Canada's digital cable growing pains. (World).

It wasn't just the U.S. TV industry that felt the post-September 11 economic reverberations. Canada's efforts to market new digital channels and programming were severely tested. An ill-timed preview launch of almost 50 new specialty channels suffered because most Canadians were tuning in to CNN and other news in lieu of their favorite programming.

As a result, distributors have implemented a wide array of aggressive marketing tactics to capture not only current digital subscribers, but viewers who haven't yet gone digital.

ChumTV International initiated campaigns both two months before the preview, and at the end of the preview period. The latter instructed viewers on how to subscribe.

Corus Television has benefited from its strategy of using 30-second promotional spots on its current properties to promote new channels, and nesting blocks of new programming on its own channels. Cross promotion has also been a key strategy for CanWest Global Communications and CTV Television Network.

Not only are distributors coming up with new strategies on their own, they have banded together in a joint marketing effort. Along with several other companies, Alliance Atlantis supports the Web site www.newtvchannels.com, a joint promotion of digital service. Alliance started the site in conjunction with the direct-response campaign it launched to promote its six new shows.