Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel say they have filed a CRTC complaint over Rogers’ Monday Night Hockey setup, challenging a $12.99 monthly add-on that eligible Rogers TV customers receive at no extra cost.
Cogeco emailed iPhone in Canada on November 11 with a statement and a copy of the companies’ 16-page application, dated November 10. In its statement, Cogeco said the companies argue the decision is “anti-competitive and directly imposes an artificial price increase on Canadian sports fans.”
The complaint follows frustration from Leafs fans over the extra streaming charge and Telus’ explanation of why midweek NHL games disappeared from Optik TV’s Sportsnet lineup.
In October, Leafs viewers complained that paying for every Sportsnet channel still did not cover Monday games. Some said they had missed a game or switched to the radio broadcast instead. The November Telus coverage showed the confusion extended beyond Toronto: Optik customers in B.C. were looking for midweek games in their usual TV guide, only to learn that Mondays required Sportsnet+ and Wednesdays were on Prime Video.
In the application, the three providers ask the regulator to order Rogers to offer the Sportsnet+ TV Provider Add-on to independent TV distributors through their own sales channels, with wholesale rates capped at $0.
That request concerns what Rogers would charge competing providers. It does not establish a new free service for viewers or change anyone’s bill today.
The companies allege Rogers is giving its own television business an unfair advantage by including the games for its customers while charging subscribers of competing providers extra. They also argue that Rogers has kept wholesale fees for its linear Sportsnet channels unchanged despite moving valuable programming to streaming.
The applicants say the arrangement breaches commitments associated with the Rogers-Shaw merger and rules against undue preference. They are asking for an expedited decision. These are the companies’ allegations and requested remedies, not findings in a CRTC ruling.
Sportsnet’s current support information lists the TV Provider Add-on at $12.99 plus tax per month for eligible customers who already have Sportsnet through a participating TV provider. Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel are all on its eligibility list.
Rogers said in its September announcement that Xfinity TV customers with Sportsnet would receive the exclusive content automatically at no additional cost, including Monday Night Hockey and more than 100 other NHL matchups. The company also announced three dedicated digital channels for that content.
There is an important earlier response to the broader bundling dispute. As covered in the November 2 Telus story, a Sportsnet spokesperson said in a statement that other cable providers could arrange to include the exclusive content in their TV offerings at no extra cost to their customers. That statement predates this application and is not a response to the new complaint.
For now, viewers should check their existing TV package before buying another subscription. The companies’ application seeks a change to distribution terms, but it does not itself remove the current add-on charge.
Should Monday Night Hockey be included whenever you already pay for Sportsnet through your TV provider?
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