Telus Accuses Rogers of Rigging Ads to Kill Competition and Hurt Consumers

Telus is accusing Rogers of using its control over Canadian media to keep rival ads off the air and off the ice.

In a filing with the CRTC in early June and posted to the Commission’s website on Tuesday, Telus claims Rogers and its subsidiaries “have refused to allow Telus to advertise on Rogers’ media properties.” The company says that amounts to “an undue preference upon itself and an undue disadvantage on Telus.”

The conflict first came to a head during the 2024 holiday rush. Telus had lined up major Black Friday and Cyber Monday radio spots, including its Buy One Give One promotion where every phone sold meant one donated to a Canadian in need. But “on very short notice, Rogers cancelled the campaigns.” Telus argues the move meant “Rogers enjoyed exclusive-to-Rogers advertising leading up to Black Friday on all its radio stations.”

Things didn’t stop there. Telus has been a sponsor of the Calgary Flames for years, with rights to display ads during games. In late 2024, it tried to run its PureFibre internet campaign on rink boards at the Saddledome, only to be told that “the NHL had exercised a right to reject the PureFibre Campaign.” Telus insists Rogers was behind the decision, calling the ambush marketing excuse “obviously pretextual.” Soon after, “Rogers pulled a Telus ad for PureFibre from its Calgary Flames broadcast.”

By January 2025, the dispute escalated. Telus says “Rogers further advised that it was cancelling all Telus Group Ad buys and that Telus and other telecommunications companies were prohibited from advertising on all of Rogers’ platforms.”

Then, in March, Rogers allegedly stopped Telus ads from airing during Spruce Meadows equestrian events in Alberta. According to Telus, “Rogers abused its position as a broadcaster to prevent Telus’ PureFibre Campaign from airing during the March 16-17, 2025 broadcast of a top-level horse jumping show and dressage competition.”

Rogers told the Canadian Press in a statement that Telus “displayed a pattern of creating advertising that is inaccurate, misleading and clearly intended to negatively impact the Rogers brand, products and reputation, despite repeated requests to address these concerns.” The spokesperson said this goes against Rogers Sports & Media’s own ad rules, which say they can only reject ads if they attack the company or harm its brand.

Telus argues the pattern is clear: “Rogers is foreclosing Telus from advertising on its platforms while running its own ads.” The company is asking regulators to step in, warning that otherwise Canadians will face less competition, fewer choices, and higher prices.

Of course, Telus supports the CRTC’s wholesale internet sharing rules, which has allowed it to enter into markets in Ontario and Quebec using its competitors’ networks.

Back in June during CRTC hearings, Telus brought up the Rogers ad blocking issue, while also saying the latter and rival Bell are also preventing it from accessing TV content in Ontario and Quebec.