T.L. Hughes 752 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Two Canadian media conglomerates have announced a merger into one single entity. Montreal-based Astral Media announced that it is merging with Toronto-based Bell Canada Enterprises, Inc. The merger will likely make it the combined entity largest private media company in Canada; Bell Media owns two broadcast television networks in the country: CTV, the largest private broadcaster in Canada, and television system CTV Two (along with 20 CTV O&O stations, five CTV Two O&O broadcast stations, and two cable-only services in Atlantic Canada and Alberta that are also CTV Two O&Os, operating under educational licenses). It also owns cable channels such as MuchMusic (equivalent to MTV U.S. but with a greater emphasis on music videos), CTV News Channel and The Comedy Network (equivalent to Comedy Central), along with Canadian versions of American networks such as E!, MTV, Discovery Channel and ESPN Classic. Astral Media owns 85 radio stations nationwide, along with two CBC-affiliated over-the-air TV stations in British Columbia, and several English and French-language cable channels including Family (the Canadian equivalent to Disney Channel), pay-per-view service Viewers Choice (no relation to the U.S. PPV service currently known as In Demand), premium channel The Movie Network (not to be confused with U.S. pay service The Movie Channel) and VRAK.TV and stakes in Teletoon (equivalent to Cartoon Network, in a joint venture with Corus Entertaiment) and HBO Canada (carried as a multiplex channel of TMN in Eastern Canada and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central in Western Canada). Media watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says that the Astral-Bell merger raises concerns about the decreased concentration of media ownership in the country (most of the television stations, cable channels and radio stations in Canada are owned by a relatively small amount of companies in comparison to the U.S.; Corus, Shaw Communications, Quebecor Media, Rogers Communications and Newcap Broadcasting being some the other media companies in existence in the country). Since Bell already owns radio stations formerly owned by now-defunct CHUM Limited and Astral owns stations formerly owned by Standard Broadcasting, Bell will have to sell of stations in order to comply with CRTC rules preventing a single entity from owning more than 2 AM and 2 FM stations in the same language in a market with more than eight stations or a maximum of three stations (with a maximum of two being on the FM dial) in a market with fewer than eight stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glimmer 238 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 If I were to guess, the CRTC will make Bell sell TMN and HBO Canada but let them keep everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper550 268 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 If I were to guess, the CRTC will make Bell sell TMN and HBO Canada but let them keep everything else. That'd defeat the purpose of the purchase cause they want that premium content. But yeah, all I can say about this stupid merger (coming from a country that has Comcast/NBC three times over*): HBO Go, exclusively available on Bell smartphones and tablets. *Though, the merger that has felt closest to Comcast/NBC here actually, was Shaw/Canwest. Canwest was struggling (and they were in bankruptcy too), and Shaw has been investing much more in local programming since they bought out the Global stations. But, what I wonder - would Look F look good in teal and red? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glimmer 238 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 ^Yeah, but the monopolization of Canadian media that has went on over the last 5-10 years has gotten to the point where I half-expect someone (whether it be the CRTC or perhaps even Parliament) to call it out and try and put a stop to this. I'll probably be proven wrong, but I just don't see the CRTC allowing them to own the premium channels or Viewer's Choice, at least not fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.L. Hughes 752 Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Since Astral owns two television stations in British Columbia affiliated with the CBC and given that Bell owns CTV and CTV Two, on the assumption that Bell keeps the stations, would CFTK/Terrace and CJDC/Dawson Creek end up becoming repeaters of CTV O&O CIVT/Vancouver or CTV Two O&O CIVI/Victoria, or continue to operate as separate stations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.L. Hughes 752 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Astral Media shareholders approved the acquisition of all outstanding and issued shares of the company to BCE, Inc. subsidiary Bell Media on Thursday. The Quebec Superior Court has also approved this acquisition in a hearing held Friday. This leaves approval by the CRTC and the Competition Bureau of Canada, before the Bell-Astral merger is fully complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinto 0 Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 The CRTC has killed the deal: http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2012/r121018.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.