Apple is set to debut its Apple News app in Canada this week, which curates news based on a user’s interests. The Canadian Press reports that it will initially launch with English and French content from CBC/Radio Canada, La Presse, CTV News, the Toronto Star, Hockey News, the Walrus and Global News. CBC’s content has been on the app and available to users in the U.S., Australia and the UK, since 2017.
Canadian Journalism Innovators, a new journalist-driven initiative supporting media innovation, was announced at last weekend’s DemocracyXChange. Canadian Journalism Innovators is a collaboration of media outlets focused on tackling three of the biggest challenges facing the journalism industry: a lack of money, innovation and diversity. The group, which includes independent outlets The Deep, The Narwhal, The Discourse and Taproot Edmonton, is focused on building new audience-funded business models that support quality journalism. The Vancouver Foundation has made an initial investment in the initiative.
The Logic holds its official launch party in Toronto on Mar. 4, where CEO and editor-in-chief David Skok and his team will be grilled by Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda. The event is by invitation to subscribers. The online subscription outlet, focused on the innovation economy and its impact on business, policy and culture, soft-launched in June.
Daze Magazine, a new Edmonton-based publication started by a group of former editors of Vue Weekly, which stopped publishing in November, has launched a Kickstarter campaign as they seek out alternative revenue streams in the fight for scarce ad dollars. Focused on Edmonton’s arts and culture scene, the Daze website soft-launched earlier this month.
CBC/Radio-Canada will hold its second annual Hackathon event in Montreal,Toronto and online, the weekend of Feb. 1-3. The programming marathon, to be emceed by Matthieu Dugal in Montreal and Nora Young in Toronto, features 16 teams made up of 76 programmers, designers and other digital experts selected from 416 entrants. The competitors mission is to present a functional prototype that uses personalization techniques to generate engagement between Canadians and CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital platforms. Five winning teams will be awarded prizes, including the top prize to the project with the best personalized content or digital product.
WildBrain will exclusively manage content on YouTube for German toy brand PLAYMOBIL. Under the two-year agreement, WildBrain will manage a library of 15 short animated videos, which will stream on a range of PLAYMOBIL channels launched on the WildBrain network in multiple languages, including German, English, Spanish and Portuguese. PLAYMOBIL is the latest in a string of international toy brands, including The Irish Fairy Door Company, Kuroba, Hairdorables, Beyblades, Smooshy Mushy, and Tulipop, who have appointed WildBrain to help grow their brands internationally through YouTube content. WildBrain’s branded YouTube network now features more than 145,000 videos for over 600 kids’ brands in up to 22 languages.
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