Rogers Communications wants the CRTC to force Bell to sell Astral‘s English pay TV services if it is going to allow the $3.4-billion merger to go ahead.
And Rogers told the regulatory hearing reviewing the proposed deal it would then take a look at buying Astral’s Movie Network to add to its own content.
The CRTC has already turned down Bell’s purchase of Astral Media once.
The companies are seeking approval of a revised deal that among other things would see Bell sell all of Astral’s English language specialty services and one of its English pay TV services. However, it would keep eight of Astral’s channels including the Movie Network. Bell also said it will sell 10 of 84 radio stations owned by Astral and will acquire less than half of Astral’s French language specialty services.
Rogers says the Movie Network and Movie Network Encore are the “jewels in the Astral crown” and will give Bell too much power when negotiating for that content on traditional and mobile platforms.
Rogers says it expects Bell will impose financial terms to make it more difficult to get the English-language pay TV service’s movies and programs and ultimately make it more expensive for consumers.
Meanwhile, earlier in the morning, consumer advocacy group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre asked the CRTC to turn down the Bell-Astral merger, saying a bigger Bell won’t be better for competition or choice.
PIAC said there would be more Bell content and services available to consumers, but at Bell’s price and on Bell’s terms.
The group’s legal counsel, Janet Lo, said approval of a revised deal won’t increase consumer confidence when it comes to competition.
The advocacy group says the market already isn’t meeting consumers’ expectations for choice, flexibility and affordability, and approving the deal doesn’t promise to make the situation any better.
Bell also said it’s making a commitment to keep all local television stations open and plans to increase air play for emerging Canadian artists to at least 25% on relevant radio stations.
