CRTC appoints first Indigenous commissioner

Whitehorse associate lawyer, Claire Anderson (pictured above) of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, has been appointed the British Columbia and Yukon commissioner for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Anderson is the first Indigenous woman to serve in the role, a five-year term commencing in late August. A leader in reconciliation efforts with First Nation communities, Anderson is a member of the board of directors for the Yukon Legal Services Society, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation Economic Partnerships, the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation and is a funding member of ReMatriate, an Indigenous women’s collective.

Snap gets into more original content

Creator Shows, a new program launched by Snap is launching a slew of exclusive shows with Serena Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart and online stars Emma Chamberlain, Loren Gray, Rickey Thompson, Baby Ariel and FaZe Banks. The first-person shows will offer motivational advice (Schwarzenegger), fashion and lifestyle trends (Thompson) and beauty advice (Gray), set to air this month. Snap has been building its show collection since as far back as 2015 and says viewership is rising, although specific numbers have not been made public.

WarnerMedia launches streaming platform 

HBO Max, a new DTC streaming platform from WarnerMedia is set to launch in the U.S. in spring 2020. A library of non-fiction and fiction content with more than 10,000 titles, to be announced. This includes exclusive, original programming under the moniker “Max Originals” as well as content from networks like CNN, TBS, TNT and truTV among others. No details yet on when international audiences can tap in. However, an increasing number of U.S. and international streamers have made their way into the Canadian market including CBS All Access and reality streamer Hayu.

Spotify Lite rolls out

Spotify has launched a new version, built from scratch, and designed to run on limited bandwith and phone storage. Spotify Lite is an option intended for those with older devices or beholden to weaker networks. The app has an option for a data limit, notifying users when they get close to surpassing it. Launched in 36 global markets including Canada (as well as Brazil, Saudi Arabia and India), Lite is a separate download but can be run alongside the original Spotify app. So far, it is only available on Android.