The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Corus Entertainment is buying Shaw Media

Leslieville Bill · January 13, 2016 9:03 am

Toronto-based Corus Entertainment is buying Shaw Media from Shaw Communications in a $2.65-billion deal, Corus said this morning. "This is a transformational acquisition that redefines Corus and Canada's media landscape," Doug Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Corus, said in a release. ...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/corus-entertainment-shaw-media-1.3401473

Not sure what it means since both companies have the same controlling shareholder.

Last edited by Leslieville Bill (January 13, 2016 9:07 am)

RadioActive · January 13, 2016 9:22 am

Buy includes Global and 39 radio stations. Sounds big, but despite the puffery from its exec quoted in the linked article, I've heard analysts say it's mostly a bookkeeping move to allow Shaw to find the money to buy Wind Mobile. Still, it puts Corus on a level with Bell, and I wonder what they're thinking about this move today.

RadioActive · January 13, 2016 9:59 am

Oakley had Corus CEO Doug Murphy on this morning and asked about the possibility of major job cuts as a result of the deal. His tap dancing was worthy of Mr. Bojangles. If I were a Shaw or Corus employee, I'd be fairly nervous right now.

ig · January 13, 2016 10:46 am

RadioActive wrote:
If I were a Shaw or Corus employee, I'd be fairly nervous right now.

More so than yesterday?

Johnny B · January 13, 2016 11:30 am

Corus really likes the specialty TV stuff...it makes them money...radio not so much...they'll continue to turn their stations into the same content spewing milquetoast...morning show rerolls at night and on the weekends to avoid hiring people...jocks VTing for 3 or 4 stations...contracting out traffic reporting...cutting local news...you know, the good stuff...similar to what Bell and Rogers have and are doing...firings and consolidation will be coming unfortunately.

ig · January 13, 2016 11:38 am

I'm not one who believes that March will see tv armageddon, but having said that, all the 'kids' stuff has moved to youtube, except for the youngest, and they're watching Treehouse which is commercial free, and will definately be one of the channels hit hard since there isn't a lot of demand. The 2 demand channels rogers did offer, baby1 and baby2 ended up with 1 being cancelled and the other moved to the free tier.

For people who do decide to pick n' choose their packages, I doubt the YTV's etc will be big on the list. Since most of the chillins' are glued to ipads and phones watching whatever they want, on demand, via a ton of other services.

Johnny B wrote:
Corus really likes the specialty TV stuff...it makes them money...radio not so much...they'll continue to turn their stations into the same content spewing milquetoast...morning show rerolls at night and on the weekends to avoid hiring people...jocks VTing for 3 or 4 stations...contracting out traffic reporting...cutting local news...you know, the good stuff...similar to what Bell and Rogers have and are doing...firings and consolidation will be coming unfortunately.

Johnny B · January 13, 2016 12:17 pm

ig wrote:
I'm not one who believes that March will see tv armageddon, but having said that, all the 'kids' stuff has moved to youtube, except for the youngest, and they're watching Treehouse which is commercial free, and will definately be one of the channels hit hard since there isn't a lot of demand. The 2 demand channels rogers did offer, baby1 and baby2 ended up with 1 being cancelled and the other moved to the free tier.

For people who do decide to pick n' choose their packages, I doubt the YTV's etc will be big on the list. Since most of the chillins' are glued to ipads and phones watching whatever they want, on demand, via a ton of other services.

Johnny B wrote:
Corus really likes the specialty TV stuff...it makes them money...radio not so much...they'll continue to turn their stations into the same content spewing milquetoast...morning show rerolls at night and on the weekends to avoid hiring people...jocks VTing for 3 or 4 stations...contracting out traffic reporting...cutting local news...you know, the good stuff...similar to what Bell and Rogers have and are doing...firings and consolidation will be coming unfortunately.

Agreed....if anything I think pick and play might quell traditional TV's demise for a bit...I've noticed Corus has focused on the specialty TV side of its business for some time now...that's why this purchase does not surprise me all that much.

Last edited by Johnny B (January 13, 2016 12:20 pm)

radiokid · January 13, 2016 1:07 pm

This move was nothing more than accounting in many expert eyes including my own. Shaw owns controlling shares of Corus. Making SHAW MEDIA disappear into their 2nd brand Corus, frees up cash for other things like buying Wind Mobile. It also makes things more efficient, and ends duplication costs.

They also can hide the fact from the CRTC and general public that they own the provider and content creator, as Corus and Shaw do run as 2 different companies, just owned/controlled by the same people.

I was thinking Shaw would have make Corus disappear and rebrand as Shaw Media for all of it, but apparently they decided to divide things differently to give the same result.

Radiowiz · January 13, 2016 1:41 pm

Media Advisory – Corus Entertainment to hold press conference
http://www.corusent.com/news/media-advisory-corus-entertainment-to-hold-press-conference/

Last edited by Radiowiz (January 13, 2016 1:41 pm)

January 13, 2016 3:25 pm

Do you seriously expect ANYONE to watch this press conference 4:40 - 5:15 while Ryan Doyle is handing out Powerball Lottery tickets over on news/talk 1010

ig · January 13, 2016 3:33 pm

If I won the $2b powerball lottery, I'd invest it all in Corus, and enjoy it for the six months, till it was all gone.

January 13, 2016 6:26 pm

ig wrote:
If I won the $2b powerball lottery, I'd invest it all in Corus, and enjoy it for the six months, till it was all gone.

hope you get lucky tonite

RadioActive · January 13, 2016 10:53 pm

Some are worried that the big are just getting bigger and more controlling.

TV producers wary of Corus deal

January 14, 2016 12:20 am

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Whoopee!!!

the original hank · January 14, 2016 11:09 am

didn't shaw create "corus"? i guess the child is now looking after the parent.

January 14, 2016 6:02 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Some are worried that the big are just getting bigger and more controlling.

TV producers wary of Corus deal

One can almost hear an OPSEU-type advertising campaign.

I wonder how the level of public sympathy for TV producers would compare to that of prison guards.

Mark Elliot · January 14, 2016 6:50 pm

Corus is the radio equivalent of the German army following the Treaty of Versailles in World War 1.
They began buying up the smaller companies, Moffat, Harvard, WIC etc...
Downsizing meant "Central Source Programming" and they centralized by getting rid of staff and keeping all the executives.
The German Army got rid of troops and kept the Generals.
I hope Corus has better results. Seriously.

Last edited by Mark Elliot (January 14, 2016 6:52 pm)