GATINEAU – Despite attempts to delay it, the CRTC hearing into Rogers Communications Inc.’s application to acquire Shaw Communications Inc.’s broadcast assets will begin Monday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. MT/11 a.m. ET.
“Edward Rogers, Brad Shaw and members of their respective executive and regulatory teams will be appearing on next weeks panel,” a Rogers spokesperson confirmed with Cartt.ca via email.
The CRTC announced this morning the hearing will be held in a hybrid format and as such, only parties appearing in person will be allowed in. It will be available to watch on the CRTC’s website.
Throughout the week, organizations including Telus, Bell, Blue Ant Media, Cogeco, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, WildBrain, Canadian Communication Systems Alliance and TLN/Ethnic Channels Group will speak about the proposed transaction.
Written interventions submitted to the CRTC show there are concerns about the level of market dominance the transaction will give Rogers and about the safeguards in place to protect independent broadcasters.
Independent Broadcast Group (appearing at the hearing on Tuesday), for example, argued “Rogers should be required to continue to carry independent discretionary services currently carried by Rogers or Shaw for a minimum of seven years.”
There was also concern expressed in the interventions about what the deal will mean for Corus’s Global News since Shaw has been providing the network with funding, which Rogers has indicated will be redirected to its own Citytv stations.
One thing sure to come up during the hearing is the question of the value of the transaction. The CRTC, in a letter to Rogers Nov. 10, said there were interveners who have questioned the company’s exclusion of Shaw’s terrestrial video on demand and pay-per-view services in its valuation methodology.
The CRTC noted Rogers’s exclusion of the value of the two services indicates it is not seeking CRTC approval to acquire them at this point. Even still, the Commission’s letter notified Rogers “it intends to question its proposed calculation of the value of the transaction at the hearing and may ask, should the Commission so decide upon reviewing the record of the proceeding and hearing from participants in the process, Rogers to submit a revised calculation for the value of the transaction and its associated tangible benefits package following this questioning.”
