800-million takeover of assets held by WIC Western International Communications….

Montreal: Direct spending on film and tv production in Montreal in ’99 increased 5% over the previous year to $725.4 million, according to preliminary figures from the Montreal Film & TV Commission….

Montreal: At its Feb. 24 agm in Montreal, Astral Media told shareholders tmn’s subscriber base had grown 40% in the past year to an all-time high of more than 500,000. French-track pay movie channel Super Ecran’s sub numbers jumped 20% to…

In the Feb 21 issue, Wayne Sterloff was incorrectly identified as president of A-Channel. Sterloff is president of A-Channel Entertainment. Drew Craig is president and ceo of A-Channel….

Content: laying it on the line…

Montreal: Film and tv producer Suzanne Girard (Productions Bleu Blanc Rouge) has joined the L’Equipe Spectra group. Active with Productions La Fete from ’97 to ’99, Girard produced or exec produced several major tv dramas, including the A&E Network miniseries P.T….

* Hollywood veteran Bud Yorkin has been elected to the board of Peace Arch Entertainment of Vancouver. Teamed with Norman Lear, he cocreated and produced television series including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son and Good Times. For the…

Mutual manipulation is part of life for writers and directors. At least, that was one key lesson from the recent Script to Screen conference held in Toronto….

* Lions Gate Q3 most profitable ever…

* Cogeco’s PDF backs 64…

Montreal: The province’s largest technical services companies, including Covitec, Vision Globale, Location Michel Trudel, Groupe Moliflex, Dussault and Montage Metaphore, have announced the launch of a new lobby group, Association des Fournisseurs de Services Techniques….