Earlier this week it was reported the CRTC was further probing mobile TV apps from Rogers, Bell and Videotron, claiming the wireless carriers were prioritizing their own content as these streaming plans didn’t use regular data, but subsidized allotments.
In other words, subscribing to 10 hours with a carrier’s mobile TV streaming app was cheaper than streaming 10 hours with a non-carrier TV app like Netflix.
Around the same time of the CRTC inquiry, Rogers modified their Anyplace TV page to update a change in policy. The fine print now adds:
Please note effective August 18, 2014, this $5/month option will no longer be available. Instead, from that date onwards, standard data usage and charges will apply to your use of the app on our wireless network.
The timing of the change appears to have taken place around the same time the media was covering the additional CRTC probe into the matter.
Rogers sent the following statement to MobileSyrup explaining their reasoning for the change:
Effective August 18, 2014, we’re no longer offering the $5 Rogers Anyplace-TV offer. Customers can still access the great content on RAP TV, but at standard data charges. We began notifying our customers of the change in June. The $5 plan was originally designed to encourage customers to try the RAP-TV mobile service and become comfortable with accessing video content on their device. We regularly review our products and pricing and decided to simplify the RAP-TV experience by applying standard data charges to all data accessed over our wireless network.
Earlier this year, Rogers was rumoured to have signed $100 million worth of content deals, part of their plans to introduce a Netflix rival. With their recent $5.2 billion NHL rights deal, customers can expect more content from the company to stream to their mobiles.
Will this CRTC investigation result in lower data plans? If wireless carriers want customers to stream their TV content over data networks, current data pricing will surely result in overages.
Are you a Rogers Anyplace TV customer? What do you think about this change?
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Can somebody explain this Rogers Anyplace TV service to me?
I live in Vancouver and am a Rogers customer with my phone. Of course, as I live in BC, there is no possible way for me to be a Rogers cable customer.
So, am I not able to watch anything on this app? Ie – Is only being a phone customer not enough?
Thanks.
I believe you have to be a cable tv sub as well as mobile.
Goes to show you how cheap they can really afford to provide data.
This had better result in lower data charges. It’s ridiculous how expensive they’re making data. It’s almost as if they’re mad at us, charging us abnormally high prices while wearing a smile.
If data prices don’t go down I will never use Rogers Anyplace TV again. I’m too scared to even stream a video off of YouTube, nevermind an hour long show streaming in HD.
It is kind of ridiculous how data prices have continued to rise as they have been selling more of it and picking up more data customers.
Especially since it costs them next to nothing. And the fact that they proudly call themselves a Canadian company when they treat us terribly and rapidly inflate their prices when even our government tries to stand up for us.Whenever the CRTC tries to help us Rogers gets back at us all. It’s sad.
They told me (since I have a 3 year plan) that if I want to go to a 2 year plan I have to pay 40 bucks a month more to keep my existing services. So I guess I’m stuck with the phone I have for the forseeable future…
Another great move as a result of the CRTC. Now Anyplace TV mobile is virtually unusable using mobile data as it rapidly runs up the data usage. The CRTC “saving” the consumer makes it even costlier, just as with the 2 year contract maximum on cell phones. Plan rates immediately jumped $20 a month, or $240 over 2 years.