How does mobile move compare to company’s statements on exclusive content rules?
Did you see the Jays game on Tuesday? When they beat the Tampa Bay Rays, and Yunel Escobar and Jose Bautista both hit home runs?
Rogers customers had a couple of new ways to watch that game and, going forward, all regular season games this season. Its customers across Canada can now watch live streamed games via Rogers On Demand Mobile and Rogers On Demand Online.
The games were already available on TV and radio, but these new viewing options open the game up to smartphone users.
All Rogers cable, wireless, home phone or high-speed internet customers have free access to Rogers On Demand Online, or can subscribe to the Rogers on Demand Mobile app for $5 per month.
Baseball isn’t the only sport to get mobile and online love from Rogers. Live streamed coverage of the upcoming 2011 Rogers Cup tennis matches will also be available through these channels.
But how do these offerings compare to recent statements from Rogers at the CRTC hearings that covered the consequences of vertical integration amongst Canada’s communications companies? With most of these companies putting more and more broadcast content on mobile devices and online, Rogers’ proposals stated that Canadians should be able to consume content on their mobile devices no matter which wireless company they have a contract with.
At the time, Rogers vice-chairman Phil Lind said “You could easily end up with Bell owning NHL rights, Rogers owning Major League Baseball rights and Shaw owning NFL football content… Sports fans would be forced to buy three iPhones or three iPads and subscribe to three distributors to ensure they could catch all the action when and where they wanted.”
In a Toronto Star article, Rogers Communications senior director of sports and on-demand Anthony Antonelli said the Blue Jays content isn’t exclusive.
“This content is the Blue Jays’ content and has been offered to other providers,” he said. “We are not saying we are exclusive, but we are the first. You’ll have to ask those providers if they plan to offer it.”
Rogers owns Marketing magazine.
