Bell, Rogers come to agreement for distribution of specialty channels

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. have come to an agreement to distribute each other’s specialty channels “across platforms.” The companies announced Tuesday, July 29 that Bell Fibe TV and Satellite TV subscribers will now have access to Rogers’ HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, Magnolia Network, and Investigation Discovery channels, in addition to continued access to Bravo. Free preview availability for all customers began the same day. Rogers Xfinity customers will continue to have “full access” to Bell’s specialty portfolio including USA Network, Oxygen True Crime, and CTV specialty channels including the CTV Comedy Channel, CTV Drama Channel, and CTV Sci-Fi Channel. They will also continue to have access to HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, Magnolia Network, and Investigation Discovery. Two of the Bell channels involved in the announcement were previously at the centre of a dispute between the two companies in front of the CRTC, after Bell accused Rogers of giving Shaw Direct, its satellite broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU), undue preference for two of its channels in comparison to Bell’s discretionary USA Network and Oxygen True Crime channels. Bell announced USA Network and Oxygen True Crime in December and January, after Rogers picked up the rights for channels previously held by Bell in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. last June. In that deal, Rogers got the rights to multiple Warner brands formerly used by Corus Entertainment Inc., as well as the Discovery, Velocity, Science, Animal Planet, and I.D. brands formerly run by Bell. Rogers, for its part, responded by accusing Bell of being hypocritical by demanding carriage of its channels but submitting a complaint that “deliberately omits the critical fact that Bell’s BDUs do not carry” any of Rogers’ new Warner Bros. programming. Rogers asked the CRTC to dismiss the complaint, alleging it was “frivolous,” “trivial,” and an example of “regulatory gamesmanship.” Rogers contended the complaint was “fundamentally flawed” because a standstill rule has been in effect in the companies’ dispute since Oct. 30, 2024, prohibiting Rogers from changing or repackaging Bell’s services. When asked to confirm whether Tuesday’s announcement marks an end to the dispute before the CRTC, a Rogers spokesperson referred The Wire Report to Bell for comment since the complaint was filed by Bell to the CRTC. A Bell spokesperson said “we can confirm that there are no outstanding regulatory complaints related to the carriage of these services.” “We are providing customers more choice and ensuring Rogers customers will continue to have access to Bell Media favourites like Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue 401 and Fear Thy Neighbor on our specialty channels. By making these channels more widely available, we're giving viewers more of what they love while strengthening the Canadian broadcasting ecosystem,” said Kevin Cluett, senior vice president of distribution and product platforms with Bell Media, in a joint statement from the companies about the announcement. "It's great that more Canadians will now have access to North America's most recognized and beloved specialty TV brands like HGTV, Food Network and Discovery, and can access new titles and the latest seasons of top shows from Rogers Sports & Media,” said Rogers Sports and Media’s senior vice president of television, Hayden Mindell. news@thewirereport.ca With files from The Wire Report’s archives.

Bell, Rogers come to agreement for distribution of specialty channels

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By Wire Report Staff
| July 29, 2025

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Bell, Rogers come to agreement for distribution of specialty channels

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