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When Rogers snagged the rights from Bell to content from Discovery Warner Bros., the latter company sued. But now reports say Bell has given up the fight, although it's still not quite clear whether there was a settlement of some kind or they simply didn't think it was worthwhile.
"WBD had struck a deal with Bell rival Rogers for English-language lifestyle fare, which had previously run on Bell for 30 years. This led to legal action being taken in July, but that has now ended. Details regarding changes to Bell-owned Discovery channels will be made available in the coming weeks...No word if the Rogers pact still remains in place."
All this comes as Bell extends its agreement with HBO for programming to help feed its streaming service, Crave.
More on that here.
On the subject of Crave, now that they're further strengthened their access to even more American programming, Bell is launching a new campaign to draw your attention to it. Expect to be inundated by it if you watch CTV.
New Brand Campaign Highlights the Endless Entertainment Available on Crave
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WBD probably told Bell if you want our HBO content drop the lawsuit or we will look for another Canadian partner or launch MAX in Canada. The announcement of the "expanded" agreement is just a face saving move by Bell.
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I knew that when I switched my internet to Rogers wireless from Bell fibre optic that:
1. I saved a bunch of $.
2. I crippled the Bell juggernaut. Less money for Bell to use litigating.
😁
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This was hammered out during side chats while the Rogers taking over Bell's MLSE ownership stake for $4.7 billion was going down.
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Bell had already dropped Rogers in it's suit a while ago. In the end it was a legal action against WBD for breaching their agreement. The MLSE deal was mostly about Bell deleveraging it's balance sheet.
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In case you've forgotten, here's what the original dispute was about.
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Johnny B wrote:
This was hammered out during side chats while the Rogers taking over Bell's MLSE ownership stake for $4.7 billion was going down.
That makes sense.