TV providers say Rogers’ Monday hockey move inflates prices, ‘erodes’ sports viewing

Résumé détaillé

A trio of television providers are accusing Rogers Communications Inc. of violating competition rules and inflating Canadian sports fans’ bills by moving Monday night hockey broadcasts exclusively to its Sportsnet Plus streaming service for the current NHL season.

TORONTO — A trio of television providers are accusing Rogers Communications Inc. of violating competition rules and inflating Canadian sports fans’ bills by moving Monday night hockey broadcasts exclusively to its Sportsnet Plus streaming service for the current NHL season.

The rival providers are asking the CRTC to order Rogers to immediately offer the content to independent companies for distribution to their customers for free, “ensuring parity” with Rogers’ offering.

“Without swift, decisive, and binding regulatory intervention by the commission, this predatory siphoning of must-have live sports content will inflict immediate and irreversible structural damage on the Canadian broadcasting ecosystem,” stated the letter, adding that without regulatory action, Rogers’ actions would establish “a dangerous precedent.”

“Left unchecked, this strategy erodes consumer choice, forces Canadian households into mandatory fee-stacking, and distorts fair market dynamics.”

In September, Rogers announced Monday night NHL games would stream exclusively on its streaming platform this season for the first time. It clarified that Rogers, Rogers West and Shaw Direct customers who have Sportsnet in their TV package would receive access to that content without any extra charge.

The company also added three new digital channels with the exclusive content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages that have Sportsnet.

They called it a “predatory rate squeeze” that forces independent distributors to “absorb severe content devaluation” or pass inflated costs onto consumers.

“Consequently, the commission must intervene without delay and put a definitive end to Rogers’ anti-competitive practice in order to preserve the integrity of the Canadian broadcasting system and properly defend Canadian consumers’ interests from coast to coast to coast,” they said.

In a statement, Sportsnet spokesperson Jason Jackson said the company would address all issues raised through the CRTC proceeding, “including Sportsnet’s right…

Début de l'article, extrait de BNN Bloomberg. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.