Mark Dillon of Playback writes about the surprise CRTC ruling on the CTV/CHUM merger, and what it means to the industry:

• Establishing Shot: A little regulation is a good thing
  “Producers, advertisers and culturecrats feared we would end up with two conventional players when the dust settled, but instead we could have two more evenly matched leaders and a strong third. Nice to see what a little regulation can do.”

Sean Davidson of Playback reports on the deals made at the 2007 Banff World Television Festival:

• Pitches pay off at Banff
  “The 28th Banff festival drew some 1,450 attendees, according to organizers, and shepherded a number of other deals, including a signing for the 13 x 30 teen sitcom Less Than Kind, from Breakthrough Films and Television and Buffalo Gal Pictures for CHUM. Breakthrough and Silver Tip Pictures also agreed to shoot a pilot, Easton Meets West, for CBC. Other deals announced at the closing of the festival include the 13 x 30 World’s Greenest Homes for HGTV Canada and the U.K.’s Discovery Green Planet from Cineflix Productions. HGTV also ordered a pilot for The Stagers from Vancouver’s Paperny Films.”