Legal dispute between Bell, Rogers over Discovery channels ends

Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. announced in tandem Tuesday morning that the legal dispute over Rogers' launch of Discovery channels in Canada has ended. Rogers announced in June that it had signed a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. that would see it take the Canadian rights to the Discovery, Motor Trend, Science, Animal Planet, and ID channels away from Bell Media beginning in January. Bell then asked the Ontario Superior Court for an injunction blocking Rogers from distributing Discovery channels. At the time, a Rogers spokesperson told The Wire Report that Bell’s application was a request that the court block the distribution of Discovery channels in Canada for two years, “stopping anyone in Canada from watching them.” In a press release of its own Tuesday, Rogers said it is set to be the "proud home" of Warner Bros. Discovery suite of U.S. lifestyle and factual brands beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Rogers noted it is the exclusive English-language content rights holder, distributor, and advertising representative for the Discovery brands in Canada. It said it will launch TV channels for Discovery ID and Discovery, "and will work with Canadian distribution partners to make the content widely available. "In addition, content from Cooking, OWN, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, and Discovery Science will be available on demand and via Citytv+ on Amazon Prime Video Channels," Rogers said. Bell noted in a press release Tuesday it settled its dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery over Bell Media’s suite of Discovery-branded channels. Bell had alleged in a suit filed this summer that Warner Bros. Discovery failed to disclose an outstanding two-year non-compete agreement it had with Bell to Rogers before Warner and Rogers signed their deal, as reported by Cartt. For its part, Bell said it has extended its deal to have its streaming platform Crave be the "exclusive home" of HBO and Max content for "multiple years." "The new agreement also includes a co-production commitment for original Canadian content with global appeal, licensing of Bell Media original content for use on Warner Bros. Discovery platforms outside of Canada, and extended access to French-language content for use on Bell Media platforms," Bell said. "Details regarding changes to Bell Media-owned Discovery channels will be made available in the coming weeks," it said. hdaley@thewirereport.ca

Legal dispute between Bell, Rogers over Discovery channels ends

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By Hannah Daley
| October 8, 2024

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Legal dispute between Bell, Rogers over Discovery channels ends

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By Hannah Daley
| October 8, 2024