Bell Media has filed for an injunction to prevent Rogers from broadcasting Warner Bros. Discovery content for two years. This move comes as Rogers is set to take over the Canadian rights to that programming in January 2025.
Bell submitted a court application on June 19, claiming that the licensing agreement announced nine days earlier between Warner Bros. and Rogers violated non-competition clauses. Bell Media also accuses Rogers of “inducing” Warner Bros. to breach its non-competition obligations, which Bell Media has maintained for delivering certain Discovery programming in Canada for the past 30 years, reports The Canadian Press.
In June, Rogers revealed it had secured multi-year agreements with Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal to broadcast their popular lifestyle and entertainment content in Canada. This September, Rogers will launch NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel, holding English-language content rights in Canada.
“This investment also advances our position as a strong Canadian broadcaster that can compete with foreign streamers,” said Colette Watson, president, Rogers Sports & Media, last month. Content will also be available on Citytv+.
A Rogers spokesperson responded to the legal action, stating, Bell’s claims are “without merit and we will fight to make sure Canadians can continue watching the programs they know and love.”
It’s always interesting to see Rogers and Bell fight in court, despite both companies working together as part of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), that owns multiple professional sports teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors and more.
These agreements include television channels previously under Bell’s Canadian programming rights, such as Discovery Channel Canada, Discovery Velocity, Discovery Science, and Animal Planet. Additionally, channels licensed to Corus Entertainment, including HGTV and The Food Network, are also part of the deal.
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Ironic. Bell, who charges absurd amounts of money for Crave which is easily one of the worst user experiences of any streaming service instead of just letting HBO max come to Canada.
F**k this company.
I’m extremely disappointed that WB doesn’t deem fit to launch HBO Max in Canada and be done with this licensing nonsense.