DTH SATELLITE COMPANY NEEDS AGENCY
By Adnews Staff
Star Choice television network of Lindsay, Ont. hopes to have its direct-to-home satellite TV service operating across Canada by the end of the year and will look for an agency to promote the service in the fall, business development vice-president Guy Skipworth told Adnews this week. Star Choice presented its case at a hearing last week before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. It is hoping a decision on whether or not it can launch the service will be made by August. The biggest obstacle for the company is finding satellite transmission space. In its CRTC application Star Choice has outlined four options to remedy this: Telesat Canada could move an existing satellite into a Canadian orbital slot from which Star Choice would receive Canadian signals. Its U.S. programming signals would come from the company's U.S. partner, Echostar Communications Corp.; Star Choice would obtain space on Anik E-2 from Telesat customers that have leased space but are not using it. Echostar would provide U.S. signals; Echostar will launch a satellite later this year that could provide both Canadian and U.S. program signals temporarily until Telesat launches a new satellite; Star Choice would seek Industry Canada's approval to allow it to use existing space on a U.S. Hughes satellite. Star Choice is owned by Direct Choice TV Inc. of Fredricton, N.B.