"How to make money with multi-platform digital media"

Bell Fund launches today’s definitive resource
Novel format to ensure relevance for years to come

June 1, 2009 (Vancouver, Toronto) The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund has created an online source of information about the many aspects of revenue generating potential for multi-platform projects. This original resource, www.bellfundbliki.ca, is designed for both the Canadian and international digital media and broadcast communities and provides a comprehensive overview with strategies for success.

The Bell Fund’s “bliki,” How to make money with multi-platform digital media, combines the collaborative editing and updating database opportunities of a “wiki” with the power of commentary and news updates from a blog. It is available in both English and French to encourage international participation.

The seeds of the wiki were planted by expert-authors knowledgeable about a range of strategies for revenue generation. The blog stage comes next, as the international interactive digital industry and the television industry are invited to add their experiences and comments to a growing and evolving bliki, which will serve as the Web’s central resource in the elusive search for revenue generation with multi-platform content.

“Writing about new media in a collapsing global economy is like shooting at a moving target during an earthquake,” said Catherine Warren, President of FanTrust Entertainment Strategies and a longstanding member of the Bell Fund Board. “The fact that these contributors really nailed their subjects is that much more remarkable in the context of our times. And as times change, readers can write in with powerful user generated content, as well as the business and financial machinema necessary to keep this living publication relevant whatever the future brings,” said Warren who authored the final chapter of the Bliki, The Last Word.

What do broadcasters want online? How do you generate revenue through global sales, online content syndication, casual and interactive games, kids’ games, advertising, branding, mobile distribution and e-commerce? What revenues can be expected? The Bell Fund Bliki provides insights into these developing markets – and encourages bloggers to add their experiences to these and other potential markets. In addition, it provides advice on how to best prepare projects to maximize revenue generation potential: design and build content for exploitation, marketing know-how, the interpretation of traffic metrics as a sales tool and the legal implications of distribution. There is no magic solution, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there are a many diverse revenue sources accessible to those with trained distribution skills, vision, pioneering attitudes and commitment.

What is true today in this world of ever-changing digital media will be different tomorrow. Contributions and perspectives from all who have met this challenge will ensure that the Bell Fund Bliki will be an invaluable resource for multi-platform digital media content creators and distributors. The Bliki adds to the extensive training and resources which the Bell Fund provides to the multi-platform production industry.

The Bell Fund also provides grants to Canadian independent producers who develop and produce outstanding television content complemented and enhanced by innovative interactive content for digital delivery. The Bell Fund has invested more than $70M in the development and production of over 600 multi-platform projects in the past 11 years – and has developed an expertise in the opportunities and challenges of revenue generation.

The Bell Fund receives annual contributions of nearly $12M from Bell TV. The Bell Fund Bliki has also received generous support from Telefilm Canada.

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For further info:

bellfund@ipf.ca fondsbell@ipf.ca
asheffer@ipf.ca cdion@ipf.ca