Bell to add French-language content to Crave

Starting on Jan. 28, BCE Inc.’s Crave streaming service will launch some 6,000 hours of French-language content. That will include French-language versions of 70 shows from the HBO library, like Sex and the City, Westworld, and True Detective, Bell said in a release. The service will also feature French-language original content made for Crave, and Super Écran content as an add-on. “We are so proud to launch a bilingual Crave, featuring not only exclusive French-language programming from Crave’s already robust line-up of hit TV and movies but, more importantly, dozens of new Crave Originals made in Québec for French-speaking audiences across the country,” Bell’s Quebec vice-chair, Karine Moses, said in a press release Tuesday. “With the new Crave, we aim to solidify our presence in the Québec market in addition to promoting the Québec’s solid production know-how in the rest of Canada.” Bell rival Quebecor Inc. already has its own subscription-based streaming service focused on the French-language market. It began developing original content for the service in 2015, and as of the last quarter counted 443,500 subscribers. In December, the CRTC ruled that when Quebecor removed Bell’s Super Écran from its premium channels package, it did not confer an undue advantage to Quebecor’s own Club Illico, as Bell had claimed in a complaint. Now that Super Écran will come bundled with Crave for just under $20 a month, double the monthly cost of Crave alone. Quebecor issued a press release Tuesday afternoon accusing Bell of "abusing its market dominance," forcing Quebecor's Videotron to "discontinue on-demand access to Super Écran content," and accusing Bell of "blocking access to its Super Écran Go app, as of today, for Videotron customers who subscribe to Super Écran." Bell spokesman Marc Choma disputed those accusations in an email. "The older Super Écran GO app has been discontinued so no one is being 'blocked'," he said. Choma said other TV providers, including Cogeco Inc. and Telus Corp. "have already signed up to offer the new bilingual Crave including the new Super Écran product. It was also made available to Videotron but they chose not to offer it to their subscribers."

Bell to add French-language content to Crave

Brief | January 21, 2020

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Bell to add French-language content to Crave

Brief | January 21, 2020

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