Last year the CRTC mandated cable and satellite TV companies in Canada had to begin offering new TV options, such as $25 ‘skinny’ TV packages, to be available to customers March 1, 2016.
We’ve already seen Shaw release their package, made available to customers just over a week ago, and now Rogers has revealed their ‘skinny’ TV package.
Below is the basic package, priced at $24.99 instead of $25. It includes Canadian stations such as CBC, City, CTV, Global, plus U.S. stations like ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, and overall looks identical to Shaw (no surprise):
Rogers has also offered Theme Packs available for the Starter Package, priced from $3 all the way to $18. Check them out below:
Bell and TELUS have yet to reveal their ‘skinny’ TV packages, but you can bet they’ll be out shortly, following Rogers.
What do you think about these basic starter packages and the prices of theme packs? Will you be jumping on them?
Update: Rogers clarified via email the ‘skinny’ package includes HD channels, while rental cost for digital boxes “remains the same.”
Update 2: Looks like Rogers released details for this package today after an employee leaked them to CBC News. Bell told CBC News they haven’t posted their package yet “for competitive reasons,” while TELUS says they will post theirs on the March 1 deadline.
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Wow, I love the douche-y move of putting the minority language news channel in the starter package, and the majority language as an extra. They confirmed that by the fact CBC Newsworld is in starter package in Quebec and parts of NB.
You can thank the Liberals and their PM who, lest we forget, hails from Quebec for that. Now that the Liberals are in power the West will go back to being ignored once again (except of course when they need Alberta’s oil). CRTC have their “buddies” back in power.
For the record this is not complaining about Quebec or politics, and I’m quite offended that you would imply that. This is about Rogers inserting the French channel in English Canada, and the English channel in French Canada as an overall FU to all of us. Essentially, anglophones and francophones have to shell out an extra $5.
Couldn’t find BBC Canada…..oh there it is, under “Adventure”. What?
I like how MUCH and MTV are under MUSIC, yet MuchLoud, MuchVibe and MuchMoreRetro are special interest.
where is the a la carte option were supposed to be getting?
They have until Dec 1st to offer the individual channel option
tx
And they’ll probably wait until December 1 until they offer it. There are times when I fucking hate Canada & all the non competition that’s allowed to go on here. Canadians are too passive. If this shit were happening in the US there’d be protests & probably violence going on in the streets until there was a change or got the government involved. Meanwhile our Canadian government has it’s thumb up it’s ass, just happy reaping in all those tax dollars.
Was wondering the same… Most of the channels I would want are sprayed across 4-5 different theme packs, so not much of a discount if I end up picking all of them…
Are these HD channels?
We’ve asked for clarification on this, plus the cost of equipment rental. I’m thinking HD is included (like Shaw).
I wouldn’t put it past Rogers to charge extra for HD.
I only wish they had a combined sports with 2 channels from SportsNET and 2 from TSN. I wouldnt mind paying $20 for that.
TV cable….what is that? 🙂
Update: Rogers says HD channels included. See post update
I’m curious to see what telus does and how their rentals will go.. I would love to bring my cable price down a few bucks.. But I’m sure they’ll have some requirement about the hardware rentals even if you’re on a contract.
Wow! $25 for all the same stuff you can get with a pair of rabbit ears.
What century are you in. Bunny ears are analog, you need an HD antennae to get any of these now
LOL….. I think you better read up a little more. There is NO SUCH THING as HD Antenna. A Antenna is a Antenna be it Analog signal or Digital. Don’t fall for the HD Marketing Hype. A coat hanger will work. And I was being sarcastic about the term “rabbit ears”
Yah. You’re right.
I was thinking about channels streamed at a higher bitrate and in a different band. Which they occupy now.
Did you know Google wrote a white paper saying that it could stream Internet for the entire world using that MHz bandwidth. NFL complained saying it would interfere with their headsets. Duh. Did you pick up “modern family” when you were listening to your punt coach?
Yes. You can receive channels with a coat hanger.
Basically I borked when I read your statement. Good on you!
Yeah. Youre retarded
How so Genius ?
Where’s my HBO 🙁
Rogers told us details will be revealed March 1.
I pay $65 currently. If I gave up on sports, American news and much music and used their pick and choose options above I would pay $50. So I am saving $15. If this model has the flexibity of changing on the fly, say pick up Sports package only during the hockey season then maybe this could work.
Wow… we only want about 15 channels but would still need to pay $98.00 extra to subscribe to 10 bundles with about 85 channels we DON’T want to get them! What a rip! How is this any better than what was out there before???
So I just talked to a Rogers CSR at length. Those mini themes are only available to skinny basic subscribers, and everyone else is SOL. Clearly they’re doing the absolute minimum mandated by CRTC. All I wanted to get was TCM, and unless I wanted to upgrade my overall package by $30, it ain’t happening until December. How much longer until we all tell them to f*** off?
I have unlimited internet and stream everything. Rogers can suck my ass hole clean. Lesser of all the evils? Vmedia.
I’m not surprised the cable companies aren’t pushing these packages, especially after dragging their feet for what they packages would offer, then my make them confusing, and now they’re telling staff not to even mention them.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/skinny-package-pick-and-pay-crtc-1.3462692
http://www.maximumventure.ca/article/8-reasons-the-new-skinny-basic-tv-package-may-not-be-everything-you-expected
Guess they figured the CRTC will just roll over now that Harper is gone.
18 for a bundle. Is that Pick and Pay? I only see 1 or 2 channels I would want from 3 or 4 packages. Why should I pay for all of them?
Besides the skinny tv I only want 2 or 3 from each package. Why should I have to pay for the whole package? It was supposed to be pick and pay.