Shaw Communications says the CRTC should not impose a blanket ban on exclusive deals for content on new platforms like smartphones and tablets.
Though Shaw prefers non-exclusive deals, the company told the federal regulator today that current rules are enough to prevent anti-competitive activity.
Shaw, already Western Canada’s biggest cable provider, bought 11 former CanWest TV stations and some specialty channels last year for $2 billion. The company is also planning to launch a wireless service.
The CRTC has already heard from BCE, Telus, Rogers and Quebecor at the hearings into the ownership of television channels by the big cable and satellite companies.
Both BCE and Quebecor have called for fewer rules and for the regulator to allow exclusive deals for content on new devices like smartphones and tablets.
Rogers and Telus however, have lined up on the opposite side and called for the regulator to block exclusive deals for content on the new platforms.
