Wait a minute. It sounds like Bell will no longer be carrying The Discovery Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet etc... established brands that viewers know very well. Instead replacing them with their own knockoff versions of these channels?

Am I reading the article correctly?

RadioAaron wrote:

TheWiz wrote:

Wait a minute. It sounds like Bell will no longer be carrying The Discovery Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet etc... established brands that viewers know very well. Instead replacing them with their own knockoff versions of these channels?

Am I reading the article correctly?

Rogers got the rights to most of those brands at Bell and Corus' expense, and will be launching their own versions

I understand the rights issue. But this shouldn't hypothetically prevent Bell from offering these channels on their cable TV services. These channels have been available through all cable providers up to this point regardless of who owns the actual content.

It sounds like we are entering a point soon, where cable providers will only be offering content that they themselves have the rights to. Audio streaming has been moving this way for a while (i.e. Rogers "Seeker" app only contains their content), and now it's happening with Television. All because the financial arms of these companies have lost touch with what is best for the end user.

TheWiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

TheWiz wrote:

Wait a minute. It sounds like Bell will no longer be carrying The Discovery Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet etc... established brands that viewers know very well. Instead replacing them with their own knockoff versions of these channels?

Am I reading the article correctly?

Rogers got the rights to most of those brands at Bell and Corus' expense, and will be launching their own versions

I understand the rights issue. But this shouldn't hypothetically prevent Bell from offering these channels on their cable TV services. These channels have been available through all cable providers up to this point regardless of who owns the actual content.

The Rogers versions don't exist yet
 

It will be interesting to see if Bell adds the new Rogers channels to their channel lineup, and if Rogers removes the revised Bell channels from theirs. 

Yeah, I'm sure they both will. Having a complete lineup is more important than the channels themselves. CRTC might wag a finger otherwise, too.

markow202 wrote:

Speaking of USA Network, back in the 90s CKVR Barrie had USA Network made tv shows being aired.  

Silk Stalkings
Renegade
Pacific Blue
Monday Night Raw

How would they obtain these shows back then and no other channel here?

Back then, CKVR was a Chum group station. 
They may have been paying for the rights, and possibly for more than just one station.
Content that may have aired on other CHUM group stations, but only in markets where CKVR is not available.

These days, USA Network seems to run SVU to the same extent CTV airs Big Bang Theory.