Some fairly big developments in Canadian TV in the last few days…
Corus announced on Friday that Warner Bros Discovery is not renewing their content and trademark agreements with Corus. This agreement will expire on December 31, 2024. Some WBD channels that Corus runs in Canada are Food Network, HGTV, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network.
Today, Rogers announced that it has struck a deal with WBD (and NBC Universal) to bring their content and channels to Canada starting January 2025. No word if Rogers will rebrand some of its existing cable channels to the ones above, launch new channels, or buy the existing channels that Corus owns.
Also today, Rogers has announced that a new CityNews 24/7 FAST channel will be launched for Alberta (Calgary/Edmonton). The BC and Ontario FAST channels are available on Rogers Ignite (cable) in their respective regions, and it’s a safe bet that this new one will also be available to Rogers TV customers in Alberta. Also, former Entertainment Tonight Canada host (and Corus castaway) Cheryl Hickey will join the company on the new 10 AM hour of Breakfast Television.
With the 11-year signing of regional broadcast rights for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced last week, it’s been a pretty good few days for Rogers (and a fairly bad few days for Corus).